Igo PRINCE RICARDO.

 

coward, and come down off your horse, and
fight fair!”

At this moment, bleeding yellow blood, dusty,
mad with pain, the dwarf was a sight to strike
terror into the boldest.

Dick sprang from his saddle, but so terrific
was the appearance of his adversary, and so
dazzling was the sheen of the diamond sword,
that he put his hand in his pocket, drew out, as
he supposed, the sham Cap of Darkness, and
placed it on his head.

“Yah! who’s your hatter?” soteameti the
infuriated dwarf. ‘‘I see you!” and he dis-
engaged, feinted in carte, and made a lunge in
seconde at Dick which no mortal blade could
have parried. The prince (thanks to his excel-
lent training) just succeeded in stepping aside,
but the dwarf recovered with astonishing
quickness.

“Coward, lache, poltroon, runaway!’’ he
hissed through his clenched teeth, and was
about to make a thrust in tierce which must
infallibly have been fatal, when the Princess
Jaqueline, in her shape as a wasp, stung him
fiercely on the wrist.

With an oath so awful that we dare not set it
down, the dwarf dropped the diamond sword,
sucked his injured limb, and began hopping
about with pain.

Ina moment Prince Ricardo’s foot was on
the blade of the diamond. sword, which he