“I was afraid of alarming her, so I coughed slightly to attract her attention.

“She started up immediately with a look of terror, but was calmed in an instant when she saw who it was.

“‘Oh!’ she cried, ’have you slain him?  You must have done in order to have reached here.  Oh! have you come to save me?’ and she looked at me with wild, eager eyes.

“‘Calm yourself, fair lady!’ said I.  ’What is it that alarms you?  Be sure that I will do all in my power to protect you from any evil that threatens you.’

“‘The Dragon!’ gasped the Princess.  ’Have you not slain him?  How else can you have entered?  He lies at the door of the cave.’

“She caught me by the hand and led me to the entrance, and then, clasping one hand over her eyes and shuddering with terror, she pointed to where, a short distance beyond, under the shadow of some rocks, lay a terrible Dragon, watching with cruel and expectant eyes for any prey that might come his way.

“’I cannot get away from here except I pass him, and I have been imprisoned here now for two days,’ sobbed the Princess.  ’The King, my father, must indeed be distraught at my absence,’ and she burst into fresh weeping.

“I pressed her to tell me how she came there, and she explained to me that one day, while walking on the sands with one of her maidens in attendance, they had together discovered this cave, which was only accessible at low tide; and they had secretly brought the rugs and tapestries and other furniture with which the cave was filled and made a bower of it, to which the Princess was wont to retire whenever she wished to be alone.

“And, venturing here two days since without attendance, the Princess had found, when she had wished to depart, the terrible monster lying in her path.

“‘And so,’ she cried, ‘I have been a prisoner all this time.’

“I cheered her as well as I was able, and turned to my little book to see if by chance it gave me any directions how I might slay a Dragon by means of my fairy powers; and I read there that though one might not slay it (for a Dragon lives for a thousand years), one might rob it of its power by casting at it a jewel of great brilliancy, at the same time wishing that he might become dazed and impotent till one could escape, and it would be so.

“I told this to the Princess, and she hastened to unfasten from her bosom a jewel of great value set in gold of curious workmanship, which she gave to me, imploring me at the same time to do immediately as the book directed.

“‘Nay,’ said I, ’the jewel is yours; you must cast it at the Dragon, and I will wish that the fairies may aid us.’

“And so we stood at the door of the cave, and the Dragon, seeing us, came forward with wide-opened jaws.

“The Princess clung to my arm with one hand, but with the other she cast the jewel, while with all my desire I wished that my fairy powers might not fail me now.