Gutefundus, upon this, arrived at two comfortable reflections. Firstly, that the dragon was afraid of him, or it would not have sent this sleep upon him; and, secondly, that it had no power over his trusty sword, which was there by him unharmed. He took it up, felt the edge, and found it sharp and keen. He walked out of the wood, and sought the nearest town. His appearance at first alarmed the people in the market place; but when he told who he was, and on what errand he had come, and what had befallen him, they received him with joy. They had heard all about him, but everybody supposed he had been killed by the dragon twenty years before. He had slept for twenty years! He went into the hut a man in the prime of life. He came out of it an old, bald-headed man. But he was as courageous as ever. The dragon, it appeared, was still alive, and no mortal man dared go near the treasures he guarded. No one would go with Gutefundus to attack the fearful beast. He could get no kind of armor in the town; and no suit to wear except a blouse, and a pair of baggy trowsers. Such was the costume of the place. But he had his bright and trusty sword that had never yet failed him, and he marched boldly into the wood again after the dragon. He entered the cavern, and had proceeded unmolested for some distance, when he heard a fearful roar, and out upon him rushed the dragon. It stretched its beast’s body; opened its huge jaws; ran out its hissing, serpent tongue; flapped loudly its bird’s wings; and curled its snake tail. [Illustration: THE DRAGON OF THE CAVERN.] But Gutefundus stood his ground undaunted. He felt from the tips of his toes to his bald crown that that serpent’s time had come. He swung his sword on high. Up rushed the dragon; down came the sword, whack! and cut the terrible head into two parts! The beast was stunned, but not killed. Another stroke severed the body; and the third cut off its tail. The dragon was dead, and the treasures thus became the property of mankind. Gutefundus contented himself with a small share of the spoils, and passed the rest of his days quietly at home. He had been pretty much all over the world; and, if he had not done good to everybody, he had certainly taken some of the evil out of the earth. I suppose none of my readers believe that these adventures actually befell any man who ever lived upon the face of the earth. But I have told you nothing that was not held to be true at the time Gutefundus lived; and at a much later period too. Such wild legends were fully credited, and not by ignorant people only. The three pictures I have given in the story were drawn by the most learned men of that olden time; and they had no doubt whatever of the existence of the Dragon, the Sea Serpent, and the Bird Tree. SOME BIG GUNS. Ever since the invention of gunpowder, the men who have been devoting their attention to the science of gunnery for purposes of war have been making their cannon larger and larger.