IMPERISHABLE b 245

But the old woman drank all the water, crossed the bed of
the river in her trough, and soon came near the young people.
Niezguinek shook his handkerchief, and a lake immediately
spread out between them. So she was again obliged to stop,
and shrieking with rage began to drink up the water.

“Before you have drunk that lake dry you will have burst
yourself,” said Niezguinek, and rode after his brothers.

The old vixen drank up part of the water, and turning the
remainder into a thick fog, hastened along in her trough. She
was once more close upon the young men when Niezguinek,
without a moment’s delay, seized his brush, and as he waved
it in the air a thick forest rose between them. For a time
the witch was at a loss to know what to do. On one side
she saw Niezguinek and his brothers rapidly disappearing,
while she stood on the other hindered by the branches and
torn by the thorns of the thick bushes, unable either to ad-
vance or retreat. Foaming with rage, with fire flashing from
her eyes, she struck right and left with her crutches, crashing
trees on all sides, but before she could clear a way those she
was in pursuit of had got more than a hundred miles ahead.

So she was forced to give up, and grinding her teeth,
howling, and tearing out her hair, she threw after the fugitives
such flaming glances from her eyes that she set the forest on
fire, and taking the road home was soon lost to sight.

The travellers, seeing the flames, guessed what had hap-
pened, and thanked God for having preserved them from such
great dangers. They continued their journey, and by eventide
arrived at the top of a steep hill, There they saw a town
besieged by foreign troops, who had already destroyed the
outer part, and only awaited daylight to take it by storm.