waited, and before the dragon could find out that he was not hurt at
all, the young man's lance was down his throat, and he was rolling,
dead, on the grass.

Oh! what shouts of joy rang through the great city, when the youth
came riding back with the princess sitting behind him, and dragging the
horrible monster by a cord. Everybody cried out that the king must give
the victor the hand of the princess; and so he did, and no one had ever
seen such balls and feasts and sports before. And when they were all
over the young couple went to the palace prepared for them, which was so
large that it was three miles round.

The first wet day after their marriage the bridegroom begged the bride
to show him all the rooms in the palace, and it was so big and took so
long that the sun was shining brightly again before they stepped on to
the roof to see the view.

'What castle is that out there,' asked the knight; 'it seems to be made
of black marble?'

'It is called the castle of Albatroz,' answered the princess. 'It is
enchanted, and no one that has tried to enter it has ever come back.'

Her husband said nothing, and began to talk of something else; but
the next morning he ordered his horse, took his spear, called his
bloodhound, and set off for the castle.

It needed a brave man to approach it, for it made your hair stand on
end merely to look at it; it was as dark as the night of a storm, and
as silent as the grave. But the Knight of the Fish knew no fear, and had
never turned his back on an enemy; so he drew out his horn, and blew a
blast.

The sound awoke all the sleeping echoes in the castle, and was repeated
now loudly, now softly; now near, and now far. But nobody stirred for
all that.

'Is there anyone inside?' cried the young man in his loudest voice;
'anyone who will give a knight hospitality? Neither governor, nor
squire, not even a page?'

'Not even a page!' answered the echoes. But the young man did not heed
them, and only struck a furious blow at the gate.

Then a small grating opened, and there appeared the tip of a huge nose,
which belonged to the ugliest old woman that ever was seen.

'What do you want?' said she.

'To enter,' he answered shortly. 'Can I rest here this night? Yes or
No?'

'No, No, No!' repeated the echoes.

Between the fierce sun and his anger at being kept waiting, the Knight
of the Fish had grown so hot that he lifted his visor, and when the old
woman saw how handsome he was, s