.

"I pressed her to tell me how she came there, and she explained to me
that one day, while walking on the sands with one of her maidens in
attendance, they had together discovered this cave, which was only
accessible at low tide; and they had secretly brought the rugs and
tapestries and other furniture with which the cave was filled and made a
bower of it, to which the Princess was wont to retire whenever she
wished to be alone.

"And, venturing here two days since without attendance, the Princess
had found, when she had wished to depart, the terrible monster lying in
her path.

"'And so,' she cried, 'I have been a prisoner all this time.'

"I cheered her as well as I was able, and turned to my little book to
see if by chance it gave me any directions how I might slay a Dragon by
means of my fairy powers; and I read there that though one might not
slay it (for a Dragon lives for a thousand years), one might rob it of
its power by casting at it a jewel of great brilliancy, at the same time
wishing that he might become dazed and impotent till one could escape,
and it would be so.

"I told this to the Princess, and she hastened to unfasten from her
bosom a jewel of great value set in gold of curious workmanship, which
she gave to me, imploring me at the same time to do immediately as the
book directed.

"'Nay,' said I, 'the jewel is yours; you must cast it at the Dragon, and
I will _wish_ that the fairies may aid us.'

"And so we stood at the door of the cave, and the Dragon, seeing us,
came forward with wide-opened jaws.

"The Princess clung to my arm with one hand, but with the other she cast
the jewel, while with all my desire I wished that my fairy powers might
not fail me now.

"Whether, however, it was that the fairies willed it so, or perchance
because she was a girl, the Princess's aim was not straight, and she
hit, not the Dragon, but a great boulder in the shadow of which he was
lurking; and then a truly remarkable thing occurred, for the boulder,
immediately it was struck by the jewel, tumbled forward, and falling
upon one beside it, imprisoned the Dragon between the two, where he has
remained to this day."

And Shin Shira pointed dramatically to the rocks, from which an extra
large puff of spray belched forth, with a groan and a cry which almost
convinced me that what he told me must be true.

"And what became of the Princess after that?" I inquired, being anxious
to hear the end of the story.