小王子上上下下地爬了几个小时的山，但什么也没见着，最后实在等得不耐烦了，就又回到了磨坊。
他看见一个老太太坐在那里，便愉快地同她打招呼。
“早上好，老婆婆。”他说。老太太答道：“早上好，小伙子。”
“告诉我，老婆婆，”王子接着说，“在哪儿能找到那只大野兔？”
“小伙子，”老太太答道,“这儿根本没有野兔，只有一条龙，他把很多人引到这里，然而把他们吃掉。”听到这些话，小王子心情很沉重，
他喊道：“那我的哥哥们肯定来过这里，已经被这条龙吃掉了。” “你猜对了。”
老太太说，“我劝你还是赶快回家吧，否则你也会遭受同样的命运。”
“你为什么不与我一起离开这个可怕的地方呢？”小王子说。“他把我囚禁在这儿了，”她说，“我挣不开他的锁链。”
“那么听我的，”小王子说，“等龙回来时问问他，他离开磨坊后经常去哪里，

For many hours he rode up and down the mountain, but saw nothing, and at last, tired of waiting, he went back to the mill. Here he found an old woman sitting, whom he greeted pleasantly.
"Good morning to you, little mother," he said, and the old woman answered: "Good morning, my son."
"Tell me, little mother," went on the prince," where shall I find my hare?"
"My son," replied the old woman, "that was no hare, but a dragon who has led many men hither, and then has eaten them all."
At these words the prince's heart grew heavy, and he cried, "Then my brothers must have come here,
and have been eaten by dragon!"
"You have guessed right," answered the old woman; "and I can give you no better counsel than to go home
at once, before the same fate overtakes you."
"Will you not come with me out of this dreadful place?" said the young man. "He took me
prisoner, too," answered she, "and I cannot shake off his chains."
"Then listen to me," cried the prince." When the dragon comes back, ask him where he always goes

是什么使他这么强大，待我下次来时， 你把从他那儿套出来的秘密告诉我。”
说完，小王子就回家去了，老太太留在磨坊里。龙一回来，她马上问他：“你这么长时间去哪儿了，你走得一定很远吧？”
“是的，我的确走得很远。”龙答道。这时老太太开始讨好他，称赞他才智过人。看到龙被捧得晕晕乎乎时，她说：“我一直弄不清你从哪儿
获得了这么强大的力量，我希望你能告诉我，我会真诚地躬身亲吻这个地方。”龙大笑起来，回答道： “我的秘密在炉边。”
于是老太太跳起来去亲吻炉边，龙见了笑个不停，并说：“藏在那棵大树上。”老太太又忙跳起来搂住大树真诚地亲吻起来，
龙看到后又大笑起来。 “老傻瓜，”龙止住笑后说，“你真相信我的力量来自那棵大树吗？”
“那来自哪里呢？”老太太很生气地问，因为她不喜欢被愚弄。

when he leaves here, and what makes him so strong; and when you have
coaxed the secret from him, tell me the next time I come."
So the prince went home, and the old woman remained in the mill, and as soon as the dragon returned she said to him:
"Where have you been all this time-you must have travelled far?"
"Yes, little mother, I have indeed travelled far," answered he. Then the old woman began to flatter him, and to praise his
cleverness; and when she thought she had got him into a good temper, she said:" I have wondered so often
where you get your strength from; I do wish you would tell me. I would stoop and kiss the place out of pure love!"
The dragon laughed at this, and answered: "In the hearthstone yonder lies the secret of my strength."
Then the old woman jumped up and kissed the hearth; whereat the dragon laughed the more, and said:
"You foolish creature! I was only jesting. It is not in the hearthstone, but in that tall tree that lies the secret of my strength." Then the old woman jumped up again and put her arms round the tree, and kissed it heartily. Loudly laughed the dragon when he saw what she was doing.
"Old fool,"he cried, as soon as he could speak, "did you really believe that my strength came from that tree?"
"Where is it then?" asked the old woman, rather crossly, for she did not like being made fun of.

“我的力量藏在很远的地方，远得你永远也到不了那里。”龙说，“离这儿很远很远的地方有一个王国，
它的首府有一个湖，湖里有一条龙，龙里有一头野猪，野猪里有一只鸽子，鸽子里有一只麻雀，麻雀里面就是我的力量。”
老太太听到这，心想再没有必要哄他了，因为她永远永远也不能从他那里拿走他的力量。
第二天，龙离开磨坊后，王子来了，老太太把龙说的话告诉了他，小王子静静地听着，然后回到城堡。在城堡里，他穿上一套牧羊人的衣服，
手里拿了一根棍子，扮成牧羊人的样子，去找那个地方。
小王子从一个村子走到另一个村子，又从一个镇子走到另一个镇子，直到最后来到遥远的一个王国的城中，这个城三面环绕着一个大湖，
这个湖恰恰就是龙居住的地方。按习俗，小王子拦住在街上所碰到 的每一位看上去可能想雇佣羊倌的人，并求他们雇佣他，
可是他们似乎都有了自己的羊倌，或者根本不需要。