Excerpt from Three of Them
Among the forests of Kerjentz many lonely graves are scattered, in which lie mouldering the bones of men who held the ancient faith. About one of these men - Antipe - many tales are still told in the villages of Kerjentz.
Antipe Luneff had been a rich, grasping peasant, who, after devoting himself for fifty years to worldly pleasures, fell to meditating deeply, became more and more melancholy, and at last deserting his family, retired into the forest. There, on the edge of a deep ravine, he built himself a hut in which he lived for eight years, summer and winter, allowing no one, not even friends nor relations, to come and see him. Sometimes people who had lost their way in the forest would stumble upon his hut and find Antipe kneeling on the threshold in prayer. He grew terrible to behold: withered and worn by fasting and prayer, and covered with hair like an animal. When he saw anyone, he would get up from his knees and silently bow down before him to the ground. If he were asked the way out of the forest, he would silently indicate the direction with his hand, bow again to the ground, and then, entering his hut, shut the door behind him. During these eight years many people saw him, but no one heard his voice. His wife and children used to come to him, bringing him food and clothing.
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