snow white dove,' said
White-as-a-Pearl. 'My father will have him go forth to fight with a
dragon. And this is a terrible dragon. Every young man who has gone
forth against him has been slain.'

[Illustration: O most beauteous of all the birds, do you know of any
arms by which a hero can slay a dragon?]

"The little snow white dove flew back to the tower and the Princess
White-as-a-Pearl stood under the dark, dark trees and wept again. And
when she saw me on my branch she said 'O most beauteous of all the
birds, do you know of any arms by which a hero can slay a terrible
dragon?'

[Illustration]

"Then I came down off my branch and I walked beside the Princess, and
as I walked beside her I told her the wonderful secrets I knew."

"And what were the secrets," said Hoodie the Crow plucking a last
feather from the peacock's tail. "What were the secrets anyway?"

"Can I tell them to a Crow?" said Purpurpurati the Peacock. "But I
will tell them. I told her the secrets I had learnt from the Magician
when he spoke of the virtues of his precious stones--a ruby in a man's
helmet would make a dragon's eyes go blind. A turquoise on his arm
would make a dragon's blood turn to water. A sapphire on his spear
would make a dragon's heart burst within him.

"So the Princess White-as-a-Pearl went to her father's cavern and took
the precious stones I spoke of and gave them to the King's son. And he
went forth the next day and when he came to him the dragon's eyes were
blinded, and his blood turned to water and his heart burst within him.
And the King's son cut off his head and brought it into the Palace.
Then the Magician fled amongst the dark, dark trees and I was given
the red marble palace to live in."

"I lived in Lapland," said Hoodie the Crow. "And who do you think I
knew there?"

"No one of any dignity," said Purpurpurati the Peacock.

"I knew your White-as-a-Pearl. She had become an old ugly
witch-woman."

"Base crow!" said Purpurpurati and he walked up the steps and went
away.

Then Hoodie the Crow dressed himself in the feathers he had stolen
from the Peacock and went away and walked across the field admiring
himself. But a Fox that had promised to bring a Peacock to his
Mother-in-law saw Hoodie the Crow and stole up beside him and caught
him in his mouth and carried him away. And that was the end of Hoodie
who was such a clever crow. "This Peacock is very tough," said the
Fox's Mother-in-law as she ate Hoodie.