Pearl in the Sand (15 page)

What was he to do with these foreigners anyway? He couldn’t breeze into camp with them in tow. There were a hundred rules and laws that they could unknowingly break within the first hour.
He decided to leave them where they were until they had received some basic tutelage.

“What’s wrong with you, brother? Were you injured yesterday?” Miriam asked, frowning at Salmone.

He sat up on the mattress and punched the pillows behind him, ostensibly to fluff them. “No, I wasn’t injured.”

“Then why are you acting like a camel with a sore tooth?”

He raked his hand through his hair, making it stand up in dark spikes. It didn’t help that he was already tussled from sleep. “It’s complicated.”

Miriam snorted. “Well hurry up and dress. I’m going with you to help.”

“To help what? What are you talking about?”

“Your complication. I believe its name is Rahab, and she came with a few relatives attached.”

Salmone almost sputtered with shock. “How do you know about Rahab?”

“Calm yourself. You’ll give yourself desert fever. Joshua told me earlier this morning. He asked me to help you.”

“You! What for? He’s put a slip of a girl to spy on me—my own sister, no less!” He threw her a look that practically screamed
traitor
.

Frowning, Miriam waved a dismissive hand. “Of course not. He asked me to help with the women. You’ll have an awkward time of it trying to explain the laws pertaining to them. I’m to help them fit in and get assimilated.”

“Oh.”

“Apology accepted. Such a churl is my only brother, and on the day of Israel’s great victory. Why, may one inquire?”

Salmone shrugged. “I don’t see eye to eye with Joshua on this. I think it’s a mistake to transplant these people into our camp. If God led us to spare them, so be it. I’d rather not shed any more blood than I have to. But should they join us?”

“She sounds like a brave woman of faith. What do you have against her?”

“She is a
zonah
, Miriam. Come to think of it, I’m not sure that it’s wise for you to spend much time with her. Let Joshua send his own sister if he feels compelled to help them.”

“Hanani and Ezra spent a whole night with her. Alone. And they haven’t been corrupted. I dare say I shall be able to withstand any nefarious influence she might have. Besides, Joshua asked me personally, and I’m not going to disappoint him.”

“Well, Joshua should have asked my permission first.”

“Take it up with him if you want. Now, when are we going to visit them?”

Salmone groaned. He couldn’t fight both Joshua and his sister. They were the two people in the world who wielded the greatest influence on his heart. And in truth, he wasn’t worried about Miriam. She could manage ten Canaanite harlots without coming to harm. He was just looking for excuses to thwart Joshua’s plan. Resentfully he pulled a robe over his head at the same time as sticking his feet into well-worn sandals with an energy born of irritation.

“Right now. We are going to visit them right now. Let’s go find Hanani so that he can show us the way. Ezra knows it too, come to think of it. We’ll take the first one that crosses our path.”

They found Ezra not far from their tent, humming a sunny tune as he carried water.

“Ezra!” Salmone called.

“Good morning, Salmone.” His smile stretched to the point of breaking his face in half as he noticed Salmone’s companion. “Morning, Miriam.”

“Hello, Ezra. My brother and I need your help.”

“Anything. Anything you—”

“Yes, yes,” Salmone interrupted. “I need to get to Rahab’s campsite. Can you take us?”

“Of course. We settled them at an oasis not far from here.” He looked about for a place to put his water jug, then changed his mind and placed it back on his shoulder. “I’ll bring this. They need fresh water.”

Salmone made a gagging noise under his breath.

Ezra and Miriam spoke most of the way, or at least Miriam spoke and Ezra listened with enthusiasm. Salmone ignored both and spent his time wondering how long he would have to be saddled with these last remaining residents of Jericho before they could be forced to show their true colors.

A small camp came into view. Under the shade of tall palms, several children played a game while a woman watched. Three women prepared some kind of meal over the fire. One man gathered firewood, another slept, and two were engaged in quiet conversation. The scene appeared familiar and domestic. Innocent. Distinctly unsinister. This family had lost everything and everyone they knew, Salmone realized. They must be devastated. He swallowed a sudden lump of guilt. In his mental strivings, they had become abstract, two-dimensional beings, without humanity. The scene he walked toward took that blindfold from his eyes.

As his company approached, Rahab’s family noticed them and stopped their activities. Even the sleeping man was roused, and the children quieted down. When they drew close, a woman stepped forward. She was dressed in a modest gown of high-quality fabric, her hair covered by the folds of dark linen. Large wide-set eyes looked at him through thick lashes. They widened with recognition before she hastily lowered them. He hadn’t forgotten her face either, not even after their briefest encounter in a burning city. She had skin so translucent the sun seemed to go right through it. Her unusual coloring—golden eyes and chestnut hair peeking through her scarf—heightened the exotic femininity that stamped her every feature. Salmone gave himself a mental kick. Was he truly standing there, admiring a Canaanite woman? Never mind Miriam, he was the one in need of protection.

She turned to Ezra, and gave him a quick dip of respect in the manner common to Canaanites. “Welcome, Ezra.”

“Good morning, Rahab. I have brought you a little water.”

Rahab! This was Rahab?
Had a woman ever looked less like a
harlot? Where were her dangles and bobbles? Where were her sheer veils and clinging skirts and face paint? Where her brazen expression and forthright sexuality?

Ezra interrupted Salmone’s dazed thoughts with an introduction. “Rahab, this is Salmone, son of Nahshon, one of the leaders of the tribe of Judah. And this is Miriam, his sister. Salmone, this is Rahab, who saved Hanani and me from certain death.”

Rahab dipped another curtsy, deeper this time in respect to Salmone’s position. “You honor us with your presence, my lord.” After introducing the members of her family she asked, “Would you share a meal with us? We have some fresh pan bread and raisin cakes.”

