Page:The fairy tales of science.djvu/20

 own safety with the most humiliating concessions. The dragon was allowed to run riot over the face of the country; to devour the flocks and herds at his pleasure; and when sheep and oxen ceased to gratify him, scores of beautiful damsels were sacrificed to allay the cravings of his ravenous appetite.

Sometimes the fastidious monster would go so far as to order a princess for dinner, but he generally had to pay dearly for his audacity. When the monarch had exhausted his stock of prayers, and the poor little maiden had almost cried out her eyes, some valiant knight-errant was certain to come forward and challenge the dragon to meet him in the field. A terrific encounter then took place, and strange to say, the knight invariably proved himself to be more than a match for the destroyer who had hitherto kept whole armies at bay.

As instances of this wonderful triumph of Right over Might, we need only mention that celebrated duel in which the Dragon of Wantley was forced to succumb to the prowess of Moore of Moore Hall; and that still more famous combat in which the invincible St. George of England won an everlasting renown.

We have said that these monsters belonged to that mythical age known as "once upon a time;" unfortunately we can find no trace of them in authentic history, and we are compelled to admit that they had their origin in the fanciful brains of those