aid the witch. "No it was only the noise of
the leaves." Again the witch began:

"I turn about, I roll about, having fed on Ivashko's flesh!"

And Ivashko repeated:

"Turn about, roll about, having fed on Alenka's flesh!"

Then the witch looked up and saw Ivashko, and immediately rushed at
the oak on which Ivashko was seated, and began to gnaw away at it. And
she gnawed, and gnawed, and gnawed, until at last she smashed two
front teeth. Then she ran to a forge, and when she reached it she
cried, "Smith, smith! make me some iron teeth; if you don't I'll eat
you!"

So the smith forged her two iron teeth.

The witch returned and began gnawing the oak again.

She gnawed, and gnawed, and was just on the point of gnawing it
through, when Ivashko jumped out of it into another tree which stood
beside it. The oak that the witch had gnawed through fell down to the
ground; but then she saw that Ivashko was sitting up in another tree,
so she gnashed her teeth with spite and set to work afresh, to gnaw
that tree also. She gnawed, and gnawed, and gnawed--broke two lower
teeth, and ran off to the forge.

"Smith, smith!" she cried when she got there, "make me some iron
teeth; if you don't I'll eat you!"

The smith forged two more iron teeth for her. She went back again, and
once more began to gnaw the oak.

Ivashko didn't know what he was to do now. He looked out, and saw that
swans and geese[210] were flying by, so he called to them imploringly:

Oh, my swans and geese,
Take me on your pinions,
Bear me to my father and my mother,
To the cottage of my father and my mother,
There to eat, and drink, and live in comfort.

"Let those in the centre carry you," said the birds.

Ivashko waited; a second flock flew past, and he again cried
imploringly:

Oh, my swans and geese!
Take me on your pinions,
Bear me to my father and my mother,
To the cottage of my father and my mother,
There to eat, and drink, and live in comfort.

"Let those in the rear carry you!" said the birds.

Again Ivashko waited. A third flock came flying up, and he cried:

Oh, my swans and geese!
Take me on your pinions,
Bear me to my father and my mother,
To the cottage of my father and my mother,
There to eat, and drink, and live in comfort.

And those swans and geese took hold of him and carried him back, flew
up to the co