the Love of the three Oranges." The old man answered: "So
many have gone there and never returned! Do you wish not to return, too?
My son, take these twigs: you will meet some witches who are sweeping
out their oven with their hands; give them these twigs, and they will
let you pass." The prince very gratefully took the twigs, mounted his
horse and rode away. He journeyed a long time, and at last saw in the
distance the witches of immense size who were coming towards him. He
threw them the twigs, and they allowed him to pass.

He continued his journey, and arrived at a gate larger than the first.
Here the same thing occurred as at the first one, and the old man said:
"Well! since you will go, too, take these ropes, on your way you will
encounter some witches drawing water with their tresses; throw them
these ropes, and they will let you pass."

Everything happened as the old man said; the prince passed the witches,
continued his journey and came to a third gate larger than the second.
Here an old man with eyelids longer than the other two gave him a bag of
bread, and one of tallow, saying: "Take this bag of bread; you will meet
some large dogs; throw them the bread and they will let you pass; then
you will come to a large gate with many rusty padlocks; then you will
see a tower, and in it the Love of the three Oranges. When you reach
that place, take this tallow and anoint well the rusty padlocks; and
when you have ascended the tower, you will find the oranges hanging from
a nail. There you will also find an old woman who has a son who is an
ogre and has eaten all the Christians who have come there; you see, you
must be very careful!"

The prince, well contented, took the bag of bread and the tallow and
rode away. After a long journey, he saw at a distance, three great dogs
with their mouths wide open coming to eat him. He threw them the bread,
and they let him pass.

He journeyed on until he came to another large gate with many rusty
padlocks. He dismounted, tied his horse to the gate, and began to anoint
the locks with the tallow, until, after much creaking, they opened. The
prince entered, saw the tower, went up and met an old woman who said to
him: "Dear son, where are you going? What have you come here for? I have
a son who is an ogre, and will surely eat you up." While she was
uttering these words, the son arrived. The old woman made the prince
hide under the bed; but the ogre perceived that there was some one