Collected Shorter Fiction, Volume 2

‘I am another one,’ says the imp. ‘I have been with your brother Tarás.’

‘Whoever you are, you have met your fate,’ said Iván, and swinging his axe he was about to strike him with the haft, but the imp begged for mercy: ‘Don’t strike me,’ said he, ‘and I will do anything you tell me to.’

‘What can you do?’

‘I can make money for you, as much as you want.’

‘All right, make some.’ So the imp showed him how to do it.

‘Take’, said he, ‘some leaves from this oak and rub them in your hands, and gold will fall out on the ground.’

Iván took some leaves and rubbed them, and gold ran down from his hands.

‘This stuff will do fine’, said he, ‘for the fellows to play with on their holidays.’

‘Now let me go,’ said the imp.

‘All right,’ said Iván, and taking a lever he set the imp free. ‘Now begone! And God be with you,’ says he.

And as soon as he mentioned God, the imp plunged into the earth, like a stone into water. Only a hole was left.

VI

SO the brothers built houses, and began to live apart; and Iván finished the harvest work, brewed beer, and invited his brothers to spend the next holiday with him. His brothers would not come.

‘We don’t care about peasant feasts,’ said they.

So Iván entertained the peasants and their wives, and drank until he was rather tipsy. Then he went into the street to a ring of dancers; and going up to them he told the women to sing a song in his honour; ‘for’, said he, ‘I will give you something you never saw in your lives before!’

The women laughed and sang his praises, and when they had finished they said, ‘Now let us have your gift.’

‘I will bring it directly,’ said he.

He took a seed-basket and ran into the woods. The women laughed. ‘He is a fool!’ said they, and they began to talk of something else.

But soon Iván came running back, carrying the basket full of something heavy.

‘Shall I give it you?’

‘Yes! give it to us.’

Iván took a handful of gold and threw it to the women. You should have seen them throw themselves upon it to pick it up! And the men around scrambled for it, and snatched it from one another. One old woman was nearly crushed to death. Iván laughed.

‘Oh, you fools!’ says he. ‘Why did you crush the old grandmother? Be quiet, and I will give you some more,’ and he threw them some more. The people all crowded round, and Iván threw them all the gold he had. They asked for more, but Iván said, ‘I have no more just now. Another time I’ll give you some more. Now let us dance, and you can sing me your songs.’

The women began to sing.

‘Your songs are no good,’ says he.

‘Where will you find better ones?’ say they.

‘I’ll soon show you,’ says he.

He went to the barn, took a sheaf, threshed it, stood it up, and bumped it on the ground.

‘Now,’ said he:

‘O sheaf! my slave

This order gave:

Where a straw has been

Let a soldier be seen!’

And the sheaf fell asunder and became so many soldiers. The drums and trumpets began to play. Iván ordered the soldiers to play and sing. He led them out into the street, and the people were amazed. The soldiers played and sang, and then Iván (forbidding anyone to follow him) led them back to the threshing ground, changed them into a sheaf again, and threw it in its place.

He then went home and lay down in the stables to sleep.

VII

SIMON the Soldier heard of all these things next morning, and went to his brother.

‘Tell me’, says he, ‘where you got those soldiers from, and where you have taken them to?’

‘What does it matter to you?’ said Iván.

‘What does it matter? Why, with soldiers one can do anything. One can win a kingdom.’

Iván wondered.

‘Really!’ said he; ‘why didn’t you say so before? I’ll make you as many as you like. It’s well the lass and I have threshed so much straw.’

Iván took his brother to the barn and said:

‘Look here; if I make you some soldiers, you must take them away at once, for if we have to feed them, they will eat up the whole village in a day.’

Simon the Soldier promised to lead the soldiers away; and Iván began to make them. He bumped a sheaf on the threshing floor – a company appeared. He bumped another sheaf, and there was a second company. He made so many that they covered the field.

‘Will that do?’ he asked.

Simon was overjoyed, and said: ‘That will do! Thank you, Iván!’

‘All right,’ said Iván. ‘If you want more, come back, and I’ll make them. There is plenty of straw this season.’

Simon the Soldier at once took command of his army, collected and organized it, and went off to make war.

Hardly had Simon the Soldier gone, when Tarás the Stout came along. He, too, had heard of yesterday’s affair, and he said to his brother:

‘Show me where you get gold money! If I only had some to start with, I could make it bring me in money from all over the world.’

Iván was astonished.

‘Really!’ said he. ‘You should have told me sooner. I will make you as much as you like.’

His brother was delighted.

‘Give me three baskets-full to begin with.’

‘All right,’ said Iván. ‘Come into the forest; or, better still, let us harness the mare, for you won’t be able to carry it all.’