"I serve my God," answered the man gently and seriously, making the sign of the Cross. Then Leif suddenly became aware that it was one of the mad Irish monks whom he had before him.
From that moment he did not fear the man any more. The monks were peaceful people, mad though they were. But there was something mysterious about the man which caused Leif to feel by no means comfortable in his society.
"How do you live?" Leif asked, after a long pause. The man smiled his gentle smile, and pointed to a pot-shaped hollow in the rock, which stood filled to the brim with sea-water. "At high tide God sends me sometimes a little food," he said contentedly, "or I dive for shellfish when I am hungry. There is also plenty of seaweed here. I do not need much. Shall not God who feeds the birds also feed me?"
"How do you serve your God?" asked Leif, growing curious.
"I pray, fast, and lead a pure life," answered the monk quietly.
"Who is your God?" Leif questioned further.
"The one true God, the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost," answered the monk in his gentle voice, and again made the sign of the Cross.
"What is His name?" Leif continued.
He had sat down on a stone step outside the mouth of the cave and fixed his wondering eyes on the monk.
"He is called Jehovah; His Son, whose sacred name is Jesus Christ, let Himself be born as man, and shed His blood for men, to wash away their sins."