The witch saw that the lamb went off by himself every morning and
every evening. She watched where he went, and when she knew she began
to hate the lamb; and she gave orders for the sticks to be cut, and
the iron cauldron to be heated, and the steel knives made sharp. She
sent a servant to catch the lamb; and she said to the fine gentleman,
who thought all the time that she was Alenoushka, "It is time for the
lamb to be killed, and made into a tasty stew."

The fine gentleman was astonished.

"What," says he, "you want to have the lamb killed? Why, you called it
your brother when first I found you by the hayrick in the plain. You
were always giving it caresses and sweet words. You loved it so much
that I was sick of the sight of it, and now you give orders for its
throat to be cut. Truly," says he, "the mind of woman is like the wind
in summer."

The lamb ran away when he saw that the servant had come to catch him.
He heard the sharpening of the knives, and had seen the cutting of the
wood, and the great cauldron taken from its place. He was frightened,
and he ran away, and came to the river bank, where the wind was
sighing through the tall reeds. And there he sang a farewell song to
his sister, thinking he had not long to live. The servant followed
the lamb cunningly, and crept near to catch him, and heard his little
song. This is what he sang:--

"Alenoushka, little sister,
They are going to slaughter me;
They are cutting wooden fagots,
They are heating iron cauldrons,