This time the Knight of the Fish did not stop to hear more , but ran off as fast as he could , and found the princess bathed in tears , and trembling from head to foot . She turned as she heard the sound of his sword , and removed her handkerchief from his eyes . ` Fly , ' she cried ; ` fly while you have yet time , before that monster sees you . ' She said it , and she mean it ; yet , when he had turned his back , she felt more forsaken than before . But in reality it was not more than a few minutes before he came back , galloping furiously on a horse he had borrowed , and carrying a huge mirror across its neck . ' I am in time , then , ' he cried , dismounting very carefully , and placing the mirror against the trunk of a tree . ` Give me your veil , ' he said hastily to the princess . And when she had unwound it from her head he covered the mirror with it . ` The moment the dragon comes near you , you must tear off the veil , ' cried he ; ` and be sure you hide behind the mirror . Have no fear ; I shall be at hand . ' He and his horse had scarcely found shelter amongst some rocks , when the flap of the dragon 's wings could be plainly heard . He tossed his head with delight at the sight of her , and approached slowly to the place where she stood , a little in front of the mirror . Then , still looking the monster steadily in the face , she passed one hand behind her back and snatched off the veil , stepping swiftly behind the tree as she did so . The princess had not known , when she obeyed the orders of the Knight of the Fish , what she expected to happen . Would the dragon with snaky locks be turned to stone , she wondered , like the dragon in an old story her nurse had told her ; or would some fiery spark dart from the heart of the mirror , and strike him dead ? Neither of these things occurred , but , instead , the dragon stopped short with surprise and rage when he saw a monster before him as big and strong as himself . He shook his mane with rage and fury ; the enemy in front did exactly the same . He lashed his tail , and rolled his red eyes , and the dragon opposite was no whit behind him . Opening his mouth to its very widest , he gave an awful roar ; but the other dragon only roared back . This was too much , and with another roar which made the princess shake in her shoes , he flung himself upon his foe .
In an instant the mirror lay XXXXX his feet broken into a thousand pieces , but as every piece reflected part of himself , the dragon thought that he too had been smashed into atoms .
against amongst as at before behind from like on upon