prayers. He confessed that he
had not. "Then you only got your deserts," said the priest; "how can
you expect to be protected from evil spirits if you do not pray to the
saints, you infidel? Do you think they would take the trouble of
looking after you if you do not pray to them and bring them offerings to
their shrines?" Frightened out of his wits and deeply penitent, poor
little Koulik promised to buy two dozen wax-tapers at least, as soon as
he could scrape together the money, and to bring them to the shrine of
his patron saint. The priest told him if he did this the _Leechie_
would not dare to attack him for a whole year or more.' The other young
lads seemed deeply interested with this story of their companion, and to
believe it implicitly, so I took the opportunity of explaining to them
the folly, not to say the wickedness, of such a superstition. I told
them that in this instance the appearance of the _Leechie_ was easily
explained. The cobbler Koulik had, without doubt, taken more vodka than
his brain could stand, and that in his tipsy state he had fallen against
the trunks and roots of the trees and hurt himself. The priest ought to
have known this. If not, he was a blind leader of the blind. If he did
guess it, and knew better than to believe in such folly, he was worse,
and designedly imposed on the people. I told them that a belief in
ghosts and goblins and omens, and such like things, was a sin, and
showed a total want of faith in God's guidance and providence. They
were all lies and inventions of the Evil One, and were introduced into
the world by him to deceive and mislead human beings. The lads listened
to me attentively. Much more I said to the same effect. I urged them
to think of what I had said, but not to talk about the matter to
strangers till they were convinced I was right. How I longed to have a
Bible to give them, but I could not spare mine. Some of them could
read, but they had never even heard of the book, and knew not that the
religion they professed was drawn from it. I grieved to part from these
fine lads. I wished them farewell. They did not inquire who I was or
whence I came, but I won their hearts by speaking to them the truth.
They were ready to do anything for me, and one of them insisted on
lending me his horse and accompanying me part of my way. This was a
great help to me, because I got over the ground three times as fast as I
could otherwise have done, and coul