At first the king could not believe that this was the small beast who had seemed so friendly on the shore of the lake of quicksilver but then he knew very little of necromancy , and had never studied the art of expanding and contracting his body . But it was the dragon and nothing else , whose six wings were carrying him forward as fast as might be , considering his great weight and the length of his tail , which had fifty twists and a half . He came quickly , yes ; but the frog , mounted on a greyhound , and wearing her cap on her head , went quicker still . Entering a room where the prince was sitting gazing at the portrait of his betrothed , she cried to him : ` What are you doing lingering here , when the life of the princess is nearing its last moment ? In the courtyard you will find a green horse with three heads and twelve feet , and by its side a sword eighteen yards long . Hasten , lest you should be too late ! ' The fight lasted all day , and the prince 's strength was well-nigh spent , when the dragon , thinking that the victory was won , opened his jaws to give a roar of triumph . The prince saw his chance , and before his foe could shut his mouth again had plunged his sword far down his adversary 's throat . There was a desperate clutching of the claws to the earth , a slow flagging of the great wings , then the monster rolled over on his side and moved no more . Muffette was delivered . After this they all went back to the palace . The marriage took place the following day , and Muffette and her husband lived happy for ever after . The Adventures of Covan the Brown-Haired -LSB- From Les Contes des Fees , par Madame d'Aulnoy . -RSB- On the shores of the west , where the great hills stand with their feet in the sea , dwelt a goatherd and his wife , together with their three sons and one daughter . All day long the young men fished and hunted , while their sister took out the kids to pasture on the mountain , or stayed at home helping her mother and mending the nets . For several years they all lived happily together , when one day , as the girl was out on the hill with the kids , the sun grew dark and an air cold as a thick white mist came creeping , creeping up from the sea . She rose with a shiver , and tried to call to her kids , but the voice died away in her throat , and strong arms seemed to hold her . Loud were the wails in the hut by the sea when the hours passed on and the maiden came not . Many times the father and brothers jumped up , thinking they heard her steps , but in the thick darkness they could scarcely see their own hands , nor could they tell where the river lay , nor where the mountain . One by one the kids came home , and at every bleat someone hurried to open the door , but no sound broke the stillness .
Through the night no one slept , and when morning broke and the mist rolled back , they sought the maiden by sea and XXXXX land , but never a trace of her could be found anywhere .
For In On before by down from of to while