Predict

Can the eldest son or the middle son slay the dragon?

Now the cobbler’s eldest son was very clever. He was known far and wide for how quickly he could multiply fractions in his head. He was perfectly sure he could slay the dragon by somehow or other playing a trick on him. He didn’t feel that he needed his wise old father’s advice. But he thought it was only polite to ask, and so he went to his father, who was working as usual at the cobbler’s bench, and said, “Well, Father, I’m off to slay the dragon. Have you any advice to give me?”

The cobbler thought a moment and replied, “When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite the following poem.

Say it very loudly and firmly and the dragon will fall, God willing, at your feet.”

“How curious!” said the eldest son. And he thought to himself, “The old man is not as wise as I thought. If I say something like that to the dragon, he will eat me up in an instant. The way to kill a dragon is to out-fox him.” And keeping his opinion to himself, the eldest son set forth on his quest.

When he came at last to the dragon’s lair, which was a cave, the eldest son slyly disguised himself as a peddler. He knocked on the door and called out, “Hello there!”

“There’s nobody home!” roared a voice.

The voice was as loud as an earthquake. The eldest son’s knees knocked together in terror.

“I don’t come to trouble you,” the eldest son said meekly. “I merely thought you might be interested in looking at some of our brushes. Or if you’d prefer,” he added quickly, “I could leave our catalogue with you and I could drop by again, say, early next week.”