he best pasture, and
found the coolest and freshest water for them to drink. Then, too, he
was as brave as a lion, and if any wild beast came lurking round hoping
to snatch a lamb away, David was up at once and would attack the
fiercest beast single-handed. Nothing could ever do any harm to his
flock.

Now it happened that one day while David was, as usual, out in the
fields that a sudden stir of excitement awoke in the little town of
Bethlehem. Men gathered round the city gate, and with anxious, fearful
eyes looked down the long white road that led up from the plain below.
And yet there seemed nothing there to make them look so terrified and
anxious. Only an old feeble man was slowly climbing up towards the town.
He was driving a heifer before him, and carrying what looked like a horn
in his hand.

[Illustration: An old feeble man was slowly climbing up towards the
town.]

But the people whispered together that the old man was none other than
Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, who carried God's messages. He must be
bringing a message to them, and who knew if it was good or evil. They
tried with uneasy minds to remember if they had been doing anything
wrong of late as they watched the old man drawing nearer and nearer.
Then at last the chief men of the town went out to meet him.

"Comest thou peaceably?" they asked anxiously.

The old man lifted his head and looked at them kindly as he echoed their
words.

"Peaceably," he answered at once; "I am come to sacrifice unto the
Lord."

A great sigh of relief went up from the people. The visit was a mark of
God's favour and not of His displeasure.

It was true, indeed, that Samuel had come to offer sacrifice, but he had
come also on a secret errand about which no man knew but himself. God
had bidden him take his horn of oil and anoint one of the sons of Jesse
to be king over His people instead of Saul, the present king, who had
displeased Him. But it was to be done secretly. Saul must not hear of
it, or his vengeance would be swift.

It was in Jesse's house that the feast of the sacrifice was prepared,
and Samuel ordered that all the sons of the house should pass before him
as they went to attend the sacrifice.

The first to come was Eliab, Jesse's eldest son, and when Samuel saw him
he felt sure that this was the man who was to be anointed king. He was a
splendid young man, tall and strong and handsome, looking almost as
kingly as Saul himself.

"Surely this is