Page:Stories of Prince Lupin.pdf/17

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17

Spanish cat, who, placing himself between the king and the fairy, uttered these words:———“Rash youth, thy rage should be levelled at me, not at the Desert Fairy; I am thy rival, and claim her by promise, and a single hair round her finger.

This so enraged the king, that he cried out, comtemptible creature! wert thou worthy of my notice, I would sacrifice thee for presumption.” Whereon the Yellow Dwarf slapping spurs to his cat, and drawing a large cutlass, defied the king to combat; and so they went into the court-yard. The sun then immediately turned red as blood, and it became dark: thunder and lightning followod, by the flashes whereof were perceived two giants vomiting fire on each side of the Yellow Dwarf.

The king behaved with such undaunted courage as to give the Dwarf great perplexity; but was dismayed, when he saw the Desert Fairy mounted on a winged griffin, with her head covered with snakes, strihe the princess so hard with a lance, that she fell into the queen’s arms all over with blood. He left the combat to go to her relief; but the dwarf was too quick for him, and, flying on his Spanish cat to the balcony where she was, he took her from her mother’s arm’s, leaped with her upon