his trousers and his sleeves, and waded
into the water crying:

'Dragon! dragon! if you are not a coward, come out and fight with me!'
And the dragon answered:

'I am waiting for you, O prince,' and the next minute he reared himself
out of the water, huge and horrible to see. Again they clasped each
other tight round the body and fought till it was noon, and when the sun
was at its hottest, the dragon gasped:

'O prince, let me dip my burning head once in the lake, and I will hurl
you up to the top of the sky.' But the prince answered:

'Oh, ho! my good dragon, do not crow too soon! If the emperor's daughter
were only here, and would kiss me on the forehead, I would throw you up
higher still!' And suddenly the dragon's hold loosened, and he fell back
into the lake.

As soon as it was evening the prince again collected his sheep, and
playing on his pipes he marched before them into the city. When he
passed through the gates all the people came out of their houses to
stare in wonder, for never before had any flock returned from the lake.

Meanwhile the two horsemen had ridden quickly back, and told the emperor
all that they had seen and heard. The emperor listened eagerly to their
tale, then called his daughter to him and repeated it to her.

'To-morrow,' he said, when he had finished, 'you shall go with the
shepherd to the lake, and then you shall kiss him on the forehead as he
wishes.'

But when the princess heard these words, she burst into tears, and
sobbed out:

'Will you really send me, your only child, to that dreadful place, from
which most likely I shall never come back?'

'Fear nothing, my little daughter, all will be well. Many shepherds have
gone to that lake and none have ever returned; but this one has in these
two days fought twice with the dragon and has escaped without a wound.
So I hope to-morrow he will kill the dragon altogether, and deliver this
land from the monster who has slain so many of our bravest men.'

Scarcely had the sun begun to peep over the hills next morning, when
the princess stood by the shepherd's side, ready to go to the lake.
The shepherd was brimming over with joy, but the princess only wept
bitterly. 'Dry your tears, I implore you,' said he. 'If you will just do
what I ask you, and when the time comes, run and kiss my forehead, you
have nothing to fear.'

Merrily the shepherd blew on his pipes as he marched at the head of his
flock, only stopping every now and then