Page:Ossendowski - The Shadow of the Gloomy East.djvu/120

104 He prepared his "spiritual flock" for the impending coming of Antichrist in the shape of man. "It will be possible," he said, "to fight against this Antichrist because it will be the first, still weak incarnation of evil. On the successful issue of this fight shall depend the postponement of the terrible era of the coming of other, stronger, Antichrists and their reign on earth, which is groaning under the weight of sin and of carnal and spiritual crimes."

The austere, ascetic Bishop had an assistant, a young monk, a student, an inspired orator and preacher, Heliodor Trufanov, who went a step further and called the revealed Antichrist by name. It was Gregor Rasputin, the notorious Grishka, deserter-monk, horse-thief, profligate, and murderer.

"Women and children, remember that cursed name!" exclaimed Heliodor, invoking the devout congregation. "If you meet him, spit into his face, throw mud at him, and the Church and the Lord will forgive those who stab him with the knife or strike him with the axe, for the knife will kill the body of a satanic serpent, and the axe will have struck down a barren and poisonous tree!"

Various men gathered round Heliodor and Pimen, some drawn by religious enthusiasm, others by political reasons.

At last Heliodor went to Petersburg to carry the struggle into the enemy's camp. Here, however, he met with the resistance of ecclesiastic authorities, who