arrived at the town, the whole town was astir and began to wonder because the shepherd came home every evening, which no one had been able to do before.  Those two grooms had already arrived at the palace before the prince, and related to the emperor in order everything that they had heard and seen.  Now when the emperor saw that the shepherd returned home, he immediately summoned his daughter into his presence and told her all, what it was and how it was.  “But,” said he, “to-morrow you must go with the shepherd to the lake and kiss him on the forehead.”  When she heard this she burst into tears and began to entreat her father.  “You have no one but me, and I am your only daughter, and you don’t care about me if I perish.”  Then the emperor began to persuade and encourage her:  “Don’t fear, my daughter; you see we have had so many changes of shepherds, and of all that went out to the lake not one has returned; but he had been contending with the dragon for two whole days and it has done him no hurt.  I assure you, in God’s name, that he is able to overcome the dragon, only go to-morrow with him to see whether he will free us from this mischief which has destroyed so many people.”

When, on the morrow, the day dawned and the sun came forth, up rose the shepherd, up rose the maiden too, to begin to prepare for going to the lake.  The shepherd was cheerful, more cheerful than ever, but the emperor’s daughter was sad and shed tears.  The shepherd comforted her:  “Lady sister, I pray you, do not weep, but do what I tell you.  When it is time, run up and kiss me, and fear not.”  As he went and drove the sheep, the shepherd was thoroughly cheery, and played a merry tune on his bagpipes; but the damsel did nothing but weep as she went beside him, and he several times left off playing and turned toward her:  “Weep not, golden one; fear nought.”  When they arrived at the lake, the sheep immediately spread round it, and the prince placed the falcon on the stump, and the hounds and bagpipes under it, then tucked up his hose and sleeves, waded into the water, and shouted:  “Dragon! dragon!  Come out to single combat with me; let us measure ourselves once more, unless you’re a woman!” The dragon replied:  “I will, prince; now, now!” Erelong, there was the dragon! it was huge, it was terrible, it was disgusting!  When it came out, they seized each other by the middle, and wrestled a summer’s day till afternoon.  But when the afternoon heat came on, the dragon said:  “Let me go, prince, that I may moisten my parched head in the lake, and toss you to the skies.”  The prince replied:  “Come, dragon, don’t talk nonsense; if I had the emperor’s daughter to kiss me on the forehead, I would toss you much higher.”  When he said this, the emperor’s daughter ran up and kissed him on the face, on the eye, and on the forehead.  Then he swung the dragon, and tossed it high into the air, and when it fell to the ground it burst into pieces.  But as it burst into pieces, out of it sprang a wild boar, and