[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Prince was in love already, would have been vastly inconve-
nient. The dead cat lay there, like any common cat.
Then the Prince built up a heap of straw, with wood on it;
and mere he laid poor puss, and set fire to the pile. Very soon
there was nothing of old black Frank left but ashes!
Then the Prince ran upstairs to the fairy cupboard, his heart
beating loudly with excitement. The sun was shining through
the arrow-shot window; all the yellow motes were dancing in
its rays. The light fell on the strange heaps of fairy things
talismans and spells. The Prince hunted about here and there,
and at last he discovered six ancient water vessels of black
PRINCE PRIGIO 83
leather, each with a silver plate on it, and on the plate letters
engraved. This was what was written on the plates:
AQVA. DE. FONTE. LEONUM.*
"Thank Heaven!" said the Prince. "I thought they were
sure to have brought it!"
Then he look one of the old black leather bottles, and ran
downstairs again to the place where he had burned the body
of the poor old sick cat.
He opened the bottle and poured a few drops of the water
on the ashes and the dying embers-
Up there sprang a tall, white flame of fire, waving like a
tongue of light; and forth from the heap jumped the most
beautiful, strong, furry black cat that ever was seen!
It was Frank as he had been in the vigour of his youth; and
he knew the Prince at once, and rubbed himself against him
and purred.
The Prince lifted up Frank and kissed his nose for joy; and
file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/Asimov,%20Isaac%20-%20Mythical%20Beasties%20(SSC)%20UC.txt (60 of 251) [5/21/03 2:06:10 AM]
file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/Asimov,%20Isaac%20-%20Mythical%20Beasties%20(SSC)%20UC.txt
a bright tear rolled down on Frank's face, and made him rub
his nose with his paw in the most comical manner.
Then the Prince set him down, and he ran round and round
after his tail; and, lastly, cocked his tail up, and marched
proudly after the Prince into the castle.
"Oh, Frank!" said Prince Pngio, "no cat since the time of
Puss in Boots was ever so well taken care of as you shall be.
For if the fairy water from the Fountain of Lions can bring you
back to life why, there is a chance for Aiphonso and Enrico!"
Then Prigio bustled about, got ready a cold luncheon from
the storeroom, took all his fairy things thai he was likely to
need, sat down with them on the flying carpet, and wished
himself at the mountain of the Firedrake.
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 Aiphonso, as jolly as ever, his sword in
his hand.
" Water from the Fountain of Lions
84 Andrew Long
"Hallo, Prigio!" cried he. "Are you come after the mon-
ster too? I've been asleep, and I had a kind of dream that he
beat me. But me pair of us will tackle him. How is Molinda?"
"Prettier than ever." said Prigio, "but very anxious about
you. However, the Firedrake's dead and done for; so never
mind him. But ! 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 mat 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 1 so hungry in my life!"
Prince Prigio had thought of this, and he brought out some
coid 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 me Prince; "but
come on, Alphonso will have finished the grub unless we
look smart." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]