Kind Little Edmund] · page 31 2 3201Your own little drakling!202He, he, he!203Ha, ha, ha!"204And Edmund found the courage to cry "Ha, ha!" which sounded like tremendous laughter in the echo of the cave.205"Dear me," said the dragon. "206I _thought_ the town stuck in my throat rather.207I must take it out, and look through it more carefully."208And with that she coughed--and choked--and there was the town, on the hillside.209Edmund had run back to the cockatrice, and it had told him what to do.210So before the dragon had time to look through the town again for her drakling, the voice of the drakling itself was heard howling miserably from inside the mountain, because Edmund was pinching its tail as hard as he could in the round iron door, like the one where the men pour the coals out of the sacks into the cellar.211And the dragon heard the voice and said: "Why, whatever's the matter with Baby?212He's not here!" and made herself thin, and crept into the mountain to find her drakling.213The cockatrice kept on laughing as loud as it could, and Edmund kept on pinching, and presently the great dragon--very long and narrow she had made herself--found her head where the round hole was with the iron lid.214Her tail was a mile or two off--outside the mountain.215When Edmund heard her coming he gave one last nip to the drakling's tail, and then heaved up the lid and stood behind it, so that the dragon could not see him.216Then he loosed the drakling's tail from the hook, and the dragon peeped down the hole just in time to see her drakling's tail disappear down the smooth, slanting shaft with one last squeak of pain.217Whatever may have been the poor dragon's other faults, she was an excellent mother.218She plunged headfirst into the hole, and slid down the shaft after her baby.219Edmund watched her head go--and then the rest of her.220She was so long, now she had stretched herself thin, that it took all night.221It was like watching a goods train go by in Germany.222When the last joint of her tail had gone Edmund slammed down the iron door.223He was a kindhearted boy, as you have guessed, and he was glad to think that dragon and drakling would now have plenty to eat of their favorite food, forever and ever.224He thanked the cockatrice for his kindness, and got home just in time to have breakfast and get to school by nine.225Of course, he could not have done this if the town had been in its old place by the river in the middle of the plain, but it had taken root on the hillside just where the dragon left it.226"Well," said the master, "where were you yesterday?"227Edmund explained, and the master at once caned him for not speaking the truth.228"But it _is_ true," said Edmund. "229Why, the whole town was swallowed by the dragon.230You know it was--"231"Nonsense," said the master. "232There was a thunderstorm and an earthquake, that's all."233And he caned Edmund more than ever.234"But," said Edmund, who always would argue, even in the least favorable circumstances, "how do you account for the town being on the hillside now, instead of by the river as it used to be?"235"It was _always_ on the hillside," said the master.236And all the class said the same, for they had more sense than to argue with a person who carried a cane.237"But look at the maps," said Edmund, who wasn't going to be beaten in argument, whatever he might be in the flesh.238The master pointed to the map on the wall.239There was the town, on the hillside!240And nobody but Edmund could see that of course the shock of being swallowed by the dragon had upset all the maps and put them wrong.241And then the master caned Edmund again, explaining that this time it was not for untruthfulness, but for his vexatious argumentative habits.242This will show you what a prejudiced and ignorant man Edmund's master was--how different from the revered Head of the nice school where your good parents are kind enough to send you.243The next day Edmund thought he would prove his tale by showing people the cockatrice, and he actually persuaded some people to go into the cave with him; but the cockatrice had bolted himself in and would not open the door--so Edmund got nothing by that except a scolding for taking people on a wild-goose chase.244"A wild goose," said they, "is nothing like a cockatrice."245And poor Edmund could not say a word, though he knew how wrong they were.246The only person who believed him was his granny.247But then she was very old and very kind, and had always said he was the best of boys.248Only one good thing came of all this long story.249Edmund has never been quite the same boy since.250He does not argue quite so much, and he agreed to be apprenticed to a locksmith, so that he might one day be able to pick the lock of the cockatrice's front door--and learn some more of the things that other people don't know.251But he is quite an old man now, and he hasn't gotten that door open yet!252* * * * *253Transcriber's Notes:254Obvious punctuation errors repaired.255Page 23, "around" changed to "round" (round piece of land)256Page 152, "chocked" changed to "choked" (nearly choked him)257Page 154, "he" changed to "she" (that she coughed)1 2 3← previousThe Fiery Dragon]↑ back to The Book of DragonsThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/14/page/3/