` 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 supper , but let 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 XXXXX his pocket .
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