Transcriber's Note:
1. Page scan source:
http://www.archive.org/details/gabrielstoryofje00kohnuoft
2. Author's full name is Salomon Kohn.
It was the morning of a wintry autumnal day in the year 1620, when ayoung man stepped slowly and thoughtfully through the so-calledPinchas-Synagogue Gate into the Jews' quarter in the city of Prague. Astrange scene presented itself. The morning service was just over inthe synagogues, and whilst numerous crowds were still streaming out ofthe houses of prayer, others, mostly women with heavy bunches of keysin their hands, were already hurrying to the rag-market situatedoutside of the Ghetto. The shops too and stalls within the Ghetto werenow opened, and even in the open street an activity never seen in theother quarters of the city displayed itself. Here, for instance,dealers--in truth of the lowest class--were offering their waresconsisting of pastry, wheat-bread, fruits, cheese, cabbage, boiled peasand more of such kind of stuff to the passers-by. Here and there too inspite of the early hour emerged some peripatetic cooks, in peacefulcompetition extolling loudly the products of their kitchen, bits ofliver, eggs, meat and puddings, and whilst in one hand they held a tinplate, in the other a two-pronged fork,--a very unnecessary article formost of their guests,--devoted their attention chiefly to the foreignstudents of the Talmud. To them also the greatest attention was paid bythose cobblers who less wealthy than their colleagues in the so-calledGolden St. offered their services to the students in open street, andmost assiduously, while the owners were obliged to wait in the streetor a neighbouring house, mended their shoes at a very moderate price,but, it must also be allowed, in a very inefficient manner.
The young man who had just stepped into the Jew's quarter, gazedearnestly and observantly at this busy stir, and did not seem tonotice, that he himself had become an object of common attention. Hisappearance was however fully calculated to excite observation. His formwas powerful and commanding; his dress that of a Talmud-student, cloakand cap. Out of his pale face shadowed by a dark beard, under heavyarching eyebrows there shone two black eyes of uncommon brilliance;raven locks fell in waves from his head; the fingers of a white sinewyhand, that held close the silken cloak, were covered with golden rings;his thick ruff was of spotless purity and smoothness. Had not thestranger by the elegance of his appearance, perhaps also by hisgigantic make, struck a little awe into the curious dealers in thestreet, of a surety at his first appearance, a whole heap of questionswould have been addr