Salmone, annoyed at having to spend half his day dealing with people he little trusted, and even more annoyed at finding himself impressed by Rahab’s looks and manners, curled his lip. “No. We have come to tell you that Joshua has decided your family can move into Israel’s camp. Conditionally.”

Before he could open his mouth and spell out his conditions, Rahab shocked him by prostrating herself on the ground. “Thank you, my lord. Thank you. May God bless you.” Her wide eyes were drowned in unshed tears.

“Rise up, woman,” he barked. “I cannot talk to you thus with your face in the dust.” Miriam gasped. Salmone ignored her. In truth, he hadn’t intended to sound so harsh, but the sight of Rahab’s tears and importunate humility moved him too deeply for comfort. Annoyed with his own unbidden response of compassion, he strove for perspective. This woman would wreak havoc in Judah if allowed. Knowingly or unknowingly, she would unleash corruption and confusion. Salmone hardened his softening heart and narrowed his gaze.

Rahab’s face turned the color of chalk, and she scrambled to her feet. “Pardon.”

Salmone pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, wishing someone would wipe that wounded look from
the woman’s face. “Listen, I said conditionally and I meant it. You must give up all your idols and false gods. Do you understand? All. The Lord is a jealous God. He will not put up with idolatry. Any of you who wish to live with Israel must dedicate himself to the Lord. And you must keep our laws. Joshua has put you under my care, in the tribe of Judah. I am now responsible to teach you what you must know. When you have been prepared, then you may move into our camp. Until then you must stay here.”

Rahab’s older brother stepped forward, bowing with diffidence. “My lord, how are we to learn these laws? And how are we to learn about the Lord?”

“My sister Miriam will help your women. I will send any man I can spare every day to teach you.

“Now you must tell me, each one, are you willing to give up your idols and worship the Lord only? For understand this: the punishment for idolatry will most probably be death.”

The same brother answered, “Rahab has already explained to us that we must give up the gods we grew up with. We have, every one of us, chosen to do this, for the Lord is mighty. He has proven Himself great above all other gods. But we are very ignorant, I fear.”

At least they knew and acknowledged their ignorance. Humility could pave the way for a successful assimilation, Salmone conceded. Before he could respond, the younger brother stepped forward. There was something tight-lipped and sullen about his attitude. This one was struggling with his decision, Salmone guessed. He sharpened his focus on the younger man, gauging his attitude, trying to read his expression. Was there hatred? Revenge? Violence? He tensed, unconsciously taking a battle-ready stance.

“Shall we be slaves to the Hebrews if we come and live with you?” His voice wavered, despite his obvious effort to sound calm. Salmone thought he detected fear, even mistrust, but not violence. He willed his straining muscles to relax. The question was a reasonable one.

“No. You’re not our captives. Your sister purchased your lives and
your freedom by saving our men before the war began. You would join us as free people. There is no compulsion for you to join us, however, if you don’t have a mind to. You aren’t in our debt. Your lives were purchased fairly.”

“And how would we live? We owned a small plot of land before … in Jericho, I mean. We made our living as farmers. How shall we feed our families if we join you?”

Salmone shrugged. “Your young men will go to battle with the rest of the men. You shall have a share of the land and plunder same as the others. Your women and children will stay at our camp and help with daily upkeep.”

Several of them gasped at once. “Battle?” one of them choked.

Well what did they expect—that their Canaanite origin would exempt them from unpleasant chores? What did they think joining another nation meant?

“If you join us, we will expect you to live as one of us.”

Rahab who had moved to stand behind her brothers stepped forward again. Her voice was so soft Salmone had to strain to hear it. He noticed that she avoided his gaze. “My lord, my brothers and father have never been trained for war. They are skilled farmers. I have been told that some of you will be settling in the land that was once Og’s and Sihon’s. Will you not need to till the land and work it soon? Having traveled most of your lives, you may perhaps find farming a challenge. If your men are gone a good deal of the time, the heavy work of the farms will fall on women who have no experience. You would lose much in the process of learning. My brothers and father could be of tremendous help, teaching your people agricultural skills. They are familiar with the land in this area—the crops that grow well and those that perish. They understand what feeds the ground and what drains it. Would it not be an advantage to Israel to use their farming knowledge rather than waste their lives in battle for which they haven’t been trained?”

Salmone threw her a sharp glance. In a few moments, she had managed to establish her family as an indispensable commodity to
Israel, while also giving a notable reason for them to avoid fighting. And not once had she resorted to using anything like feminine wiles, which he would have renounced with some pleasure. He was astonished to find her blush under his scrutiny. She lowered her eyelids; it made him stare at her even harder. Never had a woman so utterly puzzled him. Or drawn him. The thought almost made him groan. He wanted to run as far away in the opposite direction as his legs would carry him, and then borrow another set of legs and run those ragged too.

R
ahab studied Salmone surreptitiously. He stood rigid, hands balled into fists at his sides, teeth clenched, surveying Rahab and her family the way a shepherd might survey a pack of flea-riddled wolves. That he had no love for them he did not bother to hide. The only thing colder than his manners were his words. With one breath he delivered the best news she had ever heard in her life; with another, he berated her like the very sight of her offended his senses.

When Salmone announced that he would be their leader, her heart dropped to her feet. There was a strength about Salmone that she found intimidating. Years of wandering the desert had made his tall frame lean with muscle, and recent battles had made him keen. But it wasn’t his physical power or even the stony good looks that she found so imposing. He had a penetrating quality in the way he gazed at you, like he took a dagger and dissected your deepest being without mercy. Judging by the hard line of his mouth, whatever he found in Rahab gave him no pleasure. Though she tried to hide inside her brand-new respectable clothes, Salmone made her feel like a misbehaving child.