kness of age
fell upon him and when he knew that his remaining years could be but
few:

"Seeing that Death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come."[9]

Through all those years of peace, the thing that was to bring death to
him had lurked, unknown, unimagined, in a cave in the lonely
mountains.

Many centuries before the birth of Beowulf, a family of mighty
warriors had won by their swords a priceless treasure of weapons and
of armour, of richly chased goblets and cups, of magnificent ornaments
and precious jewels, and of gold "beyond the dreams of avarice." In a
great cave among the rocks it was hoarded by the last of their line,
and on his death none knew where it was hidden. Upon it one day there
stumbled a fiery dragon--a Firedrake--and for three hundred years the
monster gloated, unchallenged, over the magnificent possession. But at
the end of that time, a bondsman, who fled before his master's
vengeance and sought sanctuary in the mountains, came on an opening in
the rocks, and, creeping in, found the Firedrake asleep upon a mass of
red gold and of sparkling gems that dazzled his eyes even in the
darkness. For a moment he stood, trembling, then, sure of his master's
forgiveness if he brought him as gift a golden cup all studded with
jewels, he seized one and fled with it ere the monster could awake.
With its awakening, terror fell upon the land. Hither and thither it
flew, searching for him who had robbed it, and as it flew, it sent
flames on the earth and left behind it a black trail of ruin and of
death.

When news of its destroyings came to the ears of the father of his
people, Beowulf knew that to him belonged the task of saving the land
for them and for all those to come after them. But he was an old man,
and strength had gone from him, nor was he able now to wrestle with
the Firedrake as once he had wrestled with the Grendel and the
Wolf-Woman, but had to trust to his arms. He had an iron shield made
to withstand the Firedrake's flaming breath, and, with a band of
eleven picked followers, and taking the bondsman as guide, Beowulf
went out to fight his last fight. As they drew near the place, he bade
his followers stay where they were, "For I alone," he said, "will win
the gold and save my people, or Death shall take me."

From the entrance to the cave there poured forth a sickening cloud of
steam and smoke, suffocating and blinding, and so hot that he could
not go forward. But with a lo