Moroz Treskum went into the bath room, blew into one corner, blew in another—in a moment icicles were hanging there. After him the young couple also went into the bath-room, were lathered and scrubbed,[146] and then went home.
After a time Vasilissa said to the Prince, “Let us get out of my father’s power. He’s tremendously angry with you; perhaps he’ll be doing you some hurt.”
“Let us go,” says the Prince.
Straightway they saddled their horses and galloped off into the open plain. They rode and rode; many an hour went by.
“Jump down from your horse, Prince, and lay your ear close to the earth,” said Vasilissa. “Cannot you hear a sound as of pursuers?”
The prince bent his ear to the ground, but he could hear nothing. Then Vasilissa herself lighted down from her good steed, laid herself flat on the earth, and said: “Ah Prince! I hear a great noise as of chasing after us.” Then she turned the horses into a well, and herself into a bowl, and the Prince into an old, very old man. Up came the pursuers.
“Heigh, old man!” say they, “haven’t you seen a youth and a maiden pass by?”
“I saw them, my friends! only it was a long while ago. I was a youngster at the time when they rode by.”
The pursuers returned to the Water King.
“There is no trace of them,” they said, “no news: all we saw was an old man beside a well, and a bowl floating on the water.”