ance."

Then he seized the ivory glass, clapped it to his eye, and looked for
the Remora. Just the tip of his nose, as white as snow and as smooth as
ice, was sticking out of a chink in a frozen mountain, not far from the
burning mountain of the Firedrake.

[Illustration: Page 46]

"Hooray!" said the prince softly to himself; and he jumped like mad into
the winged shoes of swiftness, stuck on the cap of darkness, girdled
himself with the sword of sharpness, and put a good slice of bread, with
some cold tongue, in a wallet, which he slung on his back. Never you
fight, if you can help it, except with plenty of food to keep you going
and in good heart. Then off he flew, and soon he reached the volcano of
the Firedrake.

[Illustration: Chapter Nine]

CHAPTER IX.--_The Prince and the Firedrake_

IT was dreadfully hot, even high up in the air, where the prince hung
invisible. Great burning stones were tossed up by the volcano, and
nearly hit him several times. Moreover, the steam and smoke, and the
flames which the Firedrake spouted like foam from his nostrils, would
have daunted even the bravest man. The sides of the hill, too, were
covered with the blackened ashes of his victims, whom he had roasted
when they came out to kill him. The garden-engine of poor little
Alphonso was lying in the valley, all broken and useless. But the
Firedrake, as happy as a wild duck on a lonely lock, was rolling and
diving in the liquid flame, all red-hot and full of frolic. "Hi!"
shouted the prince. The Firedrake rose to the surface, his horns as red
as a red crescent-moon, only bigger, and lashing the fire with his hoofs
and his blazing tail.

"Who's there?" he said in a hoarse, angry voice. "Just let me get at
you!"

"It's me," answered the prince. It was the first time he had forgotten
his grammar, but he was terribly excited.

"What do you want?" grunted the beast. "I wish I could see you"; and,
horrible to relate, he rose on a pair of wide, flaming wings, and came
right at the prince, guided by the sound of his voice.

Now, the prince had never heard that Fire-drakes could fly; indeed, he
had never believed in them at all, till the night before. For a moment
he was numb with terror; then he flew down like a stone to the very
bottom of the hill and shouted:

"Hi!"

"Well," grunted the Firedrake, "what's the matter? Why can't you give a
civil answer to a civil question?"

"Will you go back to your hole and swear, on