Page:Researches respecting the Book of Sindibad and Portuguese Folk-Tales.djvu/126

 104 at the gate of the tower, and the old hag opened it for him. He said that he wished to see the tower, and she replied that he might enter, but he must first of all have a wrestling match with her. The youth consented to it, and the hag then asked him to secure the lion with one of her hairs first of all, as she had great fear of that race of beasts. The youth promised to do so, but instead of fastening the lion he threw the hair away over a wall, and when he found himself nearly overcome by the old hag, he called out for his lion saying, "Advance and come to my aid, oh lion!" while she instantly replied: "Be thickened, oh, my hair!" But as the lion was not tied up it sprang upon the old hag and laid her flat and helpless on the ground. The boy, perceiving that she lay powerless on the ground, was about to cut her head off, when she entreated him to spare her, for she would give up to him his two brothers, and would besides allow him to inspect the tower. The boy desisted from killing her, but left her pinned down by the lion whilst he went over the tower; and there he found three princesses who were enchanted in it. He brought them down, and, having done that, he commanded the hag to show him where his brothers were detained. The old woman lifted up the trapdoor and told him to go down the cave till he reached the bottom, and he would there find them. But the boy would not go alone and made her descend before him. When they reached the bottom he saw many dead bodies in heaps, the trunks on one side and the heads on another. When he saw that ghastly spectacle he said to the old hag, "How can you possibly give me back my brothers alive if their heads are cut off?" She answered him: "Go to the cupboard and bring a bowl you will find there full of ointment, rub their necks with it, and join the heads to the necks and they will be immediately cured; but I must make it a condition that you only anoint your dead brothers." The youth, however, insisted upon including all the bodies which were there; but as the old