the forest without singing a hymn in a clear brave voice.

As the fisherman sat mending his nets on this fair summer eve he began
to move restlessly, to glance around uneasily.

Then a sudden terror fell upon him as he heard a noise in the forest
behind.

Ah, how the trees rustled and how the grass was being trampled
underfoot! Could it be a horseman who made haste to escape from some
terrible foe?

And now, although he was wide awake, the fisherman seemed to see a
figure, which he had seen before only in his dreams.

He saw the figure of a tall, strong, snow-white man, who came with
slow steps toward him, and at each step he took, the figure nodded his
great white head.

The fisherman rubbed his eyes as he glanced toward the wood. At the
same moment the wind seemed to blow the leaves aside to make room for
the snow-white man, whose head never ceased to nod.

'Well,' said the fisherman to himself, 'I have ever passed through the
forest unharmed, why should I fear that evil will befall me here?' and
he began to repeat aloud a verse of the Bible.

At the sound of his own voice courage crept back into the heart of the
fisherman, moreover the words of the Holy Book rebuked his fears. Nor
was it long before he was able even to laugh and to see how foolish he