She rejoiced and said, “Now thou wilt be my dearest husband, for my father has promised me to him who kills the dragon.” Thereupon she took off her necklace of coral, and divided it amongst the animals in order to reward them, and the lion received the golden clasp. Her pocket-handkerchief, however, on which was her name, she gave to the huntsman, who went and cut the tongues out of the dragon’s seven heads, wrapped them in the handkerchief, and preserved them carefully.

That done, as he was so faint and weary with the fire and the battle, he said to the maiden, “We are both faint and weary, we will sleep awhile.”

Then she said, “yes,” and they lay down on the ground, and the huntsman said to the lion, “Thou shalt keep watch, that no one surprises us in our sleep,” and both fell asleep.

The lion lay down beside them to watch, but he also was so weary with the fight, that he called to the bear and said, “Lie down near me, I must sleep a little: if anything comes, waken me.”

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