"One is small and stooping, a very old man, in an old cassock; he must be more than a hundred years old, the gray of his beard is turning green, and he smiles all the time, and is as bright as an angel of heaven. The second is taller; he, too, is old, and wears a ragged caftan; his broad gray beard is streaked yellow, and he is a powerful man: he turned my boat around as though it were a vat, before I had a chance to help him; he also is a cheerful man. The third man is tall; his beard falls down to his knees and is as white as snow; he is a gloomy man, and his brows hang over his eyes; he is all naked, and girded only with a piece of matting." "What did they tell you?" asked the bishop. "They did everything mostly in silence, and spoke little to one another. When one looked up, the others understood him. I asked the tall man how long they had been living there. He frowned and muttered something, as though he were angry, but the little hermit took his arm and smiled, and the tall one grew silent. All the little hermit said was: 'Have mercy on us,' and smiled." While the peasant spoke, the ship came nearer to the island. "Now you can see it plainly," said the merchant. "Please to look there, your Reverence!" he said, pointing to the island. The bishop looked up and really saw a black strip, which was the island. The bishop looked at it for quite awhile, then he went away from the prow to the stern, and walked over to the helmsman. "What island is this that we see there?" "That is a nameless island. There are so many of them here." "Is it true what they say, that some hermits are saving their souls there?" "They say so, your Reverence, but I do not know whether it is so. Fishermen say that they have seen them. But they frequently speak to no purpose." "I should like to land on that island and see the hermits," said the bishop. "How can I do it?" "The ship cannot land there," said the helmsman. "You can get there by a boat, but you must ask the captain." The captain was called out. "I should like to see those hermits," said the bishop. "Can I not be taken there?" The captain began to dissuade him. "It can be done, but it will take much time, and, I take the liberty of informing your Reverence, it is not worth while to look at them. I have heard people say that they were foolish old men: they understand nothing and cannot speak, just like the fishes of the sea." "I wish it," said the bishop. "I will pay you for the trouble, so take me there."