So the drakling wriggled through the hole, and began to crawl faster and faster down the slanting shaft that leads to the fire in the middle of the earth. And Edmund, doing exactly as he had been told, for a wonder, caught the end of the drakling's tail and ran the iron hook through it so that the drakling was held fast. And it could not turn around and wriggle up again to look after its poor tail, because, as everyone knows, the way to the fires below is very easy to go down, but quite impossible to come back on. There is something about it in Latin, beginning: "_Facilis descensus_." So there was the drakling, fast by the silly tail of it, and there was Edmund very busy and important and very pleased with himself, hurrying back to the cockatrice. "Now," said he. "Well, now," said the cockatrice. "Go to the mouth of the cave and laugh at the dragon so that she hears you." Edmund very nearly said "Why?" but he stopped in time, and instead, said: "She won't hear me--" "Oh, very well," said the cockatrice. "No doubt you know best," and he began to tuck himself up again in the fire, so Edmund did as he was bid. And when he began to laugh his laughter echoed in the mouth of the cave till it sounded like the laughter of a whole castleful of giants. And the dragon, lying asleep in the sun, woke up and said very crossly: "What are you laughing at?" [Illustration: "That smells good, eh?" _See page 152._] "At you," said Edmund, and went on laughing. The dragon bore it as long as she could, but, like everyone else, she couldn't stand being made fun of, so presently she dragged herself up the mountain very slowly, because she had just had a rather heavy meal, and stood outside and said, "What are you laughing at?" in a voice that made Edmund feel as if he should never laugh again. Then the good cockatrice called out: "At you! You've eaten your own drakling--swallowed it with the town. Your own little drakling! He, he, he! Ha, ha, ha!" And Edmund found the courage to cry "Ha, ha!" which sounded like tremendous laughter in the echo of the cave. "Dear me," said the dragon. "I _thought_ the town stuck in my throat rather. I must take it out, and look through it more carefully." And with that she coughed--and choked--and there was the town, on the hillside.