slaughter the cattle. 'And if you do not obey my orders,' said he, 'I will execute you all.'
The soldiers were frightened, and began to act according to the King's orders. They began to burn houses and corn, and to kill cattle. But the fools still offered no resistance, and only wept. The old men wept, and the old women wept, and the young people wept.
'Why do you harm us?' they said. 'Why do you waste good things? If you need them, why do you not take them for yourselves?'
At last the soldiers could stand it no longer. They refused to go any further, and the army disbanded and fled.
xii
The old Devil had to give it up. He could not get the better of Iván with soldiers. So he changed himself into a fine gentleman, and settled down in Iván's kingdom. He meant to overcome him by means of money, as he had overcome Tarás the Stout.
'I wish,' says he, 'to do you a good turn, to teach you sense and reason. I will build a house among you and organize a trade.'
'All right,' said Iván, 'come and live among us if you like.'
Next morning the fine gentleman went out into the public square with a big sack of gold and a sheet of paper, and said, 'You all live like swine. I wish to teach you how to live properly. Build me a house according to this plan. You shall work, I will tell you how, and I will pay you with gold coins.' And he showed them the gold.
The fools were astonished; there was