t, and the Carpenter watched, a dragon slid from the trees. 'Now,
who are you?' quoth the Carpenter-lad, 'who come to disturb his rest?'
'Lo! I have killed all living things for twenty miles round this place;
and I'll kill you, too,' it roared, 'and crack your bones to eat.' So
they fought and fought and fought till he killed the dragon at last.
Then he hid the body behind a bush lest the others should be afraid, and
roused Rasalu from out his sleep to take his share of the watch; while
he in turn by the Goldsmith-lad lay down to take his rest.

"And while they slept and Rasalu waked a THING slid out from the trees;
an awful THING! No man could tell th' unspeakable horror of it. But
Rasalu smiled in its face of dread, and laughed in, its horrible eyes.
'Pray, who are you to disturb our rest, and why do you dare to come?'
'Lo! I have killed all living things for twenty times twenty miles, and
I will kill you, upstart boy, and crack your bones to dust.'

"So they fought and fought and fought, and Rasalu drew his bow, and the
arrow fled like the wind and pierced the Awful Horror through. Then it
fled to a cave close by, with Rasalu at its heels. So they fought and
fought and fought till the dawn showed clear in the sky, and the Awful
Horror gave up with a groan and rolled on its side and died. Now, just
as Rasalu wiped his sword the sleepers awoke from their sleep. 'See
here!' said the Goldsmith-lad with pride, 'what I killed in my lonely
watch.' 'Pooh! only a snake!' said the Carpenter-lad; 'see the dragon I
have killed.' But Rasalu took them both by the hand and led them into
the cave; but dead as it was, they shrieked with fear at the Awful
Horror they saw. And they fell at Rasalu's feet and groaned and moaned
and prayed and wept. 'Let us go! Oh, hero, we are but men. We dare not
follow you now. It is nothing to you; it is death to us to follow and be
your friends.'

"Then tears came into Rasalu's eyes, but he said no word of nay. 'Do as
you will,' he said to them. '_I_ will not bid you stay.

"'Aloes linger long before they flower,
Gracious rain too soon is overpast;
Youth and strength are with us but an hour,
All glad life must end in death at last.
But king reigns king without consent of courtier,
Rulers may rule, though none heed their command;
Heaven-crowned heads, stoop not, but rise the haughtier,
Alone and friendless in a strangers' land.'

"So his friends forsook him and fl