The "aardmannetjes" or "alvermannetjes," named "kaboutermannetjes" in the Dutch province of North Brabant, are ugly and deformed dwarfs. Their height varies from two feet to the height of a four-year-old child. According to superstition, they live in caves. These people are crafty, agile, and adept at all sorts of art. They also keep hidden treasures. In our province they populated the hills on the heath lands in Zeelst as well as the hills of the heath land of Oirschot. The gnomes of Bergeik lived in the "Kattenberg" ("mountain of cats"), not very far north of the mill, and also in Riethoven in the "Duivelsberg" ("devil mountain"), and in other places in North Brabant. They feared daylight and showed themselves to noone. They only came out of their holes at night. If one were to put out some food or other for them, such as plain bread, they would perform all sorts of chores in gratitude for this simple gift. Although they were good and grateful to their benefactors, they were unrelenting enemies of their persecutors. The thick, short smoking pipes that they used according to popular belief are still frequently found in the ground. In North Brabant they are called "aardmannekespijpjes."

A farmer in Zeelst experienced how the gnomes showed themselves to nobody. He knew the gnomes frequented his bakery, for they had many times baked plain bread and rye bread for him. He had never seen them, though. He decided he wanted to spy on them one night. So between 12:00 and 1:00 at night, he went to the door of his bakery and heard the dwarfs very busy at work.

In a careful manner, he intended to look through a crack in the door. He had already squeezed his left eye shut and tried to peek through the crack with his right eye, when quite unexpectedly, he heard a squeaky voice say, "Blow his light out!"

The farmer jumped back in shock and dashed into his living room. He would now be blind for the rest of his life in the eye that had so carelessly wanted to peep at the work of the little labourers. Now he still knew nothing, and moreover, he had had to pay for his curiosity with the loss of his right eye.