THE FALL OF JUDAH. 305

bank against it. By the way that he came by the same
shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith
the Lord.” That very night the prophecy was fulfilled.
The Lord sent his angel, who smote one hundred and
eighty-five thousand men in the camp of the Assyrians.
Next day the king of Assyria, with the remnant of his
army, turned about and sought safety in their own land.

George. Is it not known what killed them ?

Grandfather. It is not certainly known. Josephus
calls it a plague, but the expression, “a blast,” makes it
seem more likely that it was by the semoom, a hot wind,
which, when it enters the lungs, causes instant death.

George. I have heard of it. It blows on the sand in
the Arabian desert. I read a story about two gentle-
men who fell asleep at an open window in the middle of
the day, and were found dead, their bodies being black
as if they had been burned.

Johnnie. Was it the simoom that killed them? I
would be afraid to sleep if I were in that country.

George. That would not save you. It often kills
people when they are awake. Their only plan when
they see it coming is to bury their mouths and noses in
the sand.

Johnnie. They see it coming, do they ? What like
is it ?

George. It is a purple colour in the sky; is it not,
grandfather ?

Grandfather. Mr Bruce calls it a coloured haze, like
thin smoke, of a blueish shade. I read an account of

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