once. But his new friends
had not long been gone, when he was suddenly startled by cries, shouts,
and screams, and the noise of a terrible struggle, and in the midst of
it all, a most awful hissing, which went right through his ears like a
rough saw.

Running towards the tuft of trees, he beheld the head and fiery eyes of
an immense serpent or dragon, with the widest jaws that ever a dragon
had, and a vast many rows of horribly sharp teeth. Before Cadmus could
reach the spot, this pitiless reptile had killed his poor companions,
and was busily devouring them, making but a mouthful of each man.

It appears that the fountain of water was enchanted, and that the dragon
had been set to guard it, so that no mortal might ever quench his thirst
there. As the neighboring inhabitants carefully avoided the spot, it was
now a long time (not less than a hundred years or thereabouts) since the
monster had broken his fast; and, as was natural enough, his appetite
had grown to be enormous, and was not half satisfied by the poor people
whom he had just eaten up. When he caught sight of Cadmus, therefore, he
set up another abominable hiss, and flung back his immense jaws, until
his mouth looked like a great red cavern, at the farther end of which
were seen the legs of his last victim, whom he had hardly had time to
swallow.

But Cadmus was so enraged at the destruction of his friends that he
cared neither for the size of the dragon's jaws nor for his hundreds
of sharp teeth. Drawing his sword, he rushed at the monster, and flung
himself right into his cavernous mouth. This bold method of attacking
him took the dragon by surprise; for, in fact, Cadmus had leaped so far
down into his throat, that the rows of terrible teeth could not close
upon him, nor do him the least harm in the world. Thus, though the
struggle was a tremendous one, and though the dragon shattered the tuft
of trees into small splinters by the lashing of his tail, yet, as Cadmus
was all the while slashing and stabbing at his very vitals, it was not
long before the scaly wretch bethought himself of slipping away. He had
not gone his length, however, when the brave Cadmus gave him a sword
thrust that finished the battle; and creeping out of the gateway of
the creature's jaws, there he beheld him still wriggling his vast bulk,
although there was no longer life enough in him to harm a little child.

But do not you suppose that it made Cadmus sorrowful to think of the
mel