"Good luck and victory follow you, lad!" said the king's daughter. "I
am safe for one night, but the beast will come again and again, until
the other two heads come off it." He caught the beast's head, and he
drew a knot through it, and he told her to bring it with her there
to-morrow. She gave him a gold ring, and went home with the head on
her shoulder, and the herd betook himself to the cows. But she had not
gone far when this great general saw her, and he said to her, "I will
kill you if you do not say 't was I took the head off the beast."
"Oh!" says she, "'t is I will say it; who else took the head off the
beast but you!" They reached the king's house, and the head was on the
general's shoulder. But here was rejoicing, that she should come home
alive and whole, and this great captain with the beast's head full of
blood in hand. On the morrow they went away, and there was no
question at all but that this hero would save the king's daughter.
They reached the same place, and they were not long there when the
fearful Laidly Beast stirred in the midst of the loch, and the hero
slunk away as he did on yesterday: but it was not long after this when
the man of the black horse came, with another dress on. No matter; she
knew that it was the very same lad. "It is I am pleased to see you,"
said she. "I am in hopes you will handle your great sword to-day as
you did yesterday. Come up and take breath." But they were not long
there when they saw the beast steaming in the midst of the loch.
At once he went to meet the beast, but _there_ was Cloopersteich and
Clapersteich, spluttering, splashing, raving, and roaring on the
beast! They kept at it thus for a long time, and about the mouth of
the night he cut another head off the beast. He put it on the knot and
gave it to her. She gave him one of her earrings, and he leaped on the
black horse, and he betook himself to the herding. The king's daughter
went home with the heads. The general met her, and took the heads from
her, and he said to her that she must tell that it was he who took the
head off of the beast this time also. "Who else took the head off the
beast but you?" said she. They reached the king's house with the
heads. Then there was joy and gladness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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