she answered , ' I am chained here till a horrible serpent with seven heads comes to eat me . Oh , sir , do not linger here , or he will eat you too . ' ' I shall stay , ' replied the young man , ` for I mean to set you free . ' ` That is impossible . You do not know what a fearful monster the serpent is ; you can do nothing against him . ' ` That is my affair , beautiful captive , ' answered he ; ` only tell me , which way will the serpent come ? ' ` Well , if you are resolved to free me , listen to my advice . Stand a little on one side , and then , when the serpent rises to the surface , I will say to him , `` O serpent , to-day you can eat two people . But you had better begin first with the young man , for I am chained and can not run away . '' When he hears this most likely he will attack you . ' So the young man stood carefully on one side , and by-and-bye he heard a great rushing in the water ; and a horrible monster came up to the surface and looked out for the rock where the king 's daughter was chained , for it was getting late and he was hungry . But she cried out , ' O serpent , to-day you can eat two people . And you had better begin with the young man , for I am chained and can not run away . ' Then the serpent made a rush at the youth with wide open jaws to swallow him at one gulp , but the young man leaped aside and drew his sword , and fought till he had cut off all the seven heads . And when the great serpent lay dead at his feet he loosed the bonds of the king 's daughter , and she flung herself into his arms and said , ` You have saved me from that monster , and now you shall be my husband , for my father has made a proclamation that whoever could slay the serpent should have his daughter to wife . ' But he answered , ' I can not become your husband yet , for I have still far to travel . But wait for me seven years and seven months . Then , if I do not return , you are free to marry whom you will . And in case you should have forgotten , I will take these seven tongues with me so that when I bring them forth you may know that I am really he who slew the serpent . ' So saying he cut out the seven tongues , and the princess gave him a thick cloth to wrap them in ; and he mounted his horse and rode away .
Not long after he had gone there arrived XXXXX the river a slave who had been sent by the king to learn the fate of his beloved daughter .
So against at for if of on till to with