270 BOYS OF THE BIBLE.

heard thereof. And they gathered themselves together te
fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.” But
the men of Gibeon were not so valiant. It was much easier
for them to be smart than to be brave. So they dressed
themselves in all the old clothes they could find; they put
on worn ragged sandals, “old shoes and clouted” as they
are called; and they put shabby harness and sackcloth upon
their asses, and took old rent wine-bottles in their hands and
carried with them mouldy bread. And in this fashion, like
an army of disreputable tramps, the men of Gibeon made
“their way to the camp at Gilgal, and when they found
Joshua, they cringed and whined and lied to him most
shamefully. It is quite easy for cowards to lie. They began
by denying that they were natives of the land. “We be
come from a far country,” they said, “now therefore make
a league with us.”

“But how can we make a league with you?” said the
men of Israel. ‘What can we do with you, or what can
we do for your” .

The matter was then referred to Joshua, who being a
great leader, was therefore a very busy man. He soon had
the whole business settled. Although we cannot help think-
ing that if Joshua had known what a crowd of downright
cowardly hypocrites these men were, he would have been
more cautious in entering into a league with them. They
were a cunning set of men, cunning enough to throw dust
into the eyes of good old Joshua, as we shall see.

The Gibeonites were brought before the great leader
and commander of the tribes. They came bending very
low—much too low for genuine humility—and as they came
they cried aloud:

“We are thy servants! We are thy servants!”