After waiting a long time, the two innocent children grew tired and began to ramble about in search of their father, but in vain.
“Father! father!” they exclaimed, but only the echo of the mountains returned them answer—“Father! father!”
The children came back, crying: “Alas! alas! the stick is here, the cloak is here, but father is not here!”
Thus they cried for a long time, but seeing that nobody appeared, they rose up, and one of them took the stick and the other the cloak and they began to wander about in the wilderness, not knowing where to go. After a long ramble, they came to a place where some rain-water had gathered on the ground in a print made by the hoof of a horse.
“Sister,” said the little boy, “I am thirsty; I want to drink of this water.”
“No,” said the maiden, “do not drank of this water; as soon as you drink of it you will become a colt.”
Soon they came to another print made by the hoof of an ox, and the boy said:
“Sister, I am thirsty; I want to drink.”
But she would not let him drink, saying: “As soon as you drink of this water you will become a calf.”
Then they came to another print made by the paw of a bear, and the boy wanted to drink; but his sister prevented him lest he should become a cub of a bear. Then they came to a track made by the foot of a pig, and the boy again wanted to drink, but the maiden prevented him, lest he should turn into a young pig. Soon they came to a print made by the foot of a wolf; but the boy did not yield till they came to one made by the hoof of a lamb.