who, none the wiser, set off on his quest.

Ere long he arrived at the hovel in the ravine where the white witch's
mother, a hideous old creature, grumbled dreadfully on reading the
message, especially when the lad asked for the necklace of eyes.
Nevertheless she took it off, and gave it him, saying, "There are only
thirteen of 'em now, for I lost one last week."

The lad, however, was only too glad to get any at all, so he hurried
home as fast as he could to his seven mothers, and gave two eyes apiece
to the six elder Queens; but to the youngest he gave one, saying,
"Dearest little mother!--I will be your other eye always!"

After this he set off to marry the Princess, as he had promised, but
when passing by the white Queen's palace he saw some pigeons on the
roof. Drawing his bow, he shot one, and it came fluttering past the
window. The white hind looked out, and lo! there was the King's son
alive and well.

She cried with hatred and disgust, but sending for the lad, asked him
how he had returned so soon, and when she heard how he had brought home
the thirteen eyes, and given them to the seven blind Queens, she could
hardly restrain her rage. Nevertheless she pretended to be charmed with
his success, and told him that if he would give her this pigeon also,
she would reward him with the Jogi's wonderful cow, whose milk flows
all day long, and makes a pond as big as a kingdom. The lad, nothing
loth, gave her the pigeon; whereupon, as before, she bade him go ask
her mother for the cow, and gave him a potsherd whereon was written--
"Kill this lad without fail, and sprinkle his blood like water!"