out and about until at length he came to the Island
of the Ogresses, where he cast anchor and landed. There he found an
old, old woman, withered and shrivelled up, and with a hideous face, to
whom he related the reason that had brought him to the country. The old
woman was beside herself with amazement when she heard the strange whim
and the fancy of the Prince, and the toils and perils he had gone
through to satisfy himself; then she said to him, "Hasten away, my son!
for if my three daughters meet you I would not give a farthing for your
life; half-alive and half-roasted, a frying-pan would be your bier and
a belly your grave. But away with you as fast as a hare, and you will
not go far before you find what you are seeking!"

When the Prince heard this, frightened, terrified, and aghast, he set
off running at full speed, and ran till he came to another country,
where he again met an old woman, more ugly even than the first, to whom
he told all his story. Then the old woman said to him in like manner,
"Away with you! unless you wish to serve as a breakfast to the little
ogresses my daughters; but go straight on, and you will soon find what
you want."

The Prince, hearing this, set off running as fast as a dog with a
kettle at its tail; and he went on and on, until he met another old
woman, who was sitting upon a wheel, with a basket full of little pies
and sweetmeats on her arm, and feeding a number of jackasses, which
thereupon began leaping about on the bank of a river and kicking at
some poor swans. When the Prince came up to the old woman, after making
a hundred salaams, he related to her the story of his wanderings;
whereupon the old woman, comforting him with kind words, gave him such
a good breakfast that he licked his fingers after it. And when he had
done eating she gave him three citrons, which seemed to be just fresh
gathered from the tree; and she gave him also a beautiful knife,
saying, "You are now free to return to Italy, for your labour is ended,
and you have what you were seeking. Go your way, therefore, and when
you are near your own kingdom stop at the first fountain you come to
and cut a citron. Then a fairy will come forth from it, and will say to
you, 'Give me to drink.' Mind and be ready with the water or she will
vanish like quicksilver. But if you are not quick enough with the
second fairy, have your eyes open and be watchful that the third does
not escape you, giving her quickly to drink, and