At last they were within striking distance ; and the Firedrake , stooping from the air , dashed with his burning horns and flaming feet slap into the body of the Remora . Then there rose a steam so dreadful , such a white yet fiery vapour of heat , that no one who had not the prince 's magic glass could have seen what happened . With horrible grunts and roars the Firedrake tried to burn his way right through the flat body of the Remora , and to chase him to his cleft in the rock . But the Remora , hissing terribly , and visibly melting away in places , yet held his ground ; and the prince could see his cold white folds climbing slowly up the hoofs of the Firedrake -- up and up , till they reached his knees , and the great burning beast roared like a hundred bulls with the pain . Then up the Firedrake leaped , and hovering on his fiery wings , he lighted in the midst of the Remora 's back , and dashed into it with his horns . But the flat , cruel head writhed backwards , and , slowly bending over on itself , the wounded Remora slid greedily to fasten again on the limbs of the Firedrake . Meanwhile , the prince , safe on his hill , was lunching on the loaf and the cold tongue he had brought with him . `` Go it , Remora ! Go it , Firedrake ! you 're gaining . Give it him , Remora ! '' he shouted in the wildest excitement . Nobody had ever seen such a battle ; he had it all to himself , and he never enjoyed anything more . He hated the Remora so much , that he almost wished the Firedrake could beat it ; for the Firedrake was the more natural beast of the pair . Still , he was alarmed when he saw that the vast flat body of the Remora was now slowly coiling backwards , backwards , into the cleft below the hill ; while a thick wet mist showed how cruelly it had suffered . But the Firedrake , too , was in an unhappy way ; for his legs were now cold and black , his horns were black also , though his body , especially near the heart , glowed still like red-hot iron . `` Go it , Remora ! '' cried the prince : `` his legs are giving way ; he 's groggy on his pins ! One more effort , and he wo n't be able to move ! '' Encouraged by this advice , the white , slippery Remora streamed out of his cavern again , more and more of him uncoiling , as if the mountain were quite full of him .
He had lost strength , no doubt : XXXXX the steam and mist went up from him in clouds , and the hissing of his angry voice grew fainter ; but so did the roars of the Firedrake .
At below for from near of on up with within