The Pink Fairy Book | Page 4

hand cautiously out to seize the
bridle, when the horse suddenly began to neigh as loud as he could.
Now the room in which the dragon slept was just above the stable, and
at the sound of the neighing he woke and cried to the horse, 'What is
the matter, my treasure? is anything hurting you?' After waiting a little
while the young man tried again to loose the horse, but a second time it
neighed so loudly that the dragon woke up in a hurry and called out to
know why the horse was making such a noise. But when the same thing
happened the third time, the dragon lost his temper, and went down into
the stable and took a whip and gave the horse a good beating. This
offended the horse and made him angry, and when the young man
stretched out his hand to untie his head, he made no further fuss, but
suffered himself to be led quietly away. Once clear of the stable the
young man sprang on his back and galloped off, calling over his
shoulder, 'Hi! dragon! dragon! if anyone asks you what has become of
your horse, you can say that I have got him!'
But the king said, 'The flying horse is all very well, but I want
something more. You must bring me the covering with the little bells
that lies on the bed of the dragon, or I will have you hewn into a
thousand pieces.'
'Is that all?' answered the youth. 'That is easily done.'
And when night came he went away to the dragon's house and climbed
up on to the roof. Then he opened a little window in the roof and let
down the chain from which the kettle usually hung, and tried to hook
the bed covering and to draw it up. But the little bells all began to ring,
and the dragon woke and said to his wife, 'Wife, you have pulled off all
the bed-clothes!' and drew the covering towards him, pulling, as he did

so, the young man into the room. Then the dragon flung himself on the
youth and bound him fast with cords saying as he tied the last knot,
'To-morrow when I go to church you must stay at home and kill him
and cook him, and when I get back we will eat him together.'
So the following morning the dragoness took hold of the young man
and reached down from the shelf a sharp knife with which to kill him.
But as she untied the cords the better to get hold of him, the prisoner
caught her by the legs, threw her to the ground, seized her and speedily
cut her throat, just as she had been about to do for him, and put her
body in the oven. Then he snatched up the covering and carried it to the
king.
The king was seated on his throne when the youth appeared before him
and spread out the covering with a deep bow. 'That is not enough,' said
his majesty; 'you must bring me the dragon himself, or I will have you
hewn into a thousand pieces.'
'It shall be done,' answered the youth; 'but you must give me two years
to manage it, for my beard must grow so that he may not know me.'
'So be it,' said the king.
And the first thing the young man did when his beard was grown was
to take the road to the dragon's house and on the way he met a beggar,
whom he persuaded to change clothes with him, and in the beggar's
garments he went fearlessly forth to the dragon.
He found his enemy before his house, very busy making a box, and
addressed him politely, 'Good morning, your worship. Have you a
morsel of bread?'
'You must wait,' replied the dragon, 'till I have finished my box, and
then I will see if I can find one.'
'What will you do with the box when it is made?' inquired the beggar.
'It is for the young man who killed my wife, and stole my flying horse
and my bed covering,' said the dragon.
'He deserves nothing better,' answered the beggar, 'for it was an ill deed.
Still that box is too small for him, for he is a big man.'
'You are wrong,' said the dragon. 'The box is large enough even for me.'
'Well, the rogue is nearly as tall as you,' replied the beggar, 'and, of
course, if you can get in, he can. But I am sure you would find it a tight
fit.'
'No, there is plenty of room,' said the dragon, tucking himself carefully

inside.
But no sooner was he well in, than the young man clapped on the lid