half buried in the earth. The
prince seized him by the beard, which he at once cut off with the
sharp smiting sword.

Then he fastened the dwarf to the saddle, put the beard in his helmet,
and entered the palace. When the servants saw that he had really got
possession of the terrible beard, they opened all the doors to give
him entrance. Without losing a moment he began his search for Princess
Pietnotka. For a long time he was unsuccessful, and was almost in
despair when he came across her accidentally, and, without knowing it,
knocked off the invisible cap. He saw his lovely bride sound asleep,
and being unable to wake her he put the cap in his pocket, took her in
his arms, and, mounting his steed, set off to return to the Monster
with the Basilisk Eyes. The giant swallowed the dwarf at one mouthful,
and the prince cut the monster's head up into a thousand pieces, which
he scattered all over the plain.

He then resumed his journey, and on coming to the moorland the dappled
horse stopped short and said, "Prince, here for the present we must
take leave of each other. You are not far from home, your own horse
awaits you; but before leaving, enter in at my right ear and come out
at my left."

The prince did so, and came out without his armour, and clad as when
Pietnotka left him.

The dappled horse vanished, and Dobrotek whistled to his own horse,
who ran up, quite pleased to see him again. They immediately set off
for the king's palace.

But night came on before they reached the end of their journey.

The prince laid the sleeping maiden on the grass, and, covering her up
carefully to keep her warm, he himself fell fast asleep. By chance, a
knight, one of her suitors, passed that way. Seeing Dobrotek asleep he
drew his sword and stabbed him; then he lifted the princess on his
horse and soon reached the king's palace, where he addressed
Pietnotka's father in these words: "Here is your daughter, whom I now
claim as my wife, for it is I who have restored her to you. She was
carried off by a terrible sorcerer who fought with me three days and
three nights. But I conquered him, and I have brought you the princess
safely back."

[Illustration]

The king was overjoyed at seeing her again, but finding that his
tenderest efforts were powerless to awake her, he wanted to know the
reason of it.

"That I cannot tell you," replied the impostor; "you see her as I
found her myself."

Meanwhile, poor Prince Dobrotek, seriou