Meanwhile, across the grassy green hills
the Pirate was walking alone
'cept for his net and his pistol, and small mountain rills
that would pinch him and make him groan.

He shooed them away just as the wind got worse
and snatched his black hat off his head,
and in his frustration he yelled his worst curse:
"Dumb onion-snout!" he said.

And then, looking up, he saw the dark clouds
gathering right over head,
and since there was no one for miles around
he let himself shiver with dread.

But a few feet ahead there sat a dark cave,
which the Pirate ran toward in relief
and when he entered, that black-hearted knave
found his hat and shining gold piece.

"Treasure is here," he whispered with joy,
relishing thoughts of the gold
that surely awaited him, and like a young boy,
his thoughts turned to riches untold.

"I'll buy me a ship," he said, rubbing his hands
a wide, greedy grin on his face,
"I'll sail all the seas and see all the lands,
yes, a ship with great beauty and grace."

He found a candle, and lit it alight,
and saw the way he should go,
and his heart was feeling as weightless as a kite,
as he skipped off and whistled, “Yo ho!”

And so the Pirate kept walking along,
through deepest tunnels unpaved,
following paths going hither and yon
and into the heart of the cave.

There he saw chest on chest of glittering gold,
piles from floor to the roof,
but guarded by a dragon who looked rather old,
and had grown rather long in the tooth.

It was fast asleep, and it snored away,
though the Pirate felt twinges of fear
he saw all the gold and thought of the days
when he’d lived on his ship all the year.

The Pirate lied, “I’ve seen bigger dragons before,
and one was so large, in fact,
that he’d grown rather fond of smashing willow-wood doors,
but I soon put a stop to that.

“I know how to make dragons do whatever I like,”
he lied on, with no feeling of shame,
“I sometimes feed them orange juice and bikes,
but that’s only if they are quite tame.

“I know what I’ll do,” he gladly went on,
as he gathered the gold in his arms,
and then he launched into a swashbuskler’s song
that told of the sea’s greatest charms.

The dragon awoke, and nearly did roar
till he heard that sweet, lulling tune
then he half-closed his eyes and pretended to snore
till the Pirate's pockets had run out of room.

Then the great dragon stirred, and the Pirate looked faint,
his spirit filling with dread
so his hat, in attempting to keep him awake,
did a frantic jig on his head.

“I AM THE DRAGON,” the dragon bellowed so loud,
but he couldn’t really help that—
all dragons bellow, and of this they are proud
(and he’d stopped the jig-dancing hat.)

“YOU HAVE MY TREASURE!” he roared and then yawned,
careful not to singe his scared guest,
“Do you want it back?” asked the Pirate, in awe,
and it was a most logical guess.

“NO!” the dragon said, and laughed a great laugh
which shook the whole cave like a quake,
“IT’S ONLY GLITTER, AND THAT TIME IS PAST,
BUT YOUR SINGING DID MAKE MY SOUL SHAKE.

“I MUST SAIL THE SEAS,” he confessed, and a blush
lit up his whole scaly face red,
“AND YOU ARE THE PIRATE THAT I WOULD MOST TRUST
TO TEACH ME TO DO IT,” he said--

--or rather, he bellowed, but you knew that before,
and the Pirate squeaked, “What is your name?
Together we’ll sail from the sea to the shore,
that is, if you are still game.”

“PERCIVAL PINK,” the dragon said with great pride,
for he was named after his dad,
and the name ‘Percival’ meant ‘bravest one, wise’,
or at least it did in the dragons’ homeland.

The Pirate at once felt his courage return
for who would fear one with a name
such as Percival Pink? And again he did yearn
to sail in a new ship to claim.

But a wondering question still nagged at his mind,
and he had to speak it aloud,
“But you’re not pink at all, though perhaps it’s my eyes…”
and the dragon, annoyed, did this growl:

“I know I’m maroon, now leave me alone,”
and in his embarrassment great,
he’d forgotten to bellow, and the thought made him groan,
and he sighed, resigned to his fate.

But the Pirate didn’t laugh, he only nodded, and then
Percival with happiness roared,
and glowing, he declared the Pirate his friend,
and they both ran out into the storm.