The Three Dragons

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 596, 23 February 1929, Page 29

The Three Dragons

Princess Amourette was both rich and beautiful, and reigned over a largo and fertile country. So it was only natural that many princes sought her in marriage. So far, however, none had succeeded in winning her. For this Princess had a very wise Fairy Godmother, Avho. to make sure that Amourette did not marry a Prince who was unworthy of her, gave her for caretakers three fiery dragons, and any Prince who wished to approach the Princess had to pass the dragons first, Avliich was by no means as easy as falling oft a log. Many had tried and failed.

One sought to soothe them -with drugs. The dragons wouldn't take any.

Another charged them with sword and lance. The dragons merely blew him back, their fiery breath scorching him.

A third summoned magic to his aid, but the weirdest incantations left the dragons unmoved, so he too rode away.

They were quite unusually terrible dragons. Their scales rattled as they moved. Their breath was like a blast furnace, and when they flapped their Avings it sounded like a hurricane in a forest. None was less than fortyfive feet long, and they were brothers, and always stood by each otherTheir names were Jella-See, PhrenSee, and Obs-Steena-See.

They were of Persian origin, people said.

Princess Amourette, aided by her Godmother, had learned to rule them, and they were as tame as kittens with her, would com© Avhen she called, do as she ' bade, and take her for rides, either by earth or air or water, on their seals’- backs.

Nevertheless, they were most truly aAvful dragons.

Now there li\*ed in a neighbouring kingdom a very brave Prince called Prince Leeba, who had always wanted to win Princess Amourette, but since hia advent to the throne he had been too busy with one thing and another to spare the time. At last, however, affairs were settled, liis enemies Avere subdued, peace reigned, and his faithful subjects began to say it Avas high time he should choose a wife.

The Prince cordially agreed, and said to himself: “Who so Avorthy as Princess Amourette? I will start on the quest.”

So he set his kingdom in order, mounted his charger, and in due time reached the capital town of Princess Amourette’s country, just outside which, on a hill, stood her dragonguarded palace. He rode straight into the city, sought and found a lodging, and soon the news was abroad that another prince had come to avoo Princess Amourette. The people looked at him sadly, for ho Avas handsome and nice, and they liked him, and thought it a pity that he should fail and ride away as so many had done. But he, all unconcerned, went about his business, making friends Avith the townsfolk and picking up from them scraps of information about the dragons and their manners and customs, while all the time he thought and thought and thought.

A WHISTLE-PIPE You can make a fine little musical instrument out of a thin piece of bamboo about four inches long, and some ordinary elastic. Make sure the bamboo has a hole right through it. Bore four holes at equal distances in it. Wind the elastic round the pipe coA-ering the holes one end. Then when you blow this pipe a very pretty sound is made. A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY Mother: “Well, Bobby, did you put a stamp on the letter I gave you?” Bobby: “No, Mother. I just pushed it in the letter-box when nobody was looking.” EXPLAINED Mother (looking in the pot of black currant jam): “Oh, dear, I must not buy this- jam any more. It is simply full of stalks.” Irene: “Y'es, mother, it says on the label, ‘Branches everywhere.* ’

A Prince and a Magic Potion

At lust he struck a bright idea. so he shut himself up in his room, and if people asked what he was doing, he replied: “I am brewing a potion for dragons.” “It’s no use.” they told him; ‘fit’s been tried before. They simply won’t take it.” “Oh, but they’ll take my potion.” said the Prince cheerfully; “it’s & sort of milk, and you know how fond dragons are of milk.” But people only shrugged their shoulders, and thought he was mad. and were sorry he wouldn’t take their advice. So he brewed his potion in solitude, and after many days it was read> There were three enormous bottles full of it, one for each dragon, and each bottle neatly labelled in this style: No. 1. For Jella-See. Mylk-uv-ewmum-kynd-nus. A small quantity to be taken threa times daily, undiluted. The other two bottles were. of course, just the same, except the iwtme and number. Prince Leeba walked boldly toward the castle, and when he got within reach of the dragons he held the bottles up to show them. Then he laid them on the ground in a row and stood off to see what would happen. You set. ha knew that dragons are always full of curiosity. Sure enough, hardly was he out of sight than the monsters hurried forward and sniffed the bottles. They liked the nice, cool smell so immensely that they opened the bottles, sniffed again, most preca’itiously, and found they liked it still better, so they drank it all, very quickly, because it tvas against the rules, put the bottles back in a roA^. placed a card beside them, “Please for some more,” and rumbled off. Having breath like a blast furnace would naturally make one thirsty. The Prince collected his bottles ami went homo to fill them ready for the morrow*, when the same thing happened again. After this had been going on for several days some curious changes began to be noticeable in the dragons. First they dwindled in size. Next their scales loosened and dropped off: then their wings, and finally a soft, grey fur grew all over them- All they retained of their dragon-like appearance was their savage-looking green eyes, their lashing tails, and their sharp claws. Every day now they watched for the Prince.

You should have seen them running to meet him, brandishing their tails; and crying “Meeow!” all that was left of their once terrifying roar. When eventually the Prince tvent to the castle to ask the Princess in marriage (for of course he married her), there were no dragons left to pas«. Instead, he strolled up the drive, followed by three purring, contented cut*, who arched their backs where their wings used to be and rubbed lovingly against his legs. “You see. Princess.” he said, airily, “it’s all done by kindness.**

A MEMORY TEST This is a good memory test, and it makes a splendid game, too. All the players, except one who must be a. master of ceremonies, are seated in a. circle round a small table. The master of ceremonies hands each one a slip of paper and a pencil; then he goes out of the room and returns at a given moment with a tray on tvhich twenty or more small articles are set out.. Without a word, he places the tray on the table; then he goes out of the room again and times the players. Meanwhile the players are studying the tray, and trying to memorise the articles upon it. No one must speak, and no one must make a note, until at the end of one minute the master of ceremonies comes into the room again. Still without a word, he removes the tray, gives th© players two minutes in which to write down name.*; or descriptions of the articles which were on the tray, and collects the slipof paper. The player who has most articles correct becomes master of ceremonies.