poison fumes.

"Ho!" laughed Siegfried. "What a fair comrade I have charmed from his
cave! You savage brute, are you going to teach me what fear is?"

[Illustration: "I AM GOING TO EAT YOU," HISSED THE DRAGON]

"I am going to eat you!" hissed the dragon, glaring at Siegfried and
thrusting out its long forked tongue.

Siegfried quickly drew his sword.

Snorting fire and smoke from its nostrils, the monster raised to strike
a deadly blow.

Siegfried sprang forward; a flash of steel, and his blade sank to the
monster's heart.


A CHANGE COMES OVER SIEGFRIED

As Siegfried drew his blade from the breast of the dying dragon, a drop
of its black blood fell on his finger.

It burned like fire.

Siegfried quickly put his finger in his mouth.

The instant the dragon's blood touched his lips, a change came over him.