At last Arthur saw that it was high time to lay aside the magic glass,
unless he wished the Dragon to escape by "going out" altogether, which
would never do. For he must take the creature back to the King.
Now was seen the use of the butterfly-net which Arthur had brought all
the way from Kisington. With this in his right hand Arthur chased the
absurd little Dragon under a stone, and finally threw it over the
wriggling body, just as one would catch an insect. Hurrah! There was the
creature tangled in the net, hissing as loudly as a locust. The terrible
Dragon of Hushby was caught!
Arthur took from his wallet a reel of thread and tied the Dragon
securely, so that he might not escape. And then, chuckling to himself,
he strode back to Hushby pulling the Dragon behind him, just as a little
boy drags a toy horse by a string. It was a very funny sight!
When he drew near the inn, Margot ran out to meet him with tears of joy
in her eyes, for she had been watching for him all this time. Then all
the other people came running out, and they cheered lustily when they
saw that Arthur was quite unharmed.
"But what of the Dragon?" they said.
"This of the Dragon!" cried Arthur, drawing from behind him the
struggling creature. "Here is the famous Terror of Hushby. Behold what I
have done to him!"
Folk could scarce believe their eyes. This wriggling little lizard,
could he really be their famous Dragon? Then they saw his tiny, fiery
eyes, and the smoke coming from his funny little mouth; and they knew it
must be a really, truly Dragon. A great silence fell upon them, and
every one looked at Arthur in awe. They believed that he must be a
wizard who had magicked the Dragon of Hushby. But after that they fell
to rejoicing, because now no longer had they anything to fear. Arthur
had become the hero of Hushby.
They set him on a seat and carried him on their shoulders around the
village, with singing and shouting and huzzaing. And the Dragon went
with him, spitting and hissing and lashing his absurd little scaly tail
inside a cage made of fine wire. Arthur enjoyed all this greatly. But
especially he enjoyed the eyes of little Margot, which followed him,
full of admiration. And he said to himself, "It is a fine thing to be a
hero. But I wish I had not asked for the King's daughter as my reward. I
could choose better now!"
When night came Arthur slept once more at the inn, with the Dragon in
his little cage beside the bed. Arthur slept soundly, because he was
happy and his heart was honest. But the conquered Dragon did not sleep.
You see, his conscience was bad,--he had eaten so many poor and
deserving persons. And that gives the worst kind of indigestion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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