"Why, the sea where the girl is, has turned all red as blood!" exclaimed the king. "Now it is all being churned up by the tail of a tremendous monster. He is a whopper! He's coming on shore; the girl is fainting. He's out on shore! He is extremely poorly, blood rushing from his open jaws. He's dying! And, hooray! here's Dick coming out of his enormous mouth, all in armour set with sharp spikes, and a sword in his hand. He's covered with blood, but he's well and hearty. He must have been swallowed by the brute, and cut him up inside. Now he's cutting the beast's head off. Now he's gone to the princess; a very neat bow he has made her. Dick's manners are positively improving! Now he's cutting her iron chains off with the Sword of Sharpness. And now he's made her another bow, and he's actually taking leave of her. Poor thing! How disappointed she is looking. And she's so pretty, too. I say, Rosalind, shall I shout to him through the magic horn, and tell him to bring her home here, on the magic carpet?" "I think not, dear; the palace is quite full," said the queen. But the real reason was that she wanted Ricardo to marry her favourite Princess Jaqueline, and she did not wish the new princess to come in the way. "As you like," said the king, who knew what was in her mind very well. "Besides, I see her own people coming for her. I'm sorry for her, but it can't be helped, and Dick is half-way home by now on the Shoes of Swiftness. I daresay he will not keep dinner waiting after all. But what a fright the boy has given me!" At this moment a whirring in the air and a joyous shout were heard. It was Prince Ricardo flying home on his Seven-league Boots. "Hi, Ross!" he shouted, "just weigh this beast's head. I've had a splendid day with a sea-monster. Get the head stuffed, will you? We'll have it set up in the billiard-room." "Yes, Master Dick--I mean your Royal Highness," said Ross, a Highland keeper, who had not previously been employed by a Reigning Family. "It's a fine head, whatever," he added, meditatively. {Ross weighing the beast's head: p28.jpg} Prince Ricardo now came beneath the library window, and gave his parents a brief account of his adventure. "I picked the monster up early in the morning," he said, "through the magic telescope, father." "What country was he in?" said the king. "The country people whom I met called it Ethiopia. They were niggers." "And in what part of the globe is Ethiopia, Ricardo?" "Oh! I don't know. Asia, perhaps," answered the prince. The king groaned. "That boy will _never_ understand our foreign relations. Ethiopia in Asia!" he said to himself, but he did not choose to make any remark at the moment. The prince ran upstairs to dress. On the stairs he met the Princess Jaqueline. "Oh, Dick! are you hurt?" she said, turning very pale. "No, not I; but the monster is. I had a capital day, Jack; rescued a princess, too." "Was she--was she very pretty, Dick?"