It was no hardship then to Siegfried to leave the forge and the hated little Nibelung, therefore it was that with right good will he set out in search of charcoal for Mimer the blacksmith.

As he loitered there where the trees grew thickest, Siegfried took his horn and blew it lustily.  If he could not pipe on a grassy reed, at least he could blow a rousing note on his silver horn.

Suddenly, as Siegfried blew, the trees seemed to sway, the earth to give out fire.  Regin, the dragon, had roused himself at the blast, and was even now drawing near to the Prince.

It was at the mighty strides of the monster that the trees had seemed to tremble, it was as he opened his terrible jaws that the earth had seemed to belch out fire.

For a little while Siegfried watched the dragon in silence.  Then he laughed aloud, and a brave, gay laugh it was.  Alone in the forest, with a sword, buckled to his side, the hero was afraid of naught, not even of Regin.  The ugly monster was sitting now on a little hillock, looking down upon the lad, his victim as he thought.

Then Siegfried called boldly to the dragon, “I will kill thee, for in truth thou art an ugly monster.”

At those words Regin opened his great jaws, and showed his terrible fangs.  Yet still the boy Prince mocked at the hideous dragon.

And now Regin in his fury crept closer and closer to the lad, swinging his great tail, until he well-nigh swept Siegfried from his feet.

[Illustration:  THE HERO’S SHINING SWORD PIERCED THE HEART OF THE MONSTER.]

Swiftly then the Prince drew his sword, well tempered as he knew, for had not he himself wrought it in the forge of Mimer the blacksmith?  Swiftly he drew his sword, and with one bound he sprang upon the dragon’s back, and as he reared himself, down came the hero’s shining sword and pierced into the very heart of the monster.  Thus as Siegfried leaped nimbly to the ground, the dragon fell back dead.  Regin was no longer to be feared.

Then Siegfried did a curious thing.  He had heard the little Nibelung men who came to the smithy to talk with Mimer, he had heard them say that whoever should bathe in the blood of Regin the dragon would henceforth be safe from every foe.  For his skin would grow so tough and horny that it would be to him as an armor through which no sword could ever pierce.

Thinking of the little Nibelungs’ harsh voices and wrinkled little faces as they had sat talking thus around Mimer’s glowing forge, Siegfried now flung aside his deerskin dress and bathed himself from top to toe in the dragon’s blood.

But as he bathed, a leaf from off a linden tree was blown upon his shoulders, and on the spot where it rested Siegfried’s skin was still soft and tender as when he was a little child.  It was only a tiny spot which was covered by the linden leaf, but should a spear thrust, or an arrow pierce that tiny spot, Siegfried would be wounded as easily as any other man.