But the Russians could not retreat, because in their very midst the priest was standing, the ikon of the Virgin in one hand and the crucifix in the other.
The soldiers looked at the images, got up new courage, and did wonders.
Do you remember the Biblical story of the brazen serpent? That was just like it.
Well, a bullet came flying, whistling, through the air, and the priest fell. Then the ikon and the crucifix began to wobble this way and that way, and fell down, too. The soldiers saw it, lost heart, and wanted to run.
At that moment I felt as if I were made of three different men.
Just imagine: Samuel the individual, Samuel the soldier, and Samuel the Jew.
Says Samuel the individual: "You have done well enough, and it is all over for now. Run for dear life."
Says Samuel the soldier: "Shame on you, where is your bravery? The regimental images are falling. Try, perhaps they may be saved yet."
Says Samuel the Jew: "Of course, save; for a Jew must ever do more than is expected of him."
But Samuel the individual replies: "Do you remember how many lashes you have suffered on account of these very images?"