They went on and on, and they saw lying in the road a little water-mill, and it said to them: "Hail, little grandad wise-pate!"--"Hail, little water-mill!"--"Where dost thou dwell, and whither dost thou wander?"--"I live in such and such a place, and I am going to settle accounts with Verlioka. Just fancy! he has beaten my old woman and carried off my grandchildren, and such splendid grandchildren too!"--"Take me with thee that I may help!" And the grandfather thought: "The water-mill may be of use too." Then the water-mill raised itself up, pressed against the ground with its handle, and went along after the grandfather. Again they went on and on, and in the road lay an acorn, and it said to them in a little squeaky voice: "Hail, grandad long-nose!"--"Hail, oakey acorn!"--"Whither art thou striding away like that?"--"I am going to beat Verlioka; dost know him?"--"I should think I did; take me with thee to help!"--"But how canst thou help?"--"Don't spit in the well or thou wilt have to drink up the water thyself!" The grandfather thought to himself: "I may as well let him go!" So he said to the acorn: "Roll on behind then!" But that was a strange rolling, for the acorn leaped to its feet and frisked along in front of them all. And they came into a thick forest, a forest most drear and dreadful, and in the forest stood a lonely little hut--oh! so lonely. There was no fire burning in the stove, and there stood there a furmenty-pottage for six. The acorn, who knew what he was about, immediately leaped into the pottage, the little cord stretched itself out on the threshold, the grandfather placed the little water-mill on the bench, the drake sat upon the stove, and the grandfather himself stood in the corner. Suddenly he heard a crashing and a trembling in the wood, and Verlioka came along on one leg, in a wooden boot, leaning on his crutch and smiling from ear to ear. Verlioka came up to the hut, threw down some fire-wood on the floor, and began to light the fire in the stove. But the acorn who was sitting in the pottage fell a-singing-- "Pee, pee, pee! To beat Verlioka come we!"