camest thou hither?" he asked. "And with whom hast thou left those
few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thy
heart, for thou hast come down that thou mightest see the battle."

It could not have been very easy to bear this taunt. But David had
learned to conquer himself before he set out to conquer giants. So he
answered quietly instead of flashing back an angry reply.

"What have I done?" he asked. "May I not ask a harmless question?"

There were many questions he still wished to ask, and presently the
soldiers began to repeat his words one to another, until at last the
report was spread that some one had been found ready and willing to
answer the challenge of the giant Philistine. And of course the news
soon reached the king's ear. Saul sent immediately and ordered that the
shepherd lad should be brought to him. He had quite forgotten about the
boy who had charmed away his black moods with the magic music of his
harp. And David had grown and changed since those days.

So now, when David stood before the king, Saul had no idea who he was,
and his one thought, as he looked at the slender youth, was that it was
madness to think of such a mere boy going out to give battle to the
great giant.

"Thou art not able to go against this Philistine," he said; "for thou
art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."

But David answered eagerly. He did not boast, but spoke steadily and
wisely. True, he had not been trained as a soldier, but his courage and
his strength had both been already proved. And he went on to tell the
king that while he kept his father's sheep he had often to defend them
from wild beasts. Once he had fought with a lion and a bear
single-handed and had killed them both.

[Illustration: Saul puts his own armour on David.]

It was not in his own strength that he trusted. "The Lord that delivered
me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will
deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine," he ended triumphantly.

Faith in God was David's sure defence; and Saul as he listened bowed his
head in shame, for it was the faith which he himself had lost. It was
this faith, he knew, which might win the victory. It was an echo of the
confidence he had once felt when his whole trust had been in God, and he
recognized the true ring of the boy's courage.

"Go," he said, "and the Lord be with thee."

Then the king was eager to put his own armour on David,