ST. TRIPHON'S MONASTERY 183 



their inquiries regarding the riches and valuables of the monastery. 

 The robbers became infuriated, and all the monks suffered a martyr's 

 death, without even raising their heads, and with prayers still linger- 

 ing on their lips. Having killed them all, the robbers rushed off to 

 search for booty, to rob the church plate ; and to plunder the monas- 

 tery ; but they found very little, because the monks, leading a frugal 

 and pious life, never troubled to amass worldly riches. Meanwhile 

 the fire was engulfing the whole of the monastery ; and the robbers 

 ascended a rock near, where they divided the spoil. A sacred cup of 

 silver fell to the share of Ivan, who hid it under his garment, tremb- 

 ling with greed. 



" Standing on the rock, the robbers were waiting for the moment 

 when the church would be caught by the flames ; but although the fire 

 was raging all round, it did not touch the wooden church. Suddenly 

 in the sky, above the flaming monastery appeared three snow-white 

 swans. The robbers were perplexed, and asked each other wonder- 

 ingly : ' Whence come these swans ? It is winter now, and they never 

 were here in winter before.' Meanwhile the swans, without leaving 

 the spot over the fire, soared higher and higher in the air ; and then 

 suddenly dissolved into a golden circle, shining brighter than the 

 fire. Then fluttered upwards out of the fire one after another 1 1 6 

 birds white as snow, of the size of a sea-gull ; and they, rising high up, 

 in their turn dissolved in the golden ring, which widened and shone 

 so brilliantly as to dazzle the eyes. ' See what a grievous sin we 

 have committed in spilling righteous blood ! ' exclaimed the chieftain 

 awe-stricken ; and, with their guide, they rushed down the hill to 

 their sledges, and wildly started their reindeer. On and on they 

 drove, quite exhausting their reindeer ; and towards the morning they 

 were crossing into Norway. Ivan, distrusting the pirates, and in fear 

 of their robbing him, was being carried some fifty paces ahead by a 

 powerful bull reindeer ; and behind him followed the train of sledges 

 with the robbers and their plunder. Suddenly at the steepest spot 

 the hindmost reindeer stumbled ; and with the sledge and its driver, 



