, gaping its red jaws, and blowing out
poison fumes.

"Ho!" laughed Siegfried. "What a fair comrade I have charmed from his
cave! You savage brute, are you going to teach me what fear is?"

[Illustration: "I AM GOING TO EAT YOU," HISSED THE DRAGON]

"I am going to eat you!" hissed the dragon, glaring at Siegfried and
thrusting out its long forked tongue.

Siegfried quickly drew his sword.

Snorting fire and smoke from its nostrils, the monster raised to strike
a deadly blow.

Siegfried sprang forward; a flash of steel, and his blade sank to the
monster's heart.

A CHANGE COMES OVER SIEGFRIED

As Siegfried drew his blade from the breast of the dying dragon, a drop
of its black blood fell on his finger.

It burned like fire.

Siegfried quickly put his finger in his mouth.

The instant the dragon's blood touched his lips, a change came over him.

He could understand the words of the little bird singing in the tree:--

"Now the gold is Siegfried's!
Now all the gold is Siegfried's!
Go into the cave, Siegfried!
Go in! Go in!
Find the helmet and the ring!
The helmet and the ring are Siegfried's!
Take them! Take them! Take them!"

Siegfried went through the brush in the direction from which the monster
had come.

When he found the cave, he peered in.

All was deep, dreary darkness, but Siegfried had not learned fear.

He went in and found the gold, the helmet, and the ring.

But he did not need the gold. Its weight would only hinder him.

He looked upon the wishing-cap, but surely no one could turn into
anything better than a hero, and Siegfried was already a hero.

What use could he have for a wishing-cap?

A hero does not try to make believe he is something which he is not.

He is brave enough to be just himself.

But the little bird fluttered at the door of the cave.

"Take the helmet and the ring, Siegfried! Take the helmet and the ring!"

"I will obey my little friend," said Siegfried.

MIMI HAS A SURPRISE

The sly, wicked Mimi came slinking to the place where the dragon lay.

When he saw it lying dead under the trees, he looked about for
Siegfried, but Siegfried was nowhere to be seen.

"Now I shall rush in and snatch the ring! At last I shall have my pay
for all these years of trouble with that rogue I hate!"

But scarcely had Mimi turned toward the dragon's cave when suddenly
Alberich sprang before him.

"You sly, crafty rascal!" cried Alberich. "What do you wa