‘Well.’
‘And if you perceive it is our sister who is coming after us, then I shall have to change myself into a duck, and you must change yourself into a drake. But I shall no longer have the heart to retain myself; she will beseech me, “My darling sister, return to us.” Thus will she speak to me. Then must you, in your form of drake, allow her no rest, but beat her senseless with blows of your wings.’
‘All right.’
Well, they set out and took to flight.
After they had escaped, and had traversed a distance of a great many leagues, what do they see?—the eldest sister coming after them. As soon as she perceived her, she said to her husband, ‘Change yourself into a beautiful meadow, and I will change myself into a pretty flower.’
The eldest sister came up, and, finding nobody, said to herself, ‘In the midst of such miserable fields, see, here is a beautiful large meadow and a very pretty flower.’ Then she went home to her mother, the witch.
‘What have you seen?’ asked her mother.
‘In the midst of a field I saw a beautiful meadow with a lovely flower.’
Her mother stormed at her: ‘Why did you not pluck that flower? You would have brought them both home again.’
Well, the witch set out herself. Meanwhile they had got to a great distance. At length she sees the witch pursuing them, and she says to her husband, ‘I will change myself [[196]]into a duck swimming in the middle of a pond, and you must change yourself into a swan.’[9]