The Writing on the Wall

OJi

The Writing On TkE W^ll Leon Garfield & Michael Bragg

MM

The Writing On The Wvll &

Leon Garfield

Michael Bragg Samuel

is

small by an) standard. So short, the

dishes he carries appear to have legs of their

own, and

so insignificant, a

tor Belshazzar, the

mere kitchen-hoy

King, he measures his worth

along with his only friend, a tattered

cat

named

Mordecai.

One

night, while the rich

and mighty are

something happens that stuns and silences even the great King himself Samuel, his head concealed feasting at Belshazzar's court,

behind

a

huge mound

of strawberries,

grateful tor the peace, tor

moment

tor

now

Mordecai. Filling

is

he can steal a

a

holy golden

bowl from Belshazzar's table with cream from jug, Samuel is unaware of the

a hol\ silver

magnificence and mystery that surround the writing on Belshazzar's wall.

Leon Garfield and Michael Bragg, who collaborated so successfully on King Nimrocts .

the Biblical account of The

Tower

of

Babel, here present another highly original, deeply personal interpretation, this one based

upon the

fifth

Daniel

a tale of

—

The Book of weights and measures,

chapter from

need and greed that as

is

as

meaningful today

ever before.

Lothrop,

i

Shepard Books

i

I

Duff

3 0209

Jbrary

00008 0573

DUFFY ELEMENTARY LIBRARY

224 Ga

Garfielc 1, Leon THE WRITINC

\

ON THE WALL

DATE DUE SFP ? *

tOf

r

fjpr

m

t

m /\i (M\a^ .

fifl

Writing On Hie

Wvll

j

Text copyright

C 1983 b\

Illustrations cop\ right

First

b\

published

in

Leon Garfield

© 1983b)

Great Britain

in

Library of Congress Cataloging Garfield, Leon.

The writing on the

1083

Methuen Children's Books Ltd

wall.

Summary Samuel, a :

kitchen-boy

Belsha//ar, the King, and his guests All rights reserved.

reproduced or

No pan

of this book ma> be

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrie\al utilized in

system, without permission

in

writing from

the Publisher. Inquiries should be addressed to

Lee& Shepard Books, a division of \\ illiam Morrow & Company, Inc., 105 Madison Avenue, New York. New York 10016.

Lothrop,

Printed in Great Britain.

IS. Edition 12345678910

First

Publication Data

in

Michael Hragg

during which

God delivers a message

is

interpreted by Judge Daniel.

2.

Belshazzar

1.

Daniel, the Prophet

Belshazzar.

Michael.

1 1.

[ 1

Babylon, serves

to

Belshazzar which

3.

Biblestories,

Daniel, the Prophet

Bible stories

3.

in

the feast

Juvenile literature.

Juvenile literature.

English— O. T. Daniel. 2.

at

— O. T]

I.

Bragg,

Title.

BS580.D2G37

ISBN 0-688-02

1083 1

12-3

224.509505

82-24938

The Writing On The

Wall Leon Garfield &

V

Michael Bragg

A

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD BOOKS

NEW YORK

LIBRA?

\ OIST TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL

\

m

1

TUCSON, AZ 85717

f

:

r*

Just as

Sam

is

short for

Samuel was short

When

Samu

for a boy.

he fetched the dishes

Very in, all

could see was roast goose and

he took the dishes out,

were dirty plates and

all

legs.

legs.

you

When

you could see

The most you

ever saw of his other end was a tuft of hair sticking

up over the top of sprouts

dumplings,

He was

like a sprig

a nothing, a

or

of black parsley.

nobody; he was

a

kitchen-boy in Babylon, and he was

rushed off his

feet.

V

I

JL

Z;^5**L

rr'

JF2K

"Hey there, name is! Over "Hey there,

roast potatoes, or whatever your

here!" hard-boiled eggs, or whatever your

» *

t

It

ir +

is!

Over here!"

was Friday night and Belshazzar, the King,

was giving

U

'

face

a feast. All the rich

and mighty of

t

Babylon had come dukes and duchesses, :

generals and admirals, lawyers and bankers and

'

their wives sat

and guzzled

cheek by costly cheek, and swigged

to the greater glory of Belshazzar, the

King. 4-

"Hey mother

there, pickled herrings, or calls

you! Over here!"

whatever your

V

M

Even the gods of Babylon had been summoned attend.

They

arrived in carts and on the tops of

wagons ugly great :

to

idols covered

rubies, like high-class measles.

all

over with pearls and !^

• •

• •

;


God had

But one

come

not

:

the invisible

God

of the

Jews. So Belshazzar, the King, grew angry and sent to this

God's temple, saying:

"If He will not come and dine greatest in the land,

He

my

gates

his

and holy gorgeous

own

table for his

plates,

came

vv

/

in like a speckled scarlet

^/

/

and had them

own proud

and the golden bowls were waiting

(-

dog

!"

were piled with grapes, the jugs were

that

table, like the

he took away God's holy golden bowls, and holy

silver jugs,

upon

my

shall eat off the floor, like a

or a cat, or the beggar at

And

at

feast. filled

The

set

plates

with cream

for the strawberries

mountain on

legs.

v

i ley there, strawberries, or whatever

those

it is

skinny stumps belong to! Over here!"

