ry had to go away without getting his stirrup back.[450]

There is an interesting Bulgarian legend in which St. George appears
in his Christian capacity of dragon-slayer, but surrounded by
personages belonging to heathen mythology. The inhabitants of the
pagan city of Troyan, it states, "did not believe in Christ, but in
gold and silver." Now there were seventy conduits in that city which
supplied it with spring-water; and the Lord made these conduits run
with liquid gold and silver instead of water, so that all the people
had as much as they pleased of the metals they worshipped, but they
had nothing to drink.

After a time the Lord took pity upon them, and there appeared at a
little distance from the city a deep lake. To this they used to go for
water. Only the lake was guarded by a terrible monster, which daily
devoured a maiden, whom the inhabitants of Troyan were obliged to give
to it in return for leave to make use of the lake. This went on for
three years, at the end of which time it fell to the lot of the king's
daughter to be sacrificed by the monster. But when the Troyan
Andromeda was exposed on the shore of the lake, a Perseus arrived to
save her in the form of St. George. While waiting for the monster to
appear, the saint laid his head on her knees, and she dressed his
locks. Then he fell into so deep a slumber that the monster drew nigh
without awaking him. But the Princess began to weep bitterly, and her
scalding tears fell on the face of St. George and awoke him, and he
slew the monster, and afterwards converted all the inhabitants of
Troyan to Christianity.[451]

St. Nicholas generally maintains in the legends the kindly character
attributed to him in the story in which he and the Prophet Ilya are
introduced together. It is to him that at the present day the anxious
peasant turns most readily for help, and it is he whom the legends
represent as being the most prompt of all the heavenly host to assist
the unfortunate among mankind. Thus in one of the stories a peasant is
driving along a heavy road one autumn day, when his cart sticks fast
in the mire. Just then St. Kasian comes by.

"Help me, brother, to get my cart out of the mud!" says the peasant.

"Get along with you!" replies St. Kasian. "Do you suppose I've got
leisure to be dawdling here with you!"

Presently St. Nicholas comes that way. The peasant addresses the same
request to him, and he stops and gives the required assistance.

When the