Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/150

 140 CJiavjii against tlic Child-stealing- Witch.

sister called Meletia ; she had had five children, and the Devil had stolen all the five and had swallowed them ; and when Meletia was to give birth to another child, Meletia, frightened of the Devil, run away until she came to the sea shore. There she found a leaden cave covered with lead and the doors of lead, wherein she placed food for a year sufficient to keep three women, as she had taken two servants with her to attend on her. When the sixth child was going to be born she was frightened of the Devil, but God, who hearkens unto all who pray unto Him with faith, when He saw how sorely grieved and frightened Meletia was on account of the Devil, listened unto her, and He sent His angel to her brother Sisoe, and he said unto him, 'Holy Sisoe, go with the fear of God against the Devil, for he has swallowed thy sister's children.' The holy Saint Sisoe went out hunting with a large number of people. When they were in the middle of the forest a terrible storm broke out and all his companions were scattered in the forest. Sisoe wandered about at the will of God until he came to the seashore to his sister Meletia. There he cried with a loud voice, ' Sister Meletia, open the door, open the door, or else I shall not be able to escape this terrible tempest.' Meletia replied, ' I will not open the door, for I am frightened of the Devil, lest he come in and steal my child, as forty days have not yet passed since its birth.' Saint Sisoe said, * Sister Meletia, open the door, for God has sent me to hunt the Devil.' When Meletia heard these words she opened the door, and the saint entered into the cell, bringing his horse with him. The Devil, who stood by, changed himself into a millet-grain, and putting himself inside the shoe of the horse, thus entered. Thus the Devil entered the cell. Meletia kept the child in one arm and prepared food with the other. After they had eaten and gone to sleep, the Devil got up, ran to the cradle, snatched the child up, and ran away with it along the seashore through the forests. The child was screaming very loudly.