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 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 came back , and the fight began . Long and hard was the struggle , but Paul 's sword and his shirt helped him , and the twelve heads lay dead upon the ground . Then Paul changed the castle into an apple , which he put into his pocket , and set out with the two girls in search of the third castle . It was not long before they found it , and within the walls was the third sister , who was younger and prettier than either of the other two . Her husband had eighteen heads , but when he quitted the lower regions for the surface of the earth , he left them all at home except one , which he changed for the head of a little dwarf , with a pointed beard .
The moment that Paul knew that this terrible dragon was no other than the dwarf whom he had tied to the tree , he longed more XXXXX ever to fly at his throat .
against before by for in of than to with within