royal castle. After three days the walls of
a high tower might be seen dimly across the plain.

'It is there that my parents are kept imprisoned by the dragon,' said
Una, pointing to it with her hand, 'and I see the watchman watching for
good tidings, if haply such there be. Ah, he has waited long!'

As she spoke, a roaring hideous sound was heard that seemed to shake the
ground and to fill all the air with terror. Turning their heads, they
beheld on their right a huge dragon, lying stretched upon the sunny side
of a great hill, himself like a great hill. But no sooner did he see the
shining armour of the knight than he roused himself and made ready for
battle.

Hastily the Red Cross Knight bade Una withdraw herself to another hill,
from which she could see the fight without herself being in danger.
Crouching behind a rock, she watched the dreadful beast approaching,
half flying and half walking as he went. Run he could not, his size was
too vast.

Her heart sank as she looked, for how could mortal man get the better of
such a creature! Besides the brazen scales which thickly covered his
body, his wings were like two sails, and at the tip of each huge feather
was a many-pronged claw; while his back was hidden with the folds of his
tail, which lay doubled in a hundred coils, and in his mouth were three
rows of sharp-pointed teeth. Una could look no more; she shut her eyes
and waited.

The knight felt that if he was to win the victory at all it must be by
means of his lightness of foot, as the monster was so large he could not
turn himself about quickly. So, getting a little behind his head, he
tried to pierce his neck between the scaly plates, but the spear glanced
off harmlessly, and a stroke from the tip of the tail laid both him and
his horse on the ground.

[Illustration: THE END OF THE DRAGON]

They rose again instantly, and returned to the charge, but a second blow
met with no better fate. Then the dragon in wrath spread wide his sails
and rose heavily above the earth, till, suddenly and swiftly darting
down his head, he snatched both horse and man off the ground. But here
the knight had the advantage, for with his spear he stung the beast so
sore that the monster speedily set his captives again on the earth.

Not giving the dragon time to gather himself up, the knight dealt him a
blow under the left wing. With a roar of agony, the beast snapped the
spear asunder with his claws, and pulled out the head. At