dragon Montagne, breathing out flames.
"Would you
38. Seth Meets the Dragon y
Princess Fleur travelled to a distant mountain pool to
sample its waters. There she and her retinue were cap-
tured by the terrible dragon Montagne, who had taken
over the entire countryside. When word got back to the
king, he offered half his wealth and the princess in
marriage to anyone who could rescue her and defeat
the dragon.
One after another, the knights of the kingdom set
forth. But each in turn failed.
One day, Seth, a young peasant lad, went to face the
dreaded monster. "My village is hungry and thirsty,"
Seth said. "We need the water you guard."
"Seven times seven knights have failed to solve my
seven puzzles and are now my prisoners," said the
be foolish, too?"
"I'm only an ignorant peasant, not a knight," said
Seth. "But I'll try."
"Be prepared for the consequences!" thundered the
dragon. "First, measure out exactly four cups of the
water in the pond using only these pitchers."
The dragon swished his tail and two pitchers ap-
peared. Seth picked them up. Neither measured four
cups. One could hold exactly three cups and the other
exactly five cups.
Seth, however, worked on a farm.
How does he measure out exactly four cups and thus
complete the first task?
39. The Second Challenge
"That was just the first task," hissed the dragon
angrily.
With a swish of his tail he dried up the mountain
pond and made the two pitchers vanish. Suddenly
three new pitchers appeared, a 5-cup, a 7-cup, and a 12-
cup pitcher. Then the dragon snorted and the 12-cup
pitcher was filled with water. The 5-cup pitcher and the
7-cup pitcher remained empty.
"Divide the water in the 12-cup pitcher into two equal
parts!" he challenged.
How does Seth do it?
Clues on page 90.
Answers on pages 117-119.