Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/154

 144 Charm against the Child-stealing Witch.

rejoice through it.' When the saints came to the shore of the sea they saw the accursed Gylo flying before them. When she beheld them, she changed into a fish; the saints changed into fishermen, and fished her up and caught her. Then she at once changed into a swallow, and the saints into hawks, pursuing her. When she saw that she could not deceive the saints, she changed into a goat's hair, and hid herself in the king's beard so that they should not recognise her. The saints came to the king, and after having greeted him they said, ' O king, we only ask one favour from thy majesty, and one wish to be satisfied; if thy majesty is willing to grant it, inform us quickly, so that our hearts may rejoice.' " ' The king replied and said to the saints, ' What- ever you wish I will grant you, for I see that you are gentle and wise persons.' The saints said to the king, 'We do not ask anything in thy kingdom but that goat's hair which is in thy beard ; give it to us, and thou shalt see and wonder.' He replied, ' Take it.' The saints stretched out their hand and with extreme care they drew it out from his beard. Gylo saw that she could no longer deceive the saints, and she at once changed into a woman. When the king beheld it he was greatly astounded, and he asked the saints about it. They explained to him all that had happened, and the king wondered still more at it. The saints caught Gylo by the hair of her head, threw her on the ground, and smote her terribly, saying, ' O accursed Gylo, an end be made with thy killing of the children of Christians and of the children of the servant of the Lord.' The accursed Gylo prayed and said, ' O ye saints of the Lord, do not beat me so cruelly and I will tell you all about it.' The saints of the Lord, Sisynios and Synidores, said, ' Unless thou promise us by an oath no more to touch the children of N., the servant of the Lord, and thou return us the children of our sister Melitena, whom thou hast killed, we will not grant thee life.' And the accursed Gylo answered and said, ' If you can return in the hollow of your hand the milk which you have sucked