"And it will be a whole lot better eating than the one I missed," he assured them. "That one was terribly thin and very old."
"How cute it is," said Jezebel.
"Don't," cried Lady Barbara. "We mustn't think of that. Just remember that we are starving."
"Where shall we eat it?" asked Smith.
"Right here," replied the English girl. "There is plenty of deadwood around these trees. Have you matches?"
"Yes. Now you two look the other way while I do my duty. I wish I'd hit the old one now. This is like murdering a baby."
Upon the opposite side of the forest Eshbaal was once again experiencing surprise, for suddenly the goats for which he had been searching came stampeding toward him.
"The strange noise frightened them," soliloquized Eshbaal. "Perhaps it is a miracle. The goats for which I have searched all day have been made to return unto me."
As they dashed past, the trained eye of the shepherd took note of them. There were not many goats in the bunch that had strayed, so he had no difficulty in counting them. A kid was missing. Being a shepherd there was nothing for Eshbaal to do but set forth in search of the missing one. He advanced cautiously, alert because of the noise that he had heard.
Eshbaal was a short, stocky man with blue eyes and a wealth of blond hair and beard. His features were regular and handsome in a primitive, savage way. His single garment, fashioned from a goat skin, left his right arm entirely free, nor did it impede his legs, since it fell not to his knees. He carried a club and a rude knife.