rock. But the Remora, hissing terribly, and visibly
melting away in places, yet held his ground; and the prince could see
his cold white folds climbing slowly up the hoofs of the Firedrake--up
and up, till they reached his knees, and the great burning beast roared
like a hundred bulls with the pain. Then up the Firedrake leaped, and
hovering on his fiery wings, he lighted in the midst of the Remora's
back, and dashed into it with his horns. But the flat, cruel head
writhed backwards, and, slowly bending over on itself, the wounded
Remora slid greedily to fasten again on the limbs of the Firedrake.

Meanwhile, the prince, safe on his hill, was lunching on the loaf and
the cold tongue he had brought with him.

"Go it, Remora! Go it, Firedrake! you're gaining. Give it him, Remora!"
he shouted in the wildest excitement.

Nobody had ever seen such a battle; he had it all to himself, and he
never enjoyed anything more. He hated the Remora so much, that he almost
wished the Firedrake could beat it; for the Firedrake was the more
natural beast of the pair. Still, he was alarmed when he saw that
the vast flat body of the Remora was now slowly coiling backwards,
backwards, into the cleft below the hill; while a thick wet mist showed
how cruelly it had suffered. But the Firedrake, too, was in an unhappy
way; for his legs were now cold and black, his horns were black also,
though his body, especially near the heart, glowed still like red-hot
iron.

"Go it, Remora!" cried the prince: "his legs are giving way; he's groggy
on his pins! One more effort, and he won't be able to move!"

Encouraged by this advice, the white, slippery Remora streamed out of
his cavern again, more and more of him uncoiling, as if the mountain
were quite full of him. He had lost strength, no doubt: for the steam
and mist went up from him in clouds, and the hissing of his angry voice
grew fainter; but so did the roars of the Firedrake. Presently they
sounded more like groans; and at last the Remora slipped up his legs
above the knees, and fastened on his very heart of fire. Then the
Firedrake stood groaning like a black bull, knee-deep in snow; and still
the Remora climbed and climbed.

"Go it now, Firedrake!" shouted the prince; for he knew that if the
Remora won, it would be too cold for him to draw near the place, and cut
off the Firedrake's head and tail.

"Go it, Drake! he's slackening!" cried the prince again; and the brave
Firedrake made one la