disappeared. The Prince waited for him but he didn't show
his scaly head again that day.

When evening came, the Prince washed off the grime of the fight, dressed
himself carefully, and then looking as fresh and handsome as ever drove
home his sheep. With the falcon on his shoulder and the two hounds at
his heels he came playing a merry tune on his bagpipes.

The townspeople hearing the bagpipes ran out of their houses and cried
to each other:

"The shepherd's come back!"

The Princess ran to her window and, when she saw the shepherd alive and
well, she put her hand to her heart and said:

"Oh!"

Even the Tsar was pleased.

"I'm not a bit surprised that he's back!" he said. "There's something
about this youth that I like!"

The next day the Tsar sent two of his trusted servants to the lake to
see what was happening there. They hid themselves behind some bushes on
a little hill that commanded the lake. They were there when the shepherd
arrived and they watched him as he waded out into the water and
challenged the dragon as on the day before.

They heard the shepherd call out in a loud voice:

"Ho, dragon, come out and we'll try a wrestling match! That is, if
you're not afraid!"

And from the water they heard an awful voice bellow back:

"Afraid? Who's afraid?"

Then they saw the water of the lake churn this way and that and a
horrible scaly monster come to the surface. They saw him crawl out on
shore and clutch the shepherd around the waist. And they saw the
shepherd clutch him in a grip just as strong. And they watched the two
as they swayed back and forth and rolled over and wrestled together
without either getting the better of the other. By midafternoon when the
sun grew hot they saw the dragon grow faint and they heard him cry out:

"Oh, if I could only dip my burning head in the cool water, then I could
toss you as high as the sky!"

And they heard the shepherd reply:

"Don't talk nonsense! If the Tsar's daughter would kiss my forehead,
then I could toss you twice as high!"

Then they saw the dragon slip out of the shepherd's grasp, plunge into
the water, and disappear. They waited but he didn't show his scaly head
again that day.

So the Tsar's servants hurried home before the shepherd and told the
Tsar all they had seen and heard. The Tsar was mightily impressed with
the bravery of the shepherd and he declared that if he killed that
horrid dragon he should have the Princess herself for wi