us have a mouthful of something first, just to give us an appetite.'

Whereupon he began to eat some huge boulders as if they had been
cakes, and when he had quite finished, he offered Paul one. Paul
was not fond of boulders, but he took a wooden knife and cut one
in two, then he snatched up both halves in his hands and threw them
with all his strength at the dragon, so that two out of the six heads
were smashed in. At this the dragon, with a mighty roar, rushed
upon Paul, but he sprang on one side, and with a swinging blow cut
off two of the other heads. Then, seizing the monster by the neck,
he dashed the remaining heads against the rock.

When the maiden heard that the dragon was dead, she thanked her
deliverer with tears in her eyes, but told him that her two younger
sisters were in the power of dragons still fiercer and more horrible
than this one. He vowed that his sword should never rest in its
sheath till they were set free, and bade the girl come with him, and
show him the way.

The maiden gladly consented to go with him, but first she gave him
a golden rod, and bade him strike the castle with it. He did so, and
it instantly changed into a golden apple, which he put in his pocket.
After that, they started on their search.

They had not gone far before they reached the castle where the
second girl was confined by the power of the dragon with twelve
heads, who had stolen her from her home. She was overjoyed at
the sight of her sister and of Paul, and brought him a shirt belonging
to the dragon, which made every one who wore it twice as strong
as they were before. Scarcely had he put it on when the dragon