MY ISRAELITE FELLOW-LODGERS. 71 



very good German, and was uncommonly" friendly, and 

 we chatted away together the whole evening. The two 

 Israelites had in the mean time been whispering a great 

 deal together ; at length one of them brought his chair 

 nearer to mine, and began asking several questions, 

 which I readily answered ; amongst others, if I should 

 start early in the morning, and which way I intended 

 to go ? why I carried a gun and hunting knife ? &c. It 

 struck me that they were not very courageous, and I 

 resolved to have a joke with them : I first asked if 

 they carried on a good business ? what sort of wares they 

 had in their two large packs ; if they had any articles 

 of gold ? if they meant to leave early ? which road they 

 intended to take ? if they would have far to go through 

 the forest, before they came to another farm? The 

 Jew anxiously parried all these questions, while his 

 companion sat by without speaking a word ; but when 

 I asked if the}- had made much money, they both called 

 out in a scream, " We have got no money at all ; " so 

 that I was obliged to bite my lip to prevent a burst of 

 laughter. 



I was disturbed several times in the night by the 

 squabbling of the Israelites about the best place in 

 their common bed. On waking up at early dawn I 

 saw that the birds were flown. When I descende'd to 

 my host, the two large packs and the two Jews had 

 disappeared ; on my inquiring after them, he told me 

 that they had started before dayhght with as little noise 

 as possible. I laughed heartily, and told him the whole 

 history, which tickled him amazingly. 



The road from this house was at first pretty good, 

 but it rained hard. When I came to the flat country 



