FISHEL THE TEACHER 133
capable of conjuring up and however often he drove these fancies away, they returned and crept back into his brain like summer flies, and disturbed him at his prayers.
When Fishel had repeated the Eighteen Benedictions and Olenu, he betook him to Prokop, and entered into conversation with him about the ferry-boat and the festival eve, giving him to understand, partly in Polish and partly in Hebrew and partly with his hands, what Passover meant to the Jews, and Passover Eve falling on a Sabbath, and that if, which Heaven forbid, he had not crossed the Bug by that time to-morrow, he was a lost man, for, beside the fact that they were on the lookout for him at home his wife and children (Fishel gave a sigh that rent the heart) he would not be able to eat or drink for a week, and Fishel turned away, so that the tears in his eyes should not be seen.
Prokop Baranyuk quite appreciated Fishel's position, and replied that he knew to-morrow was a Jewish festi- val, and even how it was called; he even knew that the Jews celebrated it by drinking wine and strong brandy ; he even knew that there was yet another festival at which the Jews drank brandy, and a third when all Jews were obliged to get drunk, but he had forgotten its name
"Well and good," Fishel interrupted him in a lament- able voice, "but what is to happen? How if I don't get there ?"
To this Prokop made no reply. He merely pointed with his hand to the river, as much as to say, "See for yourself !"
