Prince Prigio did not go to bed . It was bright daylight , and he had promised to bring the horns and tail of a Firedrake as a present to a pretty lady . He had said it was easy to do this ; but now , as he sat and thought over it , he did not feel so victorious . `` First , '' he said , `` where is the Firedrake ? '' He reflected for a little , and then ran upstairs to the garret . `` It should be here ! '' he cried , tossing the fairies ' gifts about ; `` and , by George , here it is ! '' Indeed , he had found the spyglass of carved ivory which Prince Ali , in the Arabian Nights , bought in the bazaar in Schiraz . Now , this glass was made so that , by looking through it , you could see anybody or anything you wished , however far away . Prigio 's first idea was to look at his lady . `` But she does not expect to be looked at , '' he thought ; `` and I wo n't ! '' On the other hand , he determined to look at the Firedrake ; for , of course , he had no delicacy about spying on him , the brute . The prince clapped the glass to his eye , stared out of window , and there , sure enough , he saw the Firedrake . He was floating about in a sea of molten lava , on the top of a volcano . There he was , swimming and diving for pleasure , tossing up the flaming waves , and blowing fountains of fire out of his nostrils , like a whale spouting ! The prince did not like the looks of him . -LCB- The Prince looking through the telescope : p59.jpg -RCB- `` With all my cap of darkness , and my shoes of swiftness , and my sword of sharpness , I never could get near that beast , '' he said ; `` and if I did stalk him , I could not hurt him . Poor little Alphonso ! poor Enrico ! what plucky fellows they were !
I fancied that there was no such thing as a XXXXX : he 's not in the Natural History books , and I thought the boys were only making fun , and would be back soon , safe and sound .
Ali Alphonso Firedrake First George Prigio Schiraz fire p59.jpg whale