My slave bids every soldier be a straw
And turn into a sheaf once more.”
Ivan repeated the Devilkin’s words, and the soldiers turned into a sheaf
again.
And again the Devilkin pleaded, “Let me go.”
“Very well,” Ivan said, taking him off the prongs. “Go, in God’s name.”
At the mention of God the Devilkin plunged into the ground like a stone
thrown into water, and there was nothing but the hole left.
When Ivan reached home, his other brother, Taras, and his wife were
sitting at table and having supper. Taras could not pay his debts; he
fled from his creditors and came home to his father. As soon as he saw
Ivan he said, “Until I can make some more money, will you keep me and my
wife?”
“Very well,” Ivan said. “You can live here.”
Ivan took off his coat and sat down to table.
And Taras’ wife said, “I cannot sup with a fool; he smells of sweat.”
Taras the Pot-bellied said, “You do not smell sweet, Ivan; go and eat in
the passage.”
“Very well,” Ivan said; “it’s time for bed, anyhow, and I must feed the
mare.”
He took his coat and a piece of bread, and went out.
V
That night, having disposed of Taras, the third little Devilkin came to
help his mates plague Ivan, as they had agreed. He came to the ploughed
field and looked and looked, but could see no one; he only found the
hole. Then he went to the meadow and found a piece of tail in the swamp,
and in the rye-stubble field he found another hole.
“I see some misfortune has happened to my mates. I must take their
places and tackle the Fool.”
The Devilkin set out to find Ivan.
Ivan had finished his work in the fields and had gone into the copse to
cut wood.
The brothers found it too crowded to live together in their father’s
house and they ordered Ivan to fell timber to build themselves new
houses.
The Devilkin rushed into the wood and crept into the knots of the trees
to prevent Ivan from felling them.
Ivan had cut a tree in the right way so that it should fall on to a
clear space, but the tree seemed to be possessed, and fell over where it
was not wanted, and got entangled among the branches. Ivan lopped them
off with his bill-hook and at last, with great difficulty, brought down
the tree. He began to fell another and the same thing was repeated. He
struggled and struggled and succeeded only after great exertion. He
began on a third and the same thing happened. Ivan had intended to fell
fifty trees at least, and he had not managed more than ten, and night
was coming on. Ivan was exhausted, and the steam rose from him and
floated through the wood like a mist; yet still he would not give up. He
felled another tree and his back began to ache so that he could not go
on. He stuck his axe into the trunk of a tree and sat down to rest.
When the Devilkin realized that Ivan had ceased to work, he rejoiced.
“He is worn out at last,” he thought; “now I can rest too.” And he sat
himself astride on a branch, exulting.
Ivan rose, took out his axe, flourished it aloft, and brought it down so
heavily that the tree came down with a crash. The Devilkin had no time
to disentangle his legs; the branch broke and pinned down his paw.
Ivan began to clear the tree and behold! there was a live Devilkin. Ivan
was amazed.
“You horrid little wretch! You here again!”
“I am not the same one,” the Devilkin said. “I belong to your brother
Taras.”
“Whoever you may be, you shall share the same fate.” And Ivan raised
the axe to bring it down on its head, but the Devilkin began to plead.
“Don’t kill me,” he said, “and I’ll do whatever you want me to.”
“What can you do?”
“I can make as much money as you like.”
“Very well,” Ivan said; “make it, then.”
And the Devilkin taught him what to do.
“Take some leaves from this oak and rub them in your hands and gold will
fall to the ground.”
Ivan took the leaves and rubbed them in his hand and gold rained down.
“This is well,” he said; “on holidays it will amuse the children.”
“Let me go,” the Devilkin begged.
“I don’t mind,” Ivan said, and taking up his axe, he freed the Devilkin
of the branch. “Go, in God’s name.”
At the mention of God the Devilkin plunged into the ground like a stone
thrown into water and there was nothing but the hole left.