"See there, what is it?"
"What is it, my friend? What is it?" asked the bishop, but he saw himself that those were the hermits running over the sea. Their beards shone white, and, as though the ship were standing still, they came up to it.
The helmsman looked around and was frightened. He dropped the helm, and called out in a loud voice:
"O Lord! The hermits are running after us on the sea as though it were dry land!"
The people heard him, and rushed to the helm. All saw the hermits running and holding each other's hands. Those at the ends waved their hands, asking the ship to be stopped. All three were running over the water as though it were dry land, without moving their feet.
Before the ship could be stopped, the hermits came abreast with the ship. They came up to the gunwale, raised their heads, and spoke in one voice:
"O servant of God, we have forgotten your lesson. So long as we repeated it, we remembered it; but when we stopped for an hour, one word leaped out, and then the rest scattered. We do not remember a thing, so teach us again."
The bishop made the sign of the cross, bent down to the hermits, and said:
"Even your prayer, hermits of God, reaches the Lord. It is not for me to teach you. Pray for us sinful men!"