Collectanea. 367
the mountains. There she would lead him to pasture every day, while she would spin. Then, one day, the distaff fell from the girl's hand into the mouth of a cave. The lamb went on grazing above, while the girl went down to find her distaff. She enters, and what does she see but a witch a thousand years old lying there ! The moment she sets her eyes on the girl, the witch says, — " Maiden, the bird on its wing, the serpent on its belly, can not come here ; how did you come ? " In her fright, the girl replied, — '* Your love drew me here, mother mine."
The witch has her sit down, and asks her about every thing under the sun. This girl takes the fancy of the witch. " I will go and fetch you some fish to eat," says the witch. " You must be hungry now." The fish she brings are dragons and snakes ! The girl is terrified. She is nearly frightened to death, and she begins to weep. The witch says, — " Why do you weep, maiden ?" The girl replies, — " I was thinking of my mother ; therefore I wept." Then she tells the witch all that has happened to her. " Since that is the case," says the witch, " you sit here, and I will lay my head in your lap and go to sleep." First she lights a fire and puts the iron cross-pieces ^ in the fire, and says to the girl, — " If the Black-One comes by, don't waken me ; but, when the Green-and- Red-One comes, touch the red-hot iron cross-pieces to my feet that I may awake." The girl's soul shrivelled to the size of a pea. Oh, what shall she do ?
She sat down. The witch laid her head on the girl's knees, and went to sleep. Soon she saw a terrible Beast, the Black Goblin, pass by ; but she made never a sound. She waited a little longer, and she saw the Green-and-Red Goblin coming. Then she seized the red-hot iron cross-pieces and struck them against the witch's feet. The witch cries, — " Oh, the fleas are biting me," and wakes up. The girl calls out ; the witch rises, and the girl stands up. The Green-and-Red Goblin strokes the girl's hair, and all her garments turn to gold.
Then the girl kisses the hand of the witch, receives permission
'^Two iron bars held together by a pivot through the middle of each. When opened in the form of a cross, they are laid across the top of the opening in the earthen oven, called a tandour. The pots and kettle are set upon this, as on andirons.
