Page:Turkish fairy tales and folk tales (1901).djvu/37

 "We smell man's flesh, mother," cried the devils, as they crossed the threshold.

"Perchance ye have eaten man's flesh, and the remains thereof are still within your teeth," said their mother. Then she gave them great logs of wood that they might pick their teeth clean, and so be able to swallow down something else. But in the midst of the meal the woman gave the piece of crockery a tap, and when the sixty devils saw their little human brother, they rejoiced at the sight, made him sit down at table, and bade him fall to if there was anything there he took a fancy to. "My sons," said the Mother of the Devils to her sixty sons when they all rose up early on the morrow, "this lad here has fallen in love with the three Oranges, cannot you show him the way thither?"

"We know not the way," replied the devils; "but perchance our old great-aunt may know something about it."

"Then take the youth thither," said their mother, "and bid her hold him in high honour. He is my son, let him be hers also and help him out of his distress." Then they took him off to their great-aunt, and told her the whole business. "Alas! I do not know, my sons!" said the old, old great-aunt; "but if you wait till the evening, when my ninety sons come home, I will ask them."