The second sister gave him a pair of scissors, and said: ‘When my mother overtakes thee, throw these scissors behind thee—jagged rocks, hard as adamant, will rise between thee and my mother, who will have difficulty in crossing them, but hasten thou on.’
The youngest sister gave him a lump of salt, and said: ‘When my mother overtakes thee, throw this behind thee—between you will roll a sea, which my mother will never cross.’ Then they carefully saddled their own steed, gave the youth everything he wanted, and sent him away. He thanked them heartily and set out.
Seven days passed. The witch awoke, and looked for her dinner, but it was no longer there. She went to her steed and enquired of it, ‘Shall we eat bread or shall we set out at once?’ ‘Whether we eat bread or not we cannot overtake him,’ said the steed to the witch. She did not abandon her intention, but, having eaten bread, mounted her horse and set off in pursuit of the prince.
After riding some distance she overtook him. The prince looked back, and, seeing the old woman approach, drew the comb from his pocket and threw it down behind him. Between them, there rose a forest so thick that even a fly could not go through it. The old woman was annoyed and hindered, but at last, in some way or other, she passed through it.
When she reached the open country she spurred her horse on with might and main, and again approached the prince, who looked behind and saw the old woman. He took the scissors from his pocket, and threw them down. Between them appeared a jagged rock, hard as steel, so that no iron could cut it; the horse cut its feet, and, not being able to go any further, fell down; yet the old woman would not give in. She jumped from the horse’s back and went forward on foot. She passed the rocks, reached the plain again, and hastened on.
She flew over the ground as if she had wings. The prince looked back, and saw how near the old woman was. He took the piece of salt from his pocket, and threw it behind him. There flowed between them a sea so vast that no bird could cross it. The old woman was not daunted, even by this, she waded into the sea, determined to cross it, but she was drowned.
The prince often looked behind, but he could no longer see the old woman. Then his heart was filled with joy, and he went on gaily. He himself knew not whither he went. He grew hungry and more hungry, until he was ravenous.
At last he saw a fire: he went up, and there was burning a huge fire, over which hung a kettle of arrack, and food cooking; around it lay nine devis, who were brothers. They were fast asleep, but there was a lame one watching as sentinel. The prince did not wait to ask leave of the devis; he came up, lifted the pot off the fire, took some food, and when he had eaten, put the pot back. He then lay down and began to snore loudly. The lame devi looked on with amazement from a distance.
A short time afterwards a devi awoke. He looked round and saw a human being sleeping there. He said joyfully: ‘This will be a dainty morsel for us,’ and went towards the boy. But the lame devi followed him and said: ‘Leave him alone, lay not a hand upon him; he is to be feared—just now he took our pot from the fire, ate some food, and placed it on the fire again; he has done alone what is difficult for us ten.’ The devi thought better of it, and turned away.
A second devi then rose and did the same, but the lame devi prevented him. As each devi awoke he went to the boy, but the lame devi took care of them.