"
"Did the animals know it?"
"I think they did, for they were accustomed to having men try to take
away their fur coats. All the other hunters were very angry when they
found that the King had given this order, but the Chief Huntsman told
them that they might have a share in the hunting, only they must ask his
permission and pay tribute to the King; and that satisfied them for a
while.
"The Chief Huntsman sailed to the far country and built a castle for
himself and his men, and when winter came they found that it was indeed
very cold--so cold that the wine and the cider froze and had to be given
out by the pound instead of the pint. But that was not the worst of it.
There was a dragon."
Helene's blue eyes grew round with interest.
"A dragon whose poisonous breath tainted the food and caused a terrible
plague. They prayed to Saint Luke the Physician for help, and he
appeared to them in a vision and said, 'I cannot do anything for you so
long as you eat not good food. God made man to live in a garden, not to
fill himself with salt fish and salt meat and dry bread.' But they could
not plant a garden in the middle of winter, and they had to wait. When
the ship went back to France a gallant captain--named Samuel de
Champlain--sent a letter to a friend of his in France, praying him to
send a gardener with seeds, roots and cuttings that there might be good
broths and tisanes and sauces to work magic against the dragon that he
slay no more of their folk.
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