passages of the mountain, and soon there came flapping along an
enormous dragon, with body black as night, and wings and tail of
fiery red. In his great fore-claws he bore a little baby.

"Horrible!" exclaimed the Bee-man. "He is taking that little creature
to his cave to devour it."

He saw the dragon enter a cave not far away, and following looked in.
The dragon was crouched upon the ground with the little baby lying
before him. It did not seem to be hurt, but was frightened and
crying. The monster was looking upon it with delight, as if he
intended to make a dainty meal of it as soon as his appetite should
be a little stronger.

"It is too bad!" thought the Bee-man. "Somebody ought to do
something." And turning around, he ran away as fast as he could.

He ran through various passages until he came to the spot where he
had left his bee-hive. Picking it up, he hurried back, carrying the
hive in his two hands before him. When he reached the cave of the
dragon, he looked in and saw the monster still crouched over the
weeping child. Without a moment's hesitation, the Bee-man rushed into
the cave and threw his hive straight into the face of the dragon. The
bees, enraged by the shock, rushed out in an angry crowd and
immediately fell upon the head, mouth, eyes, and nose of the dragon.
The great monster, astounded by this sudden attack, and driven almost
wild by the numberless stings of the bees, sprang back to the
farthest portion of his cave, still followed by his relentless
enemies, at whom he flapped wildly with his great wings and struck
with his paws. While the dragon was thus engaged with the bees, the