The two older brothers crawled out and thanked their younger brother for saving their lives. “We have learned our lesson,” they said.

Then the three brothers gathered all the treasures from the dragon’s cave and tied them to the back end of the youngest brother’s horse. They tied the dragon’s head on behind the treasures, and started home. “I’m glad I listened to my father,” the youngest son thought. “Now I’ll be the richest man in the kingdom.”

There were hand-carved picture frames and silver spoons and boxes of jewels and chests of money and silver compasses and maps telling where there were more treasures buried when these ran out. There was also a curious old book with a picture of an owl on the cover. Inside the book were poems and odd sentences and recipes that seemed to make no sense.

When they reached the king’s castle, the people all leaped for joy to see that the dragon was dead. The princess ran out and