, and
each time the dwarf appeared, and they fared no better than Tree Comber
had done. The fourth day Paul said to them: 'My friends, there must be
some reason why your cooking has always been so bad, now you shall go
and hunt and I will stay behind.' So they went off, amusing themselves
by thinking what was in store for Paul.

He set to work at once, and had just got all his vegetables simmering in
the pot when the dwarf appeared as before, and asked to have some of the
stew. 'Be off,' cried Paul, snatching up the saucepan as he spoke. The
dwarf tried to get hold of his collar, but Paul seized him by the
beard, and tied him to a big tree so that he could not stir, and went
on quietly with his cooking. The hunters came back early, longing to see
how Paul had got on, and, to their surprise, dinner was quite ready for
them.

'You are great useless creatures,' said he, 'who couldn't even outwit
that little dwarf. When we have finished supper I will show you what I
have done with him!' But when they reached the place where Paul had left
the dwarf, neither he nor the tree was to be seen, for the little fellow
had pulled it up by the roots and run away, dragging it after him. The
four friends followed the track of the tree and found that it ended in
a deep hole. 'He must have gone down here,' said Paul, 'and I will go
after him. See! there is a basket that will do for me to sit in, and a
cord to lower me with. But when I pull the cord again, lose no time in
drawing the basket up.'

And he stepped into the basket, which was lowered by his friends.

At last it touched the ground and he jumped out and looked about him. He
was in a beautiful valley, full of meadows and streams, with a splendid
castle standing by. As the door was open he walked in, but a lovely
maiden met him and implored him to go back, for the owner of the castle
was a dragon with six heads, who had stolen her from her home and
brought her down to this underground spot. But Paul refused to listen to
all her entreaties, and declared that he was not afraid of the dragon,
and did not care how many heads he had; and he sat down calmly to wait
for him.

In a little while the dragon came in, and all the long teeth in his six
heads chattered with anger at the sight of the stranger.

'I am Shepherd Paul,' said the young man, 'and I have come to fight you,
and as I am in a hurry we had better begin at once.'

'Very good,' answered the dragon. 'I am sure of my su