rgin, unloosing her linen girdle, put it round the dragon's neck
and led him on the leash like a faithful dog amid the acclamations of
the spectators.

She had walked over a long stretch of the heath when Kraken appeared
armed with a flashing sword. The people, who believed him dead, uttered
cries of joy and surprise. The hero rushed towards the beast, turned
him over on his back, and with his sword cut open his belly, from whence
came forth in their shirts, with curling hair and folded hands, little
Elo and the five other children whom the monster had devoured.

Immediately they threw themselves on their knees before the virgin
Orberosia, who took them in her arms and whispered into their ears:

"You will go through the villages saying: 'We are the poor little
children who were devoured by the dragon, and we came out of his belly
in our shirts.' The inhabitants will give you abundance of all that you
can desire. But if you say anything else you will get nothing but cuffs
and whippings. Go!"

Several Penguins, seeing the dragon disembowelled, rushed forward to cut
him to pieces, some from a feeling of rage and vengeance, others to get
the magic stone called dragonite, that is engendered in his head. The
mothers of the children who had come back to life ran to embrace their
little ones. But the holy Mael kept them back, saying that none of them
were holy enough to approach a dragon without dying.

And soon little Elo, and the five other children came towards the people
and said:

"We are the poor little children who were devoured by the dragon and we
came out of his belly in our shirts."

And all who heard them kissed them and said:

"Blessed children, we will give you abundance of all that you can
desire."

And the crowd of people dispersed, full of joy, singing hymns and
canticles.

To commemorate this day on which Providence delivered the people from
a cruel scourge, processions were established in which the effigy of a
chained dragon was led about.

Kraken levied the tribute and became the richest and most powerful of
the Penguins. As a sign of his victory and so as to inspire a salutary
terror, he wore a dragon's crest upon his head and he had a habit of
saying to the people:

"Now that the monster is dead I am the dragon."

For many years Orberosia bestowed her favours upon neatherds and
shepherds, whom she thought equal to the gods. But when she was no
longer beautiful she consecrated herself to t