Page:Slavonic Fairy Tales.djvu/244

Rh arms, and legs,—he had only to smooth its forehead a little with his axe to make it round, and to cut off the roots from its little arms and legs to give them shape, and then the child was perfect, and wanted only voice to scream. The man took this root home, and said to his wife,—

"Here you have what you wished for—an Otesanek. If you like, you can bring him up."

The woman put the child into swaddling clothes, then took it up, nursed it in her arms and sang to it:

"Bye, bye, my little Otesanek! When you awake, my little boy, I will boil you some food. Bye, bye!"

Suddenly the child began to kick about, raised up its head and cried,—

"Mother, I want something to eat!"

The woman was overjoyed. She put the child quickly in bed and hastened to prepare its food. When the food was ready Otesanek ate it all up, and then screamed again,—

"Mother, I want something to eat."

"Wait a moment, my dear child, wait a moment," said the woman, "and I will bring you something to eat."

She then ran to a neighbour's and brought in a basin of milk. Otesanek drank the milk, and then screamed