o save me! Is that possible?"

"I am going to see," responded the valiant champion. "Are there any
German merchants in the city?"

"Yes," answered the princess in astonishment; "but why do you ask?"

"You will see," said the knight, and galloped off to the city of
mourning.

He speedily returned with an immense mirror which he had purchased
from a German dealer. This he rested against the trunk of a tree, and
covered it with the princess's veil, placing her in front of it, and
instructing her that when the dragon was near to her she was to pull
off the veil and slip behind the glass. So saying, the knight retired
behind an adjacent wall.

In a little while the fiery dragon appeared, and gradually drew near
to the fair one, eying her with all the insolence and effrontery
possible. When he was quite close, the princess, as she had been
instructed by her champion, withdrew the veil, and slipping behind the
mirror, disappeared from before the eyes of the fiery dragon, which
remained stupefied at finding his amorous glances directed at a dragon
similar to himself. He made a movement; his resemblance did the same.
His eyes sparkled red and brilliant as two rubies; whilst those of his
opponent gleamed like two carbuncles. This increased his fury; he
erected his scales as a porcupine would its quills, and those of his
rival likewise stood up. He opened his tremendous mouth, which would
have been without parallel but for that of his opponent, who, far from
being intimidated, opened an identical one. The dragon dashed
furiously against his intrepid adversary, giving such an awful blow
with his head against the mirror that he was completely stunned; and
as he had broken the glass, and in every piece saw a piece of his own
body, he fancied that with one blow he had dashed his rival to atoms.

The knight availed himself of this moment of confusion and
stupefaction, and dashing forth impetuously from his retreat, with his
good lance deprived the dragon of its life, and would have been ready
to deprive it of a hundred lives had it possessed so many.

The delight and jubilation of the Madrid people may be imagined when
they beheld the Knight of the Fish bearing on his saddle the beautiful
princess, quite uninjured and as lively as a cricket, and the dragon,
fastened by its neck to his sturdy charger, hanging dead and bloodless
behind. It may, also, be readily guessed that after such an
achievement they were unable to reward the