t be over hasty," said the Bodiless Maiden. "You probably
think that you will conquer the dragons by mere will? Great deeds
await you. The old she-dragon put me here, that I might constantly
spur on her youngest son, because it is written that all three
brothers are to be married at the same time. The two older brothers
keep your sisters prisoners, but can not wed them till the youngest
son has stolen me. Whenever he comes home from hunting, he stops there
where you are standing, gazes longingly at me, then arranges his
weapons and feeds his horse with red-hot coals, but can't set out yet
because my hour has not come. So stay and conquer him here, that he
may not steal me while you are on your way, for you would then be too
late in reaching your sisters. Yet mind one thing; you can not conquer
him outside of his court-yard, because he is invisible. So, when he
comes home, he throws his club at the gate with so much force that the
earth quakes, the walls fall down, and any mortals who might be inside
are buried alive. If you feel that you have strength enough to hold
the gates on their hinges, so that they can not give way when he hurls
the club against them, stay, otherwise go, in God's name, for it would
be a pity to lose your young lives."

The Poor Boy and the prince looked at each other, understood that the
deed must be done, and resolved to stay. While the Poor Boy went to
the gates to hold them, the prince drew his sword and awaited the
dragon in the middle of the court-yard. You can perceive that this was
no joke.

Very little time passed, when suddenly, crash! the club struck against
the iron-barred gates so that one might have believed the world was
falling to pieces. The Poor Boy thought the muscles of his heart would
crack in two under the terrible strain, and the walls would crumble to
their foundations--but he held the gates on their hinges. When the
dragon saw that the palace did not fall down, he stood still in
surprise.

"What does this mean?" he said. "I must have grown very weak since
yesterday." He did not suspect what awaited him.

When, with some difficulty, he opened the gate, he did not notice the
Poor Boy, but went straight toward the prince, who stood in mortal
terror in the middle of the court-yard, for, after all, what would you
expect? A dragon is a dragon, and not a girl in woman's clothes.

We won't linger over the story any longer, we know what always happens
when dragons and princes