University of Virginia Library

4.
CHAPTER IV.

THE small devil finished with Simeon that
night, and according to agreement went to
the assistance of his comrade who had charge
of Ivan, that he might help to conquer the
Fool. He went to the field and searched every-
where, but could find nothing but the hole
through which the small devil had disappeared.

"Well, this is strange," he said; "something
must have happened to my companion, and I
will have to take his place and continue the
work he began. The Fool is through with his
plowing, so I must look about me for some
other means of compassing his destruction. I
must overflow his meadow and prevent him
from cutting the grass."

The little devil accordingly overflowed the
meadow with muddy water, and, when Ivan

went at dawn next morning with his scythe set
and sharpened and tried to mow the grass, he
found that it resisted all his efforts and would
not yield to the implement as usual.

Many times Ivan tried to cut the grass, but
always without success. At last, becoming
weary of the effort, he decided to return home
and have his scythe again sharpened, and also
to procure a quantity of bread, saying: "I will
come back here and will not leave until I have
mown all the meadow, even if it should take a
whole week."

Hearing this, the little devil became thought-
ful, saying: "That Ivan is a
koolak
[hard case],
and I must think of some other way of conquer-
ing him."

Ivan soon returned with his sharpened scythe
and started to mow.

The small devil hid himself in the grass, and
as the point of the scythe came down he buried
it in the earth and made it almost impossible
for Ivan to move the implement. He, how-

ever, succeeded in mowing all but one small
spot in the swamp, where again the small devil
hid himself, saying: "Even if he should cut
my hands I will prevent him from accomplish-
ing his work."

When Ivan came to the swamp he found that
the grass was not very thick. Still, the scythe
would not work, which made him so angry that
he worked with all his might, and one blow more
powerful than the others cut off a portion of the
small devil's tail, who had hidden himself there.

Despite the little devil's efforts he succeeded
in finishing his work, when he returned home
and ordered his sister to gather up the grass
while he went to another field to cut rye. But
the devil preceded him there, and fixed the rye
in such a manner that it was almost impossible
for Ivan to cut it; however, after continuous
hard labor he succeeded, and when he was
through with the rye he said to himself: "Now
I will start to mow oats."

On hearing this, the little devil thought to

himself: "I could not prevent him from mow-
ing the rye, but I will surely stop him from
mowing the oats when the morning comes."

Early next day, when the devil came to the
field, he found that the oats had been already
mowed. Ivan did it during the night, so as to
avoid the loss that might have resulted from
the grain being too ripe and dry. Seeing that
Ivan again had escaped him, the little devil
became greatly enraged, saying:

"He cut me all over and made me tired, that
fool. I did not meet such misfortune even on the
battle-field. He does not even sleep;" and
the devil began to swear. "I cannot follow
him," he continued. "I will go now to the
heaps and make everything rotten."

Accordingly he went to a heap of the new-
mown grain and began his fiendish work. After
wetting it he built a fire and warmed himself,
and soon was fast asleep.

Ivan harnessed his horse, and, with his sis-
ter, went to bring the rye home from the field.

After lifting a couple of sheaves from the first
heap his pitchfork came into contact with the
little devil's back, which caused the latter to
howl with pain and to jump around in every
direction. Ivan exclaimed:

"See here! What nastiness! You again
here?"

"I am another one!" said the little devil.

"That was my brother. I am the one who was
sent to your brother Simeon."

"Well," said Ivan, "it matters not who you
are. I will fix you all the same."

As Ivan was about to strike the first blow
the devil pleaded: "Let me go and I will do
you no more harm. I will do whatever you
wish."

"What can you do for me?" asked Ivan.

"I can make soldiers from almost anything."

"And what will they be good for?"

"Oh, they will do everything for you!"

"Can they sing?"

"They can."

"Well, make them."

"Take a bunch of straw and scatter it on
the ground, and see if each straw will not turn
into a soldier."

Ivan shook the straws on the ground, and, as
he expected, each straw turned into a soldier,
and they began marching with a band at their
head.

"
Ishty
[look you], that was well done! How
it will delight the village maidens!" he ex-
claimed.

The small devil now said: "Let me go; you
do not need me any longer."

But Ivan said: "No, I will not let you go
just yet. You have converted the straw into
soldiers, and now I want you to turn them again
into straw, as I cannot afford to lose it, but I
want it with the grain on."

The devil replied: "Say: 'So many soldiers,
so much straw.'"

Ivan did as directed, and got back his rye
with the straw.

The small devil again begged for his release.

Ivan, taking him from the pitchfork, said:

"With God's blessing you may depart"; and, as
before at the mention of God's name, the little
devil was hurled into the earth like a flash, and
nothing was left but the hole to show where he
had gone.

Soon afterward Ivan returned home, to find
his brother Tarras and his wife there. Tarras-
Briukhan could not pay his debts, and was
forced to flee from his creditors and seek refuge
under his father's roof. Seeing Ivan, he said:

"Well, Ivan, may we remain here until I start
in some new business?"

Ivan replied as he had before to Simeon:

"Yes, you are perfectly welcome to remain
here as long as it suits you."

With that announcement he removed his coat
and seated himself at the supper-table with the
others. But Tarras-Briukhan's wife objected
to the smell of his clothes, saying: "I cannot
eat with a fool; neither can I stand the smell."

Then Tarras-Briukhan said: "Ivan, from
your clothes there comes a bad smell; go and
eat by yourself in the porch."

"Very well," said Ivan; and he took some
bread and went out as ordered, saying, "It is
time for me to feed my mare."