you tell me what tower that is yonder?" The old woman replied, "Oh! child, that tower is the Tower of Ill Luck; who ever enters never returns."[1] The lad replied, "Well, I shall go there and I shall return, and I shall find you here still." He proceeded on and on until he at last reached the said tower. It was an inn. He had scarcely reached the door when he saw an old woman, and he asked her if that was an inn, for he wished to take up his abode there. The old woman replied that it was an inn. "Look here," said she, "take this key, and go and open the stables. Take also this fine hair, and roll it round the neck of your horse and lion, to tie them up with." The boy did so. He opened the stable, took the horse and lion inside, and then rolled the hair round the necks of both, and left the stable. After this he went up to the old woman, and asked her for something to eat. The old woman replied, "Ah! you want to eat, yes, Sir, my little boy; but first of all let us have a wrestling match together." The lad had no other alternative, and began to wrestle with the old hag, but he found himself so overpowered, as the woman was a witch, that he began to call for his horse and lion. "Come to my help, my horse and my lion!" The old hag rejoined, "Be ye thickened, thin hair, into a strong coil, binding your horse and lion." Immediately the hair became like a thick iron chain, which secured the animals effectually, and they were not able to come to rescue the lad. The old hag continued to wrestle until at last the boy was killed. And when she saw that he was quite dead, she went and buried him in a grave where there already many other' corpses buried. After the lapse of some time the second brother, on perceiving that his brother did not return, asked his mother to bestow upon
- ↑ This tower is also called the "Tower of Somnolence" and "Tower of Babylon," in some of our popular stories. The formula varies also, "Whoever goes there, remains, and never returns," "Who goes there, never returns," &c. F. H. Coelho—contos popular es portugueses. "The Tower of Babylon" is not the same story as this one.
