Page:Researches respecting the Book of Sindibad and Portuguese Folk-Tales.djvu/70

 48 come to my help!" The old hag instantly rejoined, "Let the thin hair round your horse and lion be thickened into a strong coil," and immediately the thin hair became a thick iron chain which effectually fastened the animals, and they were not able to succour the boy. The old hag killed him, and when she saw that he was quite dead she buried him in the grave where his brother's corpse was laid.

After some time the youngest brother, seeing that the others did not return home, asked the mother to bestow her blessing upon him, give him a horse and a lion, and when he obtained what he wanted he travelled through the world in search of his brothers. He carne up to the spot where the old woman was washing clothes, and he asked her, "Oh! old lady, what are you doing here?" to which the old woman replied, "Oh! my son, I am here washing clothes all my life, and shall be washing for ever, because I was once washing clothes on a Sunday and a poor man passing asked me if it was possible that I was employed in washing on a Sunday. I answered him that I was, because on Sundays I also required food. And he replied, 'You shall be obliged to wash clothes all your life then.'" The boy then asked her another question, "Can you inform me what tower that is yonder?" The old woman replied, "Ah! my boy, that is the Tower of Ill Luck; who goes there never returns." The boy said to this, "Well then I shall go there, I shall return and shall still find you here." "Well," said the old woman, "two boys have already passed by here who said the same as you, and have not returned." The boy then rejoined, "Well then, those must have been my brothers, I shall go there and shall yet bring them back." He directed his steps to the tower, and when he reached it the old hag was at the door. The boy inquired if that was an inn as he would wish to stay there. The old woman replied that it was, and said to him, "Look here, take this key and open the stable. Take also this thin