Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/203

Rh mortal skeleton's castle; round this castle was a wall of iron, and in the wall was a gate, before which lay a twelve-headed serpent; six of whose heads were always asleep and six were always awake, so that no one dared to stand and look at the castle for fear of the serpent, who would eat any number of people up in a moment, and not leave a tooth to remember them by.

But the horse was careful; he brought the prince as near the gates as he thought wise, and made him put on the invisible cloak and cap. Prince John dismounted and crept up to the serpent, and then whispered to his club,—

"Begin!"

The club did not wait to be told twice, but jumped upon the serpent and began beating it as hard as it could on the heads and back. The serpent howled, but the club took no notice whatever, only beat it all the harder. At last the serpent opened one of its mouths to catch its antagonist; but no, the club only beat the harder. Then the serpent opened all its twelve mouths and made a number of dreadful grimaces, but the club cared little or nothing for this, and only knocked all its teeth out!

The serpent writhed as if it were mad, and turned a back somersault in its wrath. It breathed fire, and gnawed the earth, but all in vain. Not hurriedly, nor hastily, striking no false blows, the club continued its work quite at its ease. At last the serpent, growing very ill-tempered, began to gnaw itself; and putting its large claws to its breast, it tore itself in two, and fell dead on the ground. But the club still