But the lad waited and waited till he saw the dragon go away, then he came down and skinned the little bull-calf, and took out its bladder and went after the dragon. And as he went on, what should he see but a king’s daughter, staked down by the hair of her head, for she had been put there for the dragon to destroy her.

So he went up and untied her hair, but she said: “My time has come for the dragon to destroy me; go away, you can do no good.” But he said: “No! I can master it, and I won’t go”; and for all her begging and praying he would stop.

And soon he heard it coming, roaring and raging from afar off, and at last it came near, spitting fire, and with a tongue like a great spear, and you could hear it roaring for miles, and it was making for the place where the king’s daughter was staked down. But when it came up to them, the lad just hit it on the head with the bladder and the dragon fell down dead, but before it died, it bit off the little boy’s forefinger.

Then the lad cut out the dragon’s tongue and said to the king’s daughter: “I’ve done all I can, I must leave you.” And sorry she was he had to go, and before he went she tied a diamond ring in his hair, and said good-bye to him.

By-and-by, who should come along but the old king, lamenting and weeping, expecting to see nothing of his daughter but the prints of the place where she had been. But he was surprised to find her there alive and safe, and he said: “How came you to be saved?” So she told him how she had been saved, and he took her home to his castle again.

Well, he put it into all the papers to find out who saved his daughter, and who had the dragon’s tongue and the princess’s diamond ring, and was without his forefinger. Whoever could show these signs should marry his daughter and have his kingdom after his death. Well, any number of gentlemen came from all parts of England, with forefingers cut off, and with diamond rings and all kinds of tongues, wild beasts’ tongues and foreign tongues. But they couldn’t show any dragons’ tongues, so they were turned away.

At last the little boy turned up, looking very ragged and desolated like, and the king’s daughter cast her eye on him, till her father grew very angry and ordered them to turn the little beggar boy away. “Father,” says she; “I know something of that boy.”

Well, still the fine gentlemen came, bringing up their dragons’ tongues that weren’t dragons’ tongues, and at last the little boy came up, dressed a little better. So the old king says: “I see you’ve got an eye on that boy. If it has to be him it must be him.” But all the others were fit to kill him, and cried out: “Pooh, pooh, turn that boy out, it can’t be him.” But the king said: “Now, my boy, let’s see what you have to show.” Well, he showed the diamond ring with her name on it, and the fiery dragon’s tongue. How the others were thunderstruck when he showed his proofs! But the king told him: “You shall have my daughter and my estate.”

So he married the princess, and afterwards got the king’s estate. Then his step-father came and wanted to own him, but the young king didn’t know such a man.

Once upon a time, when all big folks were wee ones and all lies were true, there was a wee, wee Mannie that had a big, big Coo. And out he went to milk her of a morning, and said—

But the big, big Coo wouldn’t hold still. “Hout!” said the wee, wee Mannie—

But the big, big Coo wouldn’t hold still. “Look at that, now!” said the wee, wee Mannie—

So off he went to his mother at the house. “Mother,” said he, “Coo won’t stand still, and wee, wee Mannie can’t milk big, big Coo.”

“Hout!” says his mother, “take stick and beat Coo.”

So off he went to get a stick from the tree, and said—

But the stick wouldn’t break, so back he went to the house. “Mother,” says he, “Coo won’t hold still, stick won’t break, wee, wee Mannie can’t beat big, big Coo.”

“Hout!” says his mother, “go to the Butcher and bid him kill Coo.”

So off he went to the Butcher, and said—

But the Butcher wouldn’t kill the Coo without a silver penny, so back the Mannie went to the house. “Mother,” says he, “Coo won’t hold still, stick won’t break, Butcher won’t kill without a silver penny, and wee, wee Mannie can’t milk big, big Coo.”

“Well,” said his mother, “go to the Coo and tell her there’s a weary, weary lady with long yellow hair weeping for a cup o’ milk.”

So off he went and told the Coo, but she wouldn’t hold still, so back he went and told his mother.

“Well,” said she, “tell the Coo there’s a fine, fine laddie from the wars sitting by the weary, weary lady with golden hair, and she weeping for a sup o’ milk.”

So off he went and told the Coo, but she wouldn’t hold still, so back he went and told his mother.

“Well,” said his mother, “tell the big, big Coo there’s a sharp, sharp sword at the belt of the fine, fine laddie from the wars who sits beside the weary, weary lady with the golden hair, and she weeping for a sup o’ milk.”

And he told the big, big Coo, but she wouldn’t hold still.

Then said his mother, “Run quick and tell her that her head’s going to be cut off by the sharp, sharp sword in the hands of the fine, fine laddie, if she doesn’t give the sup o’ milk the weary, weary lady weeps for.”

And wee, wee Mannie went off and told the big, big Coo.

And when Coo saw the glint of the sharp, sharp sword in the hand of the fine, fine laddie come from the wars, and the weary, weary lady weeping for a sup o’ milk, she reckoned she’d better hold still; so wee, wee Mannie milked big, big Coo, and the weary, weary lady with the golden hair hushed her weeping and got her sup o’ milk, and the fine, fine laddie new come from the wars put by his sharp, sharp sword, and all went well that didn’t go ill.