Once upon a time there was a soldier who had served through three
campaigns, but had never earned as much as an addled egg, and was then
put on the retired list. Then, as he went on the road marching on and
on, he became tired and sat down by a lake. And, as he rested, he began
thinking things out: “Where shall I now betake myself, and how shall I
feed myself, and how the devil shall I enter into any service?”
As soon as he had spoken these words a little devil rose up at once in
front of him and said, “Hail, soldier, what do you wish? Did you just
now not say that you wished to become one of our servants? Why, soldier,
come up and be hired: we will pay you well.”
“What is the work?”
“Oh, the work is easy enough: for fifteen years you must not shave, you
must not have your hair cut, you must not blow your nose, and you must
not change your garb. If you serve this service, then we will go to the
king, who has three daughters. Two of them are mine, but the third shall
be yours.”
“Very well,” said the soldier, “I will undertake the contract; but I
require in return to get anything my soul hankers after.”
“It shall be so; be at peace; we shall not be in default.”
“Well, let it befall at once. Carry me at once into the capital and give
me a pile of money; you know yourself how little of these goods a
soldier ever gets.”
So the little devil dashed into the lake, got out a pile of gold, and
instantaneously carried the soldier into the great city, and all at once
he was there!
“What a fool I have been!” said the soldier: “I have not done any
service, no work, and I now have the money!” So he took a room, never
cut his hair, never shaved, never wiped his nose, never changed his
garb, and he lived on and grew wealthy, so wealthy he did not know what
to do with his money. What was he to do with his silver and gold? “Oh,
very well, I will start helping the poor: possibly they may pray for my
soul.” So the soldier began distributing alms to the needy, to the right
and to the left, and he still had money over, however much he gave away!
His fame spread over the whole kingdom, came to the ears of all.
So the soldier lived for fourteen years, and on the fifteenth year the
Tsar’s exchequer gave out. So he summoned the soldier. So the soldier
came to him unwashed, unshaved, uncombed, with his nose unwiped and his
dress unchanged.
“Health, your Majesty!”
“Listen, soldier. You, they say, are good to all folks: will you lend me
some money? I have not enough to pay my troops. If you will I will make
you a general at once.”
“No, your Majesty, I do not wish to be a general; but if you will do me
a favour, give me one of your daughters as my wife, and you shall have
as much money as you wish for the Treasury.”
So the king began to think: he was very fond of his daughters, but still
he could not do anything whatsoever without money. “Well,” he said, “I
agree. Have a portrait taken of yourself; I will show it to my daughters
and ask which of them will take you.”
So the soldier returned, had the portrait painted, which was feature for
feature, unshaved, unwashed, uncombed, his nose unwiped, and in his old
garb, and sent it to the Tsar.
Now, the Tsar had three daughters, and the father summoned them and
showed them the soldier’s portrait. He said to the eldest, “Will you go
and marry him? He will redeem me from very great embarrassment.”
The Tsarévna saw what a monstrous animal had been painted, with tangled
hair, uncut nails and unwiped nose. “I certainly won’t!” she said, “I
would sooner go to the Devil.” And from somewhere or other the Devil
appeared, stood behind her with pen and paper, heard what she said, and
entered her soul on his register.
Then the father asked the next daughter, “Will you go and marry the
soldier?”
“What! I would rather remain a maiden; I would rather tie myself up with
the Devil than go with him.” So the Devil went and inscribed her soul as
well.
Then the father asked his youngest daughter, and she answered,
“Evidently this must be my lot: I will go and marry him and see what God
shall give.”
Then the Tsar was very blithe at this, and he went and told the soldier
to make ready for the betrothal, and he sent him twelve carts to carry
the money away.
Then the soldier made use of his devil: “There are twelve carts; pile
them all high at once with gold.” So the devil ran into the lake and the
unholy ones set to work. Some of them brought up one sack, some two, and
they soon filled the carts and sent them to the Tsar, into his palace.
Then the Tsar looked, and now summoned the soldier to him every day, sat
with him at one table, and ate and drank with him. When they got ready
for the marriage the term of fifteen years was over. So he called the
little devil and said, “Now my service is over: turn me into a youth.”
So the devil cut him up into little bits, threw them into a cauldron,
and began to brew him—brewed him, washed him and collected all his
bones, one by one, in the proper way, every bone with every bone, every
joint with every joint, every nerve with every nerve: then he sprinkled
them with the water of life, and the soldier arose, such a fine young
man as no tale can tell and no pen can write. He then married the
youngest Tsarévna, and they began to live a merry life of good.
* * * * *
I was at the wedding: I drank mead and beer. They also had wine, and I
drank it to the very dregs.
* * * * *
But the little devil ran back into the lake, for his elder hauled him
over the coals to answer for what he had done with the soldier. “He has
served out his period faithfully and honourably: he has never once
shaved himself, nor cut his hair, nor wiped his nose, nor changed his
clothes.”
Then the elder was very angry. He said, “In fifteen years you were not
able to corrupt the soldier! Was all the money given in vain? What sort
of a devil will you be after this?” And he had him thrown into the
burning pitch.
“Oh no, please, grandfather,” said the grandson, “I have lost the
soldier’s soul, but I have gained two others.”
“What?”
“Look: the soldier thought of marrying a Tsarévna; the two elder
daughters both declined and said they would rather marry a devil than
the soldier. So there they are, and they belong to us.”
So the grandfather-devil approved what the grandson-imp had done, and
set him free. “Yes,” he said, “you know your business very well indeed.”