“Yah! Gig-lamps!”
Prince Ricardo wiped the diamond blade clean from its yellow stains.
“Princess Frutilla is avenged!” he cried. Then pensively looking at his fallen foe, “Peace to his ashes,” he said; “he died in harness!”
Turning at the word, he observed that the two lions were stiff and dead, locked in each other’s gory jaws!
At that moment King Prigio, looking in the crystal ball, gave a great sigh of relief.
“All’s well that ends well,” he said, lighting
a fresh cigar, for he had allowed the other to go out in his excitement, “but it was a fight! I am not satisfied,” his Majesty went on reflecting, “with this plan of changing the magical articles. The first time was of no great importance, and I could not know that the boy would start on an expedition without giving me warning. But, in to-day’s affair he owes his safety entirely to himself and Pepper,” for he had not seen the wasp. “The Fairy of the Desert quite baffled me: it was terrible. I shall restore the right fairy things to-night. As to the Fairy of the Desert,” he said, forgetting that his Wishing Cap was on, “I wish she were dead!”
A hollow groan and the sound of a heavy body falling interrupted the king. He looked all about the room, but saw nothing. He was alone!
“She must have been in the room, invisible,”