"Where?" the girls asked eagerly.
Jozef had very vague notions as to where.
"Let's agree," suggested Helena, "each to give a nice mushroom to the one who finds some sweet-root first."
All were willing, and with shouting, laughter and song the search began. Several times Jozef was quite certain that the prize was his, but it was little Etelka who actually found some underneath some blackberry leaves.
"I'm going exploring," Jozef now announced, somewhat nettled that a girl should have been the discoverer. Leaving the pathways, he made his way down a long incline. Not wishing to have the party separated, Helena led the others as best she could after him.
It was a merry chase Jozef gave them, now to the right, now to the left, then back in a crazy circle. So intent were they in making their way through some underbrush that they were unprepared when, at a sudden turn, they found themselves on the brink of the river that they knew flowed through an edge of the wood.
Out of breath, they seated themselves in a row on the bank and watched the waters glide past. Then they threw in twigs, which they called boats, and grew quite excited when some of these became entangled in water washed grasses.
"Oh, Helena," at last Etelka begged, as she nibbled at her portion of the sweet-root, "please tell us a story."
"A really truly Slovak fairy story," seconded Ruzena.
"Have it exciting," demanded Jozef.