Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/308

Tales from Tolstoi eyes—there, yonder, a long way off, a light played upon the waters! And suddenly he saw something white and glistening in the midst of the columns of moonlight on the waves—a bird, perhaps, a gull; or was it the tiny sail of a fishing-bark that glittered so? The Archbishop continued to gaze. Tis a little boat," thought he, "coming after us with full sail. And how quickly it is chasing us! Just now it was far, far away; and look now! it is quite close. A boat? No, 'tis no boat, and that is not at all like a sail! But something white is coming after us, and it will soon catch us up too!" And the Archbishop could not make up his mind what it could be. A boat? No, not a boat. A bird? No, not a bird. A fish? No, not a fish. It was like a man, a very huge man; but how could a man speed across the sea? The Archbishop arose and went to the steersman. "Look! what is that? What is that, my brother?" asked the Archbishop; "what is that?" But the selfsame instant he perceived what it was—the old men were running upon the sea! and as they ran their beards shone dazzling bright, and they drew nigh to the ship as though it was standing still.

The steersman looked, was terrified, quitted his rudder, and cried with a loud voice: "O Lord, have mercy upon us! The three old men are after us upon the sea, and they run as if they were on dry land!" All the people on board heard this cry, arose, and rushed towards the stern. They all looked, and behold! the three old men were running hand in hand, and the two outsiders were waving their hands and beckoning the people to stop. All 258