When he was in the counting-house , counting out his money , and when he happened to say , `` Sixteen shillings and fourteen and twopence are three pounds , fifteen , '' it made him wild to hear Prigio whisper , `` One pound , ten and twopence '' -- which , of course , it is . And the king was afraid that Prigio would conspire , and get made king himself -- which was the last thing Prigio really wanted . He much preferred to idle about , and know everything without seeming to take any trouble . -LCB- The King at his desk : p15.jpg -RCB- Well , the king thought and thought . How was he to get Prigio out of the way , and make Enrico or Alphonso his successor ? He read in books about it ; and all the books showed that , if a king sent his three sons to do anything , it was always the youngest who did it , and got the crown . And he wished he had the chance . Well , it arrived at last . There was a very hot summer ! It began to be hot in March . All the rivers were dried up . The grass did not grow . The corn did not grow . The thermometers exploded with heat . The barometers stood at SET FAIR . The people were much distressed , and came and broke the palace windows -- as they usually do when things go wrong in Pantouflia . The king consulted the learned men about the Court , who told him that probably a FIREDRAKE was in the neighbourhood . Now , the Firedrake is a beast , or bird , about the bigness of an elephant . Its body is made of iron , and it is always red-hot . A more terrible and cruel beast can not be imagined ; for , if you go near it , you are at once broiled by the Firedrake .
But the king was not ill-pleased : `` for , '' thought he , `` of course my three sons must go after the brute , the eldest first ; and , XXXXX usual , it will kill the first two , and be beaten by the youngest .
about as at for if in near of that with