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290 you, yourself, made?" The King of the Gold Mines, enraged at this interruption, and the attempt of the wicked old woman to oppose his marriage, advanced upon her, sword in hand, and placing the point to her throat, cried, "Quit this palace for ever, or with thy life thou shalt atone for thy malice!"

He had scarcely pronounced these words, when the lid of the box flew up with a terrific noise as high as the ceiling, and out of it was seen to issue the Yellow Dwarf, mounted on a large Spanish cat, and who placed himself between the Fairy of the Desert and the King of the Gold Mines.

"Rash youth!" said he to the latter, "think not of assaulting this illustrious Fairy: 'tis with me alone thou hast to do! I am thy rival, thy enemy; the faithless Princess who would give thee her hand has plighted her troth to me, and received mine. Look, if she have not on her finger a ring of my hair. Try to remove it, and thou wilt learn by that little exertion that thy power is inferior to mine." "Miserable monster," said the King to him, "hast thou really the audacity to declare thyself the lover of this divine Princess, and to pretend to the possession of so glorious a treasure? Know that thou art a monkey, whose hideous figure is painful to the sight, and that I had ere this dispatched thee, hadst thou been worthy of dying by my hand." The Yellow Dwarf, stung to the very quick, struck his spurs into the sides of his cat, who set up a terrific squalling, and flying hither and thither, frightened everybody but the brave King, who pressed the dwarf so closely, that he drew a large cutlass with which he was armed, and defying the King to single combat, descended into the court-yard of the palace amidst an extraordinary uproar. The enraged King followed him with rapid strides. Scarcely had they confronted each other, the whole court being in the balconies to witness the combat, when the sun became suddenly as red as blood, and it grew so dark that they could scarcely see themselves. It thundered and lightened as if there was to be an end of the world, and the two turkey-cocks appeared at the side of the Yellow Dwarf like two giants, taller than mountains, casting out flames from their mouths and eyes in such abundance, that each looked like a fiery furnace. All these horrors were unable to shake the magnanimous heart of the young King. The intrepidity evinced by his every look and action reassured