On the deck of the first ship stood the three beggars whom Vassili had met formerly , and they said : ` Heaven has blessed you , Vassili . ' Then they vanished away and he never saw them again . The sailors carried all the gold and silver into the ship , and then they set sail for home with Vassili on board . Mark was more furious than ever . He had his horses harnessed and drove off himself to see the Serpent King and to complain of the way in which he had been betrayed . When he reached the river he sprang into the ferryboat . The ferryman , however , did not get in but pushed the boat off ... Vassili led a good and happy life with his dear wife , and his kind mother-in-law lived with them . He helped the poor and fed and clothed the hungry and naked and all Mark 's riches became his . For many years Mark has been ferrying people across the river . His face is wrinkled , his hair and beard are snow white , and his eyes are dim ; but still he rows on . -LRB- From the Serbian . -RRB- SCHIPPEITARO It was the custom in old times that as soon as a Japanese boy reached manhood he should leave his home and roam through the land in search of adventures . Sometimes he would meet with a young man bent on the same business as himself , and then they would fight in a friendly manner , merely to prove which was the stronger , but on other occasions the enemy would turn out to be a robber , who had become the terror of the neighbourhood , and then the battle was in deadly earnest . One day a youth started off from his native village , resolved never to come back till he had done some great deed that would make his name famous . But adventures did not seem very plentiful just then , and he wandered about for a long time without meeting either with fierce giants or distressed damsels . At last he saw in the distance a wild mountain , half covered with a dense forest , and thinking that this promised well at once took the road that led to it . The difficulties he met with -- huge rocks to be climbed , deep rivers to be crossed , and thorny tracts to be avoided -- only served to make his heart beat quicker , for he was really brave all through , and not merely when he could not help himself , like a great many people . But in spite of all his efforts he could not find his way out of the forest , and he began to think he should have to pass the night there . Once more he strained his eyes to see if there was no place in which he could take shelter , and this time he caught sight of a small chapel in a little clearing . He hastened quickly towards it , and curling himself up in a warm corner soon fell asleep .
Not a sound was heard through the whole forest for some hours , but XXXXX midnight there suddenly arose such a clamour that the young man , tired as he was , started broad awake in an instant .
For From across as at into of through till towards