zes, and a long struggle takes place between him and Vikhor,
who flies away with him over seas and into the clouds. At last, Vikhor
becomes exhausted and seeks the place where he expects to find the
invigorating draught on which he is accustomed to rely. The result is
as follows:

Dropping right into his cellar, Vikhor ran to the tub which
stood on the right, and began drinking the Water of Weakness.
But Prince Ivan rushed to the left, quaffed a deep draught of
the Water of Strength, and became the mightiest hero in the
whole world. Then seeing that Vikhor was perfectly enfeebled,
he snatched from him his keen faulchion, and with a single
blow struck off his head. Behind him voices began to cry:

"Strike again! strike again! or he will come to life!"

"No," replied the Prince, "a hero's hand does not strike
twice, but finishes its work with a single blow." And straightway
he lighted a fire, burnt the head and the trunk, and scattered
the ashes to the winds.[315]

The part played by the Water of Strength in this story may be
compared with "the important share which the exhilarating juice of the
Soma-plant assumes in bracing Indra for his conflict with the hostile
powers in the atmosphere," and Vikhor's sudden debility with that of
Indra when the Asura Namuchi "drank up Indra's strength along with a
draught of wine and soma."[316]

Sometimes, as has already been remarked, one of the two magic waters
is even more injurious than the Water of Weakness.[317] The following
may be taken as a specimen of the stories in which there is introduced
a true Water of Death--one of those deadly springs which bear the same
relation to the healing and vivifying founts that the enfeebling bears
to the strengthening water. The Baba Yaga who figures in it is, as is
so often the case, replaced by a Snake in the variant to which
allusion has already been made.

THE BLIND MAN AND THE CRIPPLE.[318]

In a certain kingdom there lived a king and queen; they had a
son, Prince Ivan, and to look after that son was appointed a
tutor named Katoma.[319] The king and queen lived to a great
age, but then they fell ill, and despaired of ever recovering. So
they sent for Prince Ivan and strictly enjoined him:

"When we are dead, do you in everything respect and obey
Katoma. If you obey him, you will prosper; but if you choose
to be disobedient, you will perish like a fly."

The next day the king and q