started with you?'

'Yes; after three days he got so weak and useless he could not go on.
It must be a month by now since he reached home again. I went on and
visited every castle, and looked in every house. But there were no signs
of her; and so I gave it up.'

And they answered him: 'We told you before that it was no good. An ogre
or an ogress must have snapped her up, and how can you expect to find
her?'

'I loved her too much to be still,' he said.

But his friends did not understand, and soon they spoke to him again
about it.

'We will seek for a wife for you. There are plenty of girls prettier
than Dschemila.'

'I dare say; but I don't want them.'

'But what will you do with all the cushions and carpets, and beautiful
things you bought for your house?'

'They can stay in the chests.'

'But the moths will eat them! For a few weeks, it is of no consequence,
but after a year or two they will be quite useless.'

'And if they have to lie there ten years I will have Dschemila, and her
only, for my wife. For a month, or even two months, I will rest here
quietly. Then I will go and seek her afresh.'

'Oh, you are quite mad! Is she the only maiden in the world? There are
plenty of others better worth having than she is.'

'If there are I have not seen them! And why do you make all this fuss?
Every man knows his own business best.

'Why, it is you who are making all the fuss yourself.'

But Dschemil turned and went into the house, for he did not want to
quarrel.

Three months later a Jew, who was travelling across the desert, came to
the castle, and laid himself down under the wall to rest.

In the evening the ogre saw him there and said to him, 'Jew, what are
you doing here? Have you anything to sell?'

'I have only some clothes,' answered the Jew, who was in mortal terror
of the ogre.

'Oh, don't be afraid of me,' said the ogre, laughing. 'I shall not eat
you. Indeed, I mean to go a bit of the way with you myself.'

'I am ready, gracious sir,' replied the Jew, rising to his feet.

'Well, go straight on till you reach a town, and in that town you will
find a maiden called Dschemila and a young man called Dschemil. Take
this mirror and this comb with you, and say to Dschemila, "Your father,
the ogre, greets you, and begs you to look at your face in this mirror,
and it will appear as it was before, and to comb your hair with this
comb, and it will be as formerly." If you do not carry out my orders,