` Good morning , ' said Paul , ` you must be a strong fellow . ' ' I am Iron Kneader , and should like to fight Shepherd Paul , ' answered he . ` Let us begin at once then , ' replied Paul ; and on this occasion also , Paul got the better of his foe , and they all four continued their journey . At midday they entered a forest , and Paul stopped suddenly . ` We three will go and look for game , ' he said , ` and you , Tree Comber , will stay behind and prepare a good supper for us . ' So Tree Comber set to work to boil and roast , and when dinner was nearly ready , a little dwarf with a pointed beard strolled up to the place . ` What are you cooking ? ' asked he , ` give me some of it . ' ` I 'll give you some on your back , if you like , ' answered Tree Comber rudely . The dwarf took no notice , but waited patiently till the dinner was cooked , then suddenly throwing Tree Comber on the ground , he ate up the contents of the saucepan and vanished . Tree Comber felt rather ashamed of himself , and set about boiling some more vegetables , but they were still very hard when the hunters returned , and though they complained of his bad cooking , he did not tell them about the dwarf . Next day Stone Crusher was left behind , and after him Iron Kneader , 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 could n'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 XXXXX him .
So after as at like of on till to with