Chapter 12
Early summer 1040 (431 from Hegira), valleys east of Tragina
Several days passed, perhaps a week or more, when Conrad did not stop attending the rock church. He slept there, ate there, prayed and slowly began to exchange a few words with those who went there, especially with those few friars of the Greek rite who knew the language of oil, but also with some of the servants and soldiers. Conrad spent so many hours there that in the few moments he put his nose out, his eyes ached from the intense sunlight. He learned who each of the characters painted on the wall was, the name of all the saints and became attached to the image of Saint Andrew, praying with his mouth open and making the Trinitarian symbol with his hand; just that holy apostle overlooked the burial of his father.
