After Daniel exposed the fraud of the idol Bel and destroyed his altar, the Babylonian princes demanded a rematch. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, they pointed to a living creature that no one could dismiss as mere stone and clay: the sacred dragon of Babylon, a massive serpent that dwelt in a cave and devoured sacrifices placed at its mouth.
Darius challenged Daniel directly. "Canst thou lift up thy thoughts also against this great and mighty serpent god? This is mighty and strong, and who would dare rise up against it to do it evil?" The princes were thrilled, certain that this time Daniel would finally be destroyed.
Daniel's reply was cool and confident. "It is but a beast, and can be subdued by the hand of man. If my lord the king will permit me, I shall slay it without either sword or stick or any warlike instrument." He asked only that the king protect him from the princes' vengeance.
Daniel's weapon was brilliantly simple. He fashioned iron instruments shaped like wool combs, joined them back to back with the sharp points facing outward in a circle. He coated this lethal device in layers of fat, grease, pitch, and brimstone until the spikes were completely hidden. Then he shaped the whole thing to look like a normal offering and cast it into the dragon's mouth.
The dragon swallowed it greedily. But as the fat melted inside the creature's belly, the iron prongs pierced its entrails. The dragon died the next day. Three days later, when the Babylonians came to make their daily offering, they found only a swollen, decaying corpse and a horrible stench. They plotted to kill both Daniel and the king, but when Darius learned of the conspiracy, he ordered the ringleaders put to the sword.