oh ! he would only like to have a try at befooling the king . very good ; he should have his try . he was not the first one who had been there that morning , early as it was . so peter was shown in to the king . " oh , look ! " said he , " yonder are three black geese out in the court - yard " but no , the king was not to be fooled so easily as all that . " one goose is enough to look at at a time , " said he ; " take him away and give him a whipping ! " and so they did , and peter went home bleating like a sheep . one day paul spoke up . " i should like to go and have a try for the princess , too , " said he . well , his father did not say no , for , after all , paul was the more clever of the two . so off paul went as merrily as a duck in the rain . by and by he came to the castle , and then he too was brought before the king just as peter had been . " oh , look ! " said he , " yonder is a crow sitting in the tree with three white stripes on his back ! " but the king was not so silly as to be fooled in that way . " here is a jack , " said he , " who will soon have more stripes on his back than he will like . take him away and give him his whipping ! " then it was done as the king had said , and paul went away home bawling like a calf . one day up spoke boots . " i should like to go and have a try for the pretty princess , too , " said he . at this they all stared and sniggered . what ! he go where his clever brothers had failed , and had nothing to show for the trying but a good beating ? what had come over the lout ! here was a pretty business , to be sure ! that was what they all said . but all of this rolled away from boots like water from a duck 's back . no matter , he would like to go and have a try like the others . so he begged and begged until his father was glad to let him go to be rid of his teasing , if nothing else . then boots asked if he might have the old tattered hat that hung back of the chimney . 
a crow .
what did paul say was sitting in the tree ?
what did paul say was sitting in the tree ?