The blind man wetted his eyes with it, and saw directly. He lowered the,cripple into the water, and the lame man’s feet grew again. Then they both rejoiced greatly, and said to one another, “Now the time has come for us to get all right! We’ll get everything back again we used to have! Only first we must make an end of the Baba Yaga. If we were to pardon her now, we should always be unlucky; she’d be scheming mischief all her life.”
Accordingly they went back to the fiery fount, and flung the Baba Yaga into it; didn’t it soon make an end of her!
After this Katoma married the merchant’s daughter, and the three companions went to the kingdom of Anna the Fair in order to rescue Prince Ivan. When they drew near to the capital, what should they see but Prince Ivan driving a herd of cows!
“Stop, herdsman!” says Katoma; “where are you driving these cows?”
“I’m driving them to the Princess’s courtyard,” replied the Prince. “The Princess always sees for herself whether all the cows are there.”
“Here, herdsman; take my clothes and put them on, and I will put on yours and drive the cows.”
“No, brother! that cannot be done. If the Princess found it out, I should suffer harm!”
“Never fear, nothing will happen! Katoma will guarantee you that.”
Prince Ivan sighed, and said—
“Ah, good man! If Katoma had been alive, I should not have been feeding these cows afield!”