Thereupon the King's son recognised the cinder wench; so he took both the girls with him, and set out.After they had gone some little way they came to the bank of a river, and the Prince threw the witch's daughter across to serve as a bridge, and so got over with the cinder wench.There lay the witch's daughter then, like a bridge over the river, and could not stir, though her heart was consumed with grief.No help was near, so she cried at last in her anguish:
`May there grow a golden hemlock out of my body! perhaps my mother will know me by that token.'
Scarcely had she spoken when a golden hemlock sprang up from her, and stood upon the bridge.
Now, as soon as the Prince had got rid of the witch's daughter he greeted the cinder wench as his bride, and they wandered together to the birch tree which grew upon the mother's grave.There they received all sorts of treasures and riches, three sacks full of gold, and as much silver, and a splendid steed, which bore them home to the palace.There they lived a long time together, and the young wife bore a son to the Prince.Immediately word was brought to the witch that her daughter had borne a son--for they all believed the young King's wife to be the witch's daughter.
`So, so,' said the witch to herself; `I had better away with my gift for the infant, then.'
And so saying she set out.Thus it happened that she came to the bank of the river, and there she saw the beautiful golden hemlock growing in the middle of the bridge, and when she began to cut it down to take to her grandchild, she heard a voice moaning:
`Alas! dear mother, do not cut me so!'
`Are you here?' demanded the witch.
`Indeed I am, dear little mother,' answered the daughter `They threw me across the river to make a bridge of me.'
In a moment the witch had the bridge shivered to atoms, and then she hastened away to the palace.Stepping up to the young Queen's bed, she began to try her magic arts upon her, saying:
`Spit, you wretch, on the blade of my knife; bewitch my knife's blade for me, and I shall change you into a reindeer of the forest.'
`Are you there again to bring trouble upon me?' said the young woman.
She neither spat nor did anything else, but still the witch changed her into a reindeer, and smuggled her own daughter into her place as the Prince's wife.But now the child grew restless and cried, because it missed its mother's care.They took it to the court, and tried to pacify it in every conceivable way, but its crying never ceased.
`What makes the child so restless?' asked the Prince, and he went to a wise widow woman to ask her advice.
`Ay, ay, your own wife is not at home,' said the widow woman;`she is living like a reindeer in the wood; you have the witch's daughter for a wife now, and the witch herself for a mother-in-law.'
`Is there any way of getting my own wife back from the wood again?' asked the Prince.
`Give me the child,' answered the widow woman.`I'll take it with me to-morrow when I go to drive the cows to the wood.I'll make a rustling among the birch leaves and a trembling among the aspens--perhaps the boy will grow quiet when he hears it.'
`Yes, take the child away, take it to the wood with you to quiet it,' said the Prince, and led the widow woman into the castle.
`How now? you are going to send the child away to the wood?'
said the witch in a suspicious tone, and tried to interfere.