Page:Slavonic Fairy Tales.djvu/252

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The Wicked Wood-Fays.
235

"Hail, young shepherd!" she said.

"Thank you, pretty maiden," answered Yanechek.

"You are a fine looking lad," continued the girl; "but you would look handsomer if you had your hair nicely combed; come, I will comb it for you."

Yanechek did not answer her a word; but when the girl had approached him in order to comb his hair, he took off his hat, pulled out of it one of the briers, and with it struck the girl on the hand. The girl screamed,—

"Oh, help! help!" and then burst out crying as she could not move away from the spot where she was standing. Yanechek did not pay any attention to her cries, but tied up her arms with the piece of brier. Then the two other jezinky appeared, and seeing their sister thus caught, they begged Yanechek that he would untie her arms and let her go.

"Do it yourselves," answered Yanechek.

"We cannot," said the girls; "we have delicate hands and we should prick ourselves."

When, however, they saw that Yanechek would not do it, they approached their sister in order to untie the brier. Suddenly Yanechek rushed upon the girls and struck each of them with the brier, and then tied up their arms.

"See, I have caught you now, you wicked jezinky," cried Yanechek,—"you that have torn out my master's eyes."