at it. When Cienzo inquired the cause
of the mourning the folks answered, "A dragon with seven heads has made
his appearance in this country, the most terrible monster that ever was
seen, with the crest of a cock, the head of a cat, eyes of fire, the
mouth of a bulldog, the wings of a bat, the claws of a bear, and the
tail of a serpent. Now this dragon swallows a maiden every day, and now
the lot has fallen on Menechella, the daughter of the King. So there is
great weeping and wailing in the royal palace, since the fairest
creature in all the land is doomed to be devoured by this horrid beast."

When Cienzo heard this he stepped aside and saw Menechella pass by with
the mourning train, accompanied by the ladies of the court and all the
women of the land, wringing their hands and tearing out their hair by
handfuls, and bewailing the sad fate of the poor girl. Then the dragon
came out of the cave. But Cienzo laid hold of his sword and struck off
a head in a trice; but the dragon went and rubbed his neck on a certain
plant which grew not far off, and suddenly the head joined itself on
again, like a lizard joining itself to its tail. Cienzo, seeing this,
exclaimed, "He who dares not, wins not"; and, setting his teeth, he
struck such a furious blow that he cut off all seven heads, which flew
from the necks like peas from the pan. Whereupon he took out the
tongues, and putting them in his pocket, he flung the heads a mile
apart from the body, so that they might never come together again. Then
he sent Menechella home to her father, and went himself to repose in a
tavern.

When the King saw his daughter his delight is not to be told; and
having heard the manner in which she had been freed, he ordered a
proclamation to be instantly made, that whosoever had killed the dragon
should come and marry the Princess. Now a rascal of a country fellow,
hearing this proclamation, took the heads of the dragon, and said,
"Menechella has been saved by me; these hands have freed the land from
destruction; behold the dragon's heads, which are the proofs of my
valour; therefore recollect, every promise is a debt." As soon as the
King heard this, he lifted the crown from his own head and set it upon
the countryman's poll, who looked like a thief on the gallows.

The news of this proclamation flew through the whole country, till at
last it came to the ears of Cienzo, who said to himself, "Verily, I am
a great blockhead! I had hold of Fortune by