Part 17 (1/2)

”If you found out something for me, granny, I think I might be able to overcome the dragon and rescue you.”

The old woman was doubtful but she promised to do anything the Youngest Prince asked.

”Well then, granny, find out from the dragon where his strength is, whether in his own body or somewhere else. Find out to-night and I'll come back to-morrow at this same hour to see you.”

So that night when the dragon came home, after he had supped and when she was scratching his head to make him drowsy for bed, the old woman said to him:

”Master, I think you're the strongest dragon in the world! Tell me now, where does your strength lie--in your own beautiful body or somewhere else?”

”You're right, old woman,” the dragon grunted: ”I am pretty strong as dragons go. But I don't keep my strength in my own body. No, indeed!

That would be too dangerous. I keep it in the hearth yonder.”

At that the old woman ran over to the hearth and, stooping down, she kissed it and caressed it.

”O beautiful hearth!” she said, ”where my master's strength is hidden!

How happy are the ashes that cover your stones!”

The dragon laughed with amus.e.m.e.nt.

”That's the time I fooled you, old woman! My strength isn't in the hearth at all! It's in the tree in front of the mill.”

The old woman at once ran out of the mill and threw her arms about the tree.

”O tree!” she cried, ”most beautiful tree in the world, guard carefully our master's strength and let no harm come to it!”

Again the dragon laughed.

”I've fooled you another time, old woman! Come here and scratch my head some more and this time I'll tell you the truth for I see you really love your master.”

So the old woman went back and scratched the dragon's head and the dragon told her the truth about his strength.

”I keep it far away,” he said. ”In the third kingdom from here near the Tsar's own city there is a deep lake. A dragon lives at the bottom of the lake. In the dragon there is a wild boar; in the boar a hare; in the hare a pigeon; in the pigeon a sparrow. My strength is in the sparrow.

Let any one kill the sparrow and I should die that instant. But I am safe. No one but shepherds ever come to the lake and even they don't come any more for the dragon has eaten up so many of them that the lake has got a bad name. Indeed, nowadays even the Tsar himself is hard put to it to find a shepherd. Oh, I tell you, old woman, your master is a clever one!”

So now the old woman had the dragon's secret and the next day she told it to the Youngest Prince. He at once devised a plan whereby he hoped to overcome the dragon. He dressed himself as a shepherd and with crook in hand started off on foot for the third kingdom. He traveled through villages and towns, across rivers and over mountains, and reached at last the third kingdom and the Tsar's own city. He presented himself at the palace and asked employment as a shepherd.

The guards looked at him in surprise and said:

”A shepherd! Are you sure you want to be a shepherd?”

Then they called to their companions: ”Here's a youth who wants to be a shepherd!” And the word went through the palace and even the Tsar heard it.

”Send the youth to me,” he ordered.

”Do you really want to be my shepherd?” he asked the Youngest Prince.

The Youngest Prince said yes, he did.

”If I put you in charge of the sheep, where would you pasture them?”