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Adolf observed the flags sticking up on the rocks, and drew attention to them. The Dragon's Gorge resounded with the cries of "Helmut! Wolf! Werner!" The dragon heard the voices as well; his evil intentions died away; the chronic fear of discovery came upon him again. He grew paler and paler; clouds of smoke came from his nostrils, until he became invisible.
"I tell you what," said Helmut touched by the dragon's evident terror, "let's make friends with him, boys; he's given us a nice ride for nothing; we will present him with the flag of truce." Turning to the dragon he said: "Allow us to give you a banana and a roll in token of our friendship and esteem." "O," said the dragon brightening up, "I like bananas. People often throw the skins away here.
Not that I believe that he really would have done anything of the sort, he was a coward you know, and when we levelled our guns at him he was awfully frightened. Still he might have found out that our guns were not properly loaded, and then it would have been unpleasant." Mother smiled, she did not seem to take the story quite so seriously as Helmut wished.
"Oh, we have forgotten our flags!" called out Wolf and Werner, "wait a minute for us," and they climbed up over the rocks and rescued the flags. "He's still in there," they whispered to Helmut in a mysterious whisper.
It would stop short, and then when they thought they had got it, it started off again, until they were all puffing and blowing. "We've got to catch it somehow," said Helmut, who thought the chase fine sport. At that moment the gorge opened out again into the woods, and the tail gave them the slip; for it disappeared in a crevice of the rock where there was no room for a boy to follow it.
He looked thoughtful and answered: "Of course, mother, I know; but this time I want to slay a 'really and truly' dragon, may I? Will you let me go with the other boys, it would be such fun?" The Dragon's Gorge was not far off, and mother did not think that Helmut could do himself any harm, except by getting wet and dirty, and that he might do as well in the garden at home.
Mulvaney climbed on to the refreshment-bar, settled himself comfortably by the beer, and went on, "Whin the row was at ut's foinest an' B Comp'ny was fur goin' out to murther this man Thrigg on the p'rade-groun', Learoyd here takes up his helmut an' sez fwhat was ut ye said?" "Ah said," said Learoyd, "gie us t' brass.
"We have more chance of seeing the dragon without those stupid fellows," they said. They finished their lunch, shouldered their guns again, and entered the second gorge, which is even more picturesque and narrow than the first. Suddenly Helmut espied something round, and slimy, and long lying on the path before him like a blind worm, but much thicker than blind worms generally are.
But Helmut had inherited the cool courage of the Wartburg knights, and he was not going to be overcome by difficulties. With a wild Indian whoop he sprang on the dragon's back, and all the other boys followed his example, except little Adolf who was timid and began to set up a howl for his mother, I'm sorry to say.
The other boys laughed, they were sceptical as to the dragon, and were only pretending, whereas Helmut was in earnest. "I'm hungry," said one boy, "supposing we find a dry place and have our lunch!" They came to where the path wound out again into the open air, and sat down on some stones, which could hardly be described as dry. Here they ate bread and sausage, oranges and bananas.
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