he watch-dog, and
remonstrated with him greatly, and licked him caressingly on both sides
of his face; and, taking him by the ear, endeavoured to draw him from
the treasure: but the dog would not stir a step, though his heart sorely
pressed him. At length the little dog, finding it all in vain, said,
"Well, then, if I must leave, good-by; but I have become so hungry in
coming down all this way after you, that I wish you would give me one
of those bones; they smell very pleasantly, and one out of so many could
never be missed."

"Alas!" said the watchdog, with tears in his eyes, "how unlucky I am to
have eaten up the bone my master gave me, otherwise you should have had
it and welcome. But I can't give you one of these, because my master has
made me promise to watch over them all, and I have given him my paw
on it. I am sure a dog of your respectable appearance will say nothing
further on the subject."

Then the little dog answered pettishly, "Pooh, what nonsense you
talk! surely a great griffin can't miss a little bone fit for me?" and
nestling his nose under the watch-dog, he tried forthwith to bring up
one of the bones.

On this the watch-dog grew angry, and, though with much reluctance, he
seized the little dog by the nape of the neck and threw him off, but
without hurting him. Suddenly the little dog changed into a monstrous
serpent, bigger even than the griffin himself, and the watch-dog barked
with all his might. The griffin rose in a great hurry, and the serpent
sprang upon him ere he was well awake. I wish, dearest Nymphalin, you
could have seen the battle between the griffin and the serpent,--how
they coiled and twisted, and bit and darted their fiery tongues at each
other. At length the serpent got uppermost, and was about to plunge his
tongue into that part of the griffin which is unprotected by his scales,
when the dog, seizing him by the tail, bit him so sharply that he could
not help turning round to kill his new assailant, and the griffin,
taking advantage of the opportunity, caught the serpent by the throat
with both claws, and fairly strangled him. As soon as the griffin had
recovered from the nervousness of the conflict, he heaped all manner
of caresses on the dog for saving his life. The dog told him the whole
story, and the griffin then explained that the dead snake was the king
of the serpents, who had the power to change himself into any shape he
pleased. "If he had tempted you," said he, "to le