ng, and if I don't help you to the goal,
never trust me again.'

"We sat by the fire, feasting like two friends, then the fox bade me
good-night, and vanished like a shadow. I wondered how it had been
possible that I did not see what direction the animal took, and while
racking my brains to find out how it had managed to go and come
unperceived, I fell asleep. When the fox came at dawn next morning, it
found me gazing in astonishment at several blocks of stone, which
resembled two men, two dogs, and two horses. As soon as I saw the
animal, we prepared to set out.

"The fox turned three somersaults and suddenly changed into a handsome
hero. On the way he told me that the place where I had spent the night
was part of his property, that he was married and had several
children, but had been condemned to wear the form of a fox until some
human being would take pity on him and receive him, let him warm
himself by the same fire, give him a bit of bread and glass of wine.
As I was this man, he was now released from the spell, and would go
with me and never leave me until I had accomplished my object. This
event pleased me, and we journeyed on and on all through the long
summer day until late at night when we reached a mountain meadow,
where we encamped. My traveling companion told me that the next day we
should be obliged to pass through the lands of several dragons, and he
thought we should there find what we sought.

"The following morning we entered the dragons' country, though
somewhat timidly, and about noon reached the dragon-palace. It is
impossible to describe the magnificent things we saw there. Gardens
with all sorts of flowers and fruits, rooms that seemed lined with
silver, so that they shone in the sun like mirrors, walls covered with
paintings and carved flowers. Every corner of the palace was gilded,
and fountains cast jets of water into the air. Luckily for us, the
dragons were not at home when we arrived. On the threshold we met a
beautiful girl, a girl who looked as sweet as if she were made of
sugar, and who advised us not to enter the court-yard in the dragons'
absence, or we should meet with some misfortune. Then she wept for joy
at seeing people from the place from whence the dragons had stolen
her. When we asked her about the wonderful bird, she said it was in
the possession of some other dragons, relatives of those on whose
lands we were.

"'Go there,' she added, 'for with God's help, I hope you wil