closed and over the spot
built a camp fire. This concealed the babe's hiding place and kept him
warm. Every day she would remove the fire and descend into the cave,
where the child's bed was, to nurse him; then she would return and
rebuild the camp fire.

Frequently the dragon would come and question her, but she would say, "I
have no more children; you have eaten all of them."

When the child was larger he would not always stay in the cave, for he
sometimes wanted to run and play. Once the dragon saw his tracks. Now
this perplexed and enraged the old dragon, for he could not find the
hiding place of the boy; but he said that he would destroy the mother if
she did not reveal the child's hiding place. The poor mother was very
much troubled; she could not give up her child, but she knew the power
and cunning of the dragon, therefore she lived in constant fear.

Soon after this the boy said that he wished to go hunting. The mother
would not give her consent. She told him of the dragon, the wolves, and
the serpents; but he said, "To-morrow I go."

At the boy's request his uncle (who was the only man then living) made a
little bow and some arrows for him, and the two went hunting the next
day. They trailed the deer far up the mountain and finally the boy
killed a buck. His uncle showed him how to dress the deer and broil the
meat. They broiled two hind quarters, one for the child and one for his
uncle. When the meat was done they placed it on some bushes to cool.
Just then the huge form of the dragon appeared. The child was not
afraid, but his uncle was so dumb with fright that he did not speak or
move.

The dragon took the boy's parcel of meat and went aside with it. He
placed the meat on another bush and seated himself beside it. Then he
said, "This is the child I have been seeking. Boy, you are nice and
fat, so when I have eaten this venison I shall eat you." The boy said,
"No, you shall not eat me, and you shall not eat that meat." So he
walked over to where the dragon sat and took the meat back to his own
seat. The dragon said, "I like your courage, but you are foolish; what
do you think you could do?" "Well," said the boy, "I can do enough to
protect myself, as you may find out." Then the dragon took the meat
again, and then the boy retook it. Four times in all the dragon took the
meat, and after the fourth time the boy replaced the meat he said,
"Dragon, will you fight me?" The dragon said, "Yes, in whatever way