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 at midnight there suddenly arose such a clamour that the young man , tired as he was , started broad awake in an instant . Peeping cautiously between the wooden pillars of the chapel , he saw a troop of hideous cats , dancing furiously , making the night horrible with their yells . The full moon lighted up the weird scene , and the young warrior gazed with astonishment , taking great care to keep still , lest he should be discovered . After some time he thought that in the midst of all their shrieks he could make out the words , ` Do not tell Schippeitaro ! Keep it hidden and secret ! Do not tell Schippeitaro ! ' Then , the midnight hour having passed , they all vanished , and the youth was left alone .
Exhausted by all that had been going on round him , he flung himself on the ground and slept XXXXX the sun rose .
After At as in lest that through till to with