"What are you thinking about! you're still very small; suppose you get drowned, what good will there be in that?" "No, no, I shan't get drowned. I'll catch you some fish; do let me go!" So his mother put a white shirt on him, tied a red girdle round him, and let him go. Out in a boat he sat and said: Canoe, canoe, float a little farther, Canoe, canoe, float a little farther! Then the canoe floated on farther and farther, and Ivashko began to fish. When some little time had passed by, the old woman hobbled down to the river side and called to her son: Ivashechko, Ivashechko, my boy, Float up, float up, unto the waterside; I bring thee food and drink. And Ivashko said: Canoe, canoe, float to the waterside; That is my mother calling me. The boat floated to the shore: the woman took the fish, gave her boy food and drink, changed his shirt for him and his girdle, and sent him back to his fishing. Again he sat in his boat and said: Canoe, canoe, float a little farther, Canoe, canoe, float a little farther. Then the canoe floated on farther and farther, and Ivashko began to fish. After a little time had passed by, the old man also hobbled down to the bank and called to his son: Ivashechko, Ivashechko, my boy, Float up, float up, unto the waterside; I bring thee food and drink. And Ivashko replied: Canoe, canoe, float to the waterside; That is my father calling me. The canoe floated to the shore. The old man took the fish, gave his boy food and drink, changed his shirt for him and his girdle, and sent him back to his fishing. Now a certain witch[208] had heard what Ivashko's parents had cried aloud to him, and she longed to get hold of the boy. So she went down to the bank and cried with a hoarse voice: Ivashechko, Ivashechko, my boy, Float up, float up, unto the waterside; I bring thee food and drink. Ivashko perceived that the voice was not his mother's, but was that of a witch, and he sang: Canoe, canoe, float a little farther, Canoe, canoe, float a little farther; That is not my mother, but a witch who calls me. The witch saw that she must call Ivashko with just such a voice as his mother had. So she hastened to a smith and said to him: "Smith, smith! make me just such a thin little voice as Ivashko's mother has: if you don't, I'll eat you." So the smith forged her a little voice just like Ivashko's mother's. Then the witch went down by night to the shore and sang: Ivashechko, Ivashechko, my boy, Float up, float up, unto the waterside; I bring thee food and drink.