Samuel stepped, dainty

as a bride

around

This wasn't because he was frightened

a

puddle.

of falling;

it

was

because he didn't want to tread on Mordecai. Mordecai

N

was

a cat, a tattered,

Wherever Samuel went, Mordecai went

hungry

cat.

waving

his tail

drift

one-eared, smelly fleabag of a

and weaving between Samuel's

too,

feet like a

of tabby smoke, with eyes.

Although Mordecai could see what nobody

else

could see, which was that Samuel had a face, which kept peering

moon

down

in its

everybody

"Hey

him around the edge of a dish like the second quarter, he miaowed at him like at

else

there, fried sprats!

Mordecai was left

starving.

Down

here!"

There was hardly anything

of him. His sides were almost meeting in the

middle; and he was sure

that, if

he was weighed

balances, he wouldn't have tipped the scales at a

pennyweight.

in the

_

"Hey

there, boiled halibut!

Down

here!

PLEASE!"

Samuel's heart ached for Mordecai; but he was rushed

oft his feet

and there

just

by the rich and mighty of Babylon,

wasn't any time for a

cat.

"Behold!" cried Belshazzar, the King,

up strawberries cream

as thick as pride.

supper

He

as bright as blood,

now

"What

all

he spooned

and poured on

will this

God do

that Belshazzar has His jugs

laughed; and

as

for

His

and bowls ?"

the rich and mighty laughed too.

They shook and swayed and

clinked and jingled, like a

miser in a gale. 'This

God," he shouted,

"will have to

come

like a

beggar to the hall of Belshazzar, the King!"

c

1

le

began

to

laugh again.

Then

he stopped. His

mouth fell open, and a straw hern fell out, and made a bloodstain on the eloth. His eves bulged, his

knees knocked, and he clutched

at the table for

support.

What was wrong? What was staring

at,

the great

King

The dukes and

high up on the wall?

generals and lawyers and bankers and their wives

turned

"A

in their seats

and looked up

at the wall.

A- A- AH!"

Painted faces turned as white as plaster; forks

and spoons dropped from trembling fingers and glasses

fell

and smashed upon the

floor.

"HOO-OO-OO-OOH!" Out of nothing, out of nowhere, come! no

It

wrist,

was

a

hand

hand had

as pale as death!

no sleeve, no arm.

with fingers that

a

It

moved along

Seratch - scratch - scratch!

was

There was

just a

hand,

the wall! It

began

to write.

Scratch - scratch - scratch! Strange words

appeared, words that none could read.

hand stopped.

It

every heart; then

turned and seemed to point it

faded into

Belshazzar, the King, and sat

and glared

feast in stone.

at

Then

the at

air!

all

the rich

company

the writing on the wall, like a

\

A £ J

^W

I

The for

hall

was

as quiet as

Mordecai, the

Sunday; and Samuel looked

cat.

"Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?"

whispered Samuel, as Mordecai came and looked up

him with eyes

"Under

like

empty

hoop of his back and table to look for

saucers.

miaowed Mordecai, making

the table,"

crook with his

a

at

tail,

a

"under the

some cream."

"Pussycat, pussycat, did you find any there?"

whispered Samuel.

"Nothing but

miaowed Mordecai, "nothing

feet,"

but feet and the legs of a chair."

Samuel

listened.

Nobody

called for him.

He

waited.

Nobody wanted him. He peered around one side speckled mountain of strawberries. Nobody was looking at him.

He

of the

peered around the other side.

Everybody was looking

at the wall.

He

didn't

know

why. All Samuel could see were strawberries and cream .

.

.

and Mordecai, the

cat.

\

V t

-a*

'

Everybody was looking

the wall; except Samuel,

at

who was watching everybody

to

make

sure they

weren't watching him; and Mordecai the cat,

who was

watching Samuel.

"Hey "Hey

He from

there,

you with the

there,

Mordecai!

lowered his dish, a

face!

It's

filled

dish,

time for a cat!"

up

holy silver jug, and put

table of Belshazzar, the King.

and stood,

stock-still,

Cream, down here."

it

a holy

on the

Then he

golden bowl floor

under the

picked up his

behind the mountain of

strawberries, while tattered, one-eared, smelly old

Mordecai finished off the cream and polished God's golden bowl with his rough pink tongue.

And

all

the while, Belshazzar, the King, and the rich

and mighty of Babylon shook and trembled, and stared at the writing

on the

wall.

* *

A \

"Bring length

me

wise

men!"

for only the rich

;

invited to the feast,

cried Belshazzar at

and mighty had been

and none of them was wise.

"Let them read the writing on the wall!"

So the wise men of Babylon were fetched from schoolroom and study and

up

at the writing

blinked.

library.

They peered

and squinted and stared and

They put

their heads together, like

wrinkled old eggs in a nest.

They

scratched them,

they rubbed them and ploughed them with

frowns; but nothing came out. read so

much

as a single

word.

They could not

At

last

there was only one wise

man

to

come: Judge Daniel, who was the wisest

man

of the Jews.

before the King,

He came tall

and stood

and stern and

black, save for his beard

all

in

which poured

down his chest like an avenue of snow. "Can you read the writing on the wall?" demanded Belshazzar, the King. Judge Daniel looked; and slowly nodded his head.

"Then tell me what it commanded Belshazzar.

says!"

So Judge Daniel answered and ;

was as dark

his voice

as a night without stars. It

struck fear into every heart

;

and even

Samuel's hair stood up on end, so that the

mountain of strawberries grew

a fringe

on

top, stiff as railings.

A &

,

4 7

Your days

are

numbered, Belshazzar,

the King," said Judge Daniel.

been weighed wanting.

from

and

in the balances

You have

God

His

silver jugs

set yourself

your kingdom King.

God

sinned.

is

"You have

and found

You have

taken

and golden bowls

above Him. Therefore finished, Belshazzar, the

has finished

it."

m

There was

a

sound of rattling

the chattering of teeth

;

in the hall,

which was

and the sound of an empty

wind, which was the gasping of breath.

"A- A- A- AH!" Their rich robes grew huge and heavy on the feasters

;

and

their jewelled

like iron fists pressing

crowns and coronets seemed

down on

their heads.

With

shaking limbs and frightened faces they crept away into the night, and hid themselves in shadows and holes in the ground, where they find them.

The

hoped

that

God would

never

strawberry mountain sank out of sight,

and under the table of Belshazzar, the King.

k

y

At

last

empty of all save

the hall was

Judge Daniel

in his long black

He

his tall black hat.

gazed

gown and

at the

tumbled

and the broken glasses and the

chairs,

scattered plates

;

and then

at the table

of

Belshazzar, the King.

"Hey

there!" he cried, spying

something unusual. "Boy's tail

or whatever you are!

Samuel came Mordecai the

"Well?"

forth;

and

feet

cat's

Over here!"

and with him came

cat.

said

Judge Daniel, solemn

coffin with folded arms.

"Who

are

as a

you?"

"Just another sinner," said Samuel, sorely afraid. is

"Name

Mordecai the

of Samuel; and this

cat."

"Is that so?" said Judge Daniel, kneeling

down made

to a

a drift

;

be on

a level so that his

beard

kind of toboggan run ending up in for

Samuel was short

for a boy.

7

/

"Look," what

I

said Samuel, sad as rain

did."

And

on

a holiday, "look

he fetched out from under the table, a

holy silver jug and a holy golden bowl. "I took what

was God's, and used

it

for

Mordecai, the cat."

Judge Daniel frowned and stroked

his beard,

and

absent-mindedly poured out more cream for Mordecai, the cat.

"Weighed

in the balances

Samuel, gazing up wall.

"That's us

wouldn't dust!"

at the

mysterious writing on the

all right.

tip the scales

and found wanting," said

on

The a

pair of us put together

pennyweight Light !

as

I

Judge Daniel sighed and shook when," he asked, cat,

"can

a

his head.

tickling the only ear of

kitchen-boy read what

could not understand?

It

all

"Since

Mordecai, the

the wise

men

says on the wall, as plain as

anything, that Samuel and Mordecai have been

weighed

in the balances

sighed again.

And

and found

NEEDING." He

"So go home, Samuel, go home

to bed.

take this golden bowl and this silver jug to

remind you always."

"To remind me of what?" asked Samuel. "That God punishes greed, not need," said Judge Daniel, in a voice as soft as dreams.

So Samuel went; and winding between drift

of tabby smoke, went Mordecai the

his legs, like a

cat.

.

Belshazzar the king made a great

commanded

Belshazzar

feast.

bring the golden

to

and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out ot the temple which was in Jerusalem

And

and his princes, his wives, and drank in them. And praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote upon the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote the king,

his concubines,

Then came

in all the king's

wise men: but

make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake, Art thou that Daniel,

they could not read the writing, nor

.

which

art

of the children of the captivity of

Judah, whom the king of Jewry...?

my

father brought out

and make

If thou canst read the writing,

known

to

.

me

the interpretation thereof, thou

and have

shalt be clothed with scarlet,

a chain

of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third

kingdom.

ruler in the

Then Daniel answered, Give to another; yet

the king,

I

will read the

and make known

to

thy rewards

writing unto

him

the

interpretation

The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written This

is

the interpretation of the thing:

MENE; God finished

hath

TEKEL; Thou and

art

numbered

kingdom, and

art

weighed

in the balances,

found wanting.

PERES; Thy kingdom to the

thy

it.

Medes and

is

divided, and given

Persians

In that night was Belshazzar the king of the

Chaldeans

slain.

And Darius

the

Median took

the

kingdom,

being about threescore and two years old.

From

the

King James

Version

of The Holy Bible

The Hook ofDaniel, Chapters

IH

I