When he realized what he was doing, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. His jaw throbbed, giving him a constant headache. These forests were mysterious, and he’d heard the troops repeat the legends of the Hebrew god over and over all day long, until finally he’d declared that the next man to speak would be lashed. He’d tried to send a team after the two warriors who had ambushed them in the woods, but none of the men showed the heart for it. He cursed them and sent them back down into the valley, and when they arrived back at the camp, he forced them to take over the duties of the slaves making food for the army. Then Ittai made his way to the tent of the king of Gaza, the one ruler on this adventure who actually knew what he was doing. Ittai respected him, but he knew that it was the king of Gath who held the real power in the alliance. Both kings despised the Hebrews, but they had different ideas as to how to deal with the threat David posed. After Ittai made his report on the attack in the forest, the king of Gaza had sighed and walked over to a servant holding a pitcher of wine.
