Enrico!"
Then Prigio bustled about, got ready some cold luncheon from the store-room, took all his fairy things that he was likely to need, sat down with them on the flying carpet, and wished himself at the mountain of the Firedrake.
"I have the king now," he said; "for if I can't find the ashes of my brothers, by Jove! I'll!--"
Do you know what he meant to do, if he could not find his brothers? Let every child-guess.
Off he flew; and there he was in a second, just beside poor Alphonso's garden-engine. Then Prigio, seeing a little heap of grey ashes beside the engine, watered them with the fairy water; and up jumped Alphonso, as jolly as ever, his sword in his hand.
"Hullo, Prigio!" cried he; "are you come after the monster too? I've been asleep, and I had a kind of dream that he beat me. But the pair of us will tackle him. How is Molinda?"
"Prettier than ever," said Prigio; "but anxious about you. However, the Firedrake's dead and done for; so never mind him. But I left Enrico somewhere about. Just you sit down and wait a minute, till I fetch him."
The prince said this, because he did not wish Alphonso to know that he and Enrico had not had quite the best of it in the affair with the monster.
"All right, old fellow," says Alphonso; "but have you any luncheon with you? Never was so hungry in my life!"
Prince Prigio had thought of this, and he brought out some cold sausage (to which Alphonso was partial) and some bread, with which the younger prince expressed himself satisfied. Then Prigio went up the hill some way, first warning Alphonso
not
to sit on his carpet for fear of
accidents
like that which happened to Benson. In a hollow of the hill, sure enough there was the sword of Enrico, the diamonds of the hilt gleaming in the sun. And there was a little heap of grey ashes.
The prince poured a few drops of the water from the Fountain of Lions on them, and up, of course, jumped Enrico, just as Alphonso had done.
"Sleepy old chap you are, Enrico," said the prince; "but come on, Alphonso will have finished the grub unless we look smart."
So back they came, in time to get their share of what was going; and they drank the Remora's very good health, when Prigio told them about the fight. But neither of them ever knew that they had been dead and done for; because Prigio invented a story that the mountain was enchanted, and that, as long as the Firedrake lived, everyone who came there fell asleep. He did tell them about the flying carpet, however, which of course did not much surprise them, because they had read all about it in the
Arabian Nights
and other historical works.
"And now I 'll show you fun!" said Prigio; and he asked them both to take their seats on the carpet, and wished to be in the valley of the Remora.
There they were in a moment, among the old knights whom, if you remember, the Remora had frozen into stone. There was quite a troop of them, in all sorts of armour--Greek and Roman, and Knight Templars like Front' de Bouf and Brian du Bois Gilbert--all the brave warriors that had tried to fight the Remora since the world began.
Then Prigio gave each of his brothers some of the water in their caps, and told them to go round pouring a drop or two on each frozen knight. And as they did it, lo and behold! each knight came alive, with his horse, and lifted his sword and shoute:
"Long live Prince Prigio!" in Greek, Latin, Egyptian, French, German, and Spanish,--all of which the prince perfectly understood, and spoke like a native.
So he marshalled them in order, and sent them off to ride to Falkenstein and cry:
"Prince Prigio is coming!"
[Illustration: Page 97]
Off they went, the horses' hoofs clattering, banners flying, sunshine glittering on the spear-points. Off they rode to Falkenstein; and when the king saw them come galloping in, I can tell you he had no more notion of hanging Prigio.
[Illustration: Chapter Eighteen]
CHAPTER XVIII.
--
The Very Last
THE princes returned to Gluckstein on the carpet,
Then Prigio bustled about, got ready some cold luncheon from the store-room, took all his fairy things that he was likely to need, sat down with them on the flying carpet, and wished himself at the mountain of the Firedrake.
"I have the king now," he said; "for if I can't find the ashes of my brothers, by Jove! I'll!--"
Do you know what he meant to do, if he could not find his brothers? Let every child-guess.
Off he flew; and there he was in a second, just beside poor Alphonso's garden-engine. Then Prigio, seeing a little heap of grey ashes beside the engine, watered them with the fairy water; and up jumped Alphonso, as jolly as ever, his sword in his hand.
"Hullo, Prigio!" cried he; "are you come after the monster too? I've been asleep, and I had a kind of dream that he beat me. But the pair of us will tackle him. How is Molinda?"
"Prettier than ever," said Prigio; "but anxious about you. However, the Firedrake's dead and done for; so never mind him. But I left Enrico somewhere about. Just you sit down and wait a minute, till I fetch him."
The prince said this, because he did not wish Alphonso to know that he and Enrico had not had quite the best of it in the affair with the monster.
"All right, old fellow," says Alphonso; "but have you any luncheon with you? Never was so hungry in my life!"
Prince Prigio had thought of this, and he brought out some cold sausage (to which Alphonso was partial) and some bread, with which the younger prince expressed himself satisfied. Then Prigio went up the hill some way, first warning Alphonso
not
to sit on his carpet for fear of
accidents
like that which happened to Benson. In a hollow of the hill, sure enough there was the sword of Enrico, the diamonds of the hilt gleaming in the sun. And there was a little heap of grey ashes.
The prince poured a few drops of the water from the Fountain of Lions on them, and up, of course, jumped Enrico, just as Alphonso had done.
"Sleepy old chap you are, Enrico," said the prince; "but come on, Alphonso will have finished the grub unless we look smart."
So back they came, in time to get their share of what was going; and they drank the Remora's very good health, when Prigio told them about the fight. But neither of them ever knew that they had been dead and done for; because Prigio invented a story that the mountain was enchanted, and that, as long as the Firedrake lived, everyone who came there fell asleep. He did tell them about the flying carpet, however, which of course did not much surprise them, because they had read all about it in the
Arabian Nights
and other historical works.
"And now I 'll show you fun!" said Prigio; and he asked them both to take their seats on the carpet, and wished to be in the valley of the Remora.
There they were in a moment, among the old knights whom, if you remember, the Remora had frozen into stone. There was quite a troop of them, in all sorts of armour--Greek and Roman, and Knight Templars like Front' de Bouf and Brian du Bois Gilbert--all the brave warriors that had tried to fight the Remora since the world began.
Then Prigio gave each of his brothers some of the water in their caps, and told them to go round pouring a drop or two on each frozen knight. And as they did it, lo and behold! each knight came alive, with his horse, and lifted his sword and shoute:
"Long live Prince Prigio!" in Greek, Latin, Egyptian, French, German, and Spanish,--all of which the prince perfectly understood, and spoke like a native.
So he marshalled them in order, and sent them off to ride to Falkenstein and cry:
"Prince Prigio is coming!"
[Illustration: Page 97]
Off they went, the horses' hoofs clattering, banners flying, sunshine glittering on the spear-points. Off they rode to Falkenstein; and when the king saw them come galloping in, I can tell you he had no more notion of hanging Prigio.
[Illustration: Chapter Eighteen]
CHAPTER XVIII.
--
The Very Last
THE princes returned to Gluckstein on the carpet,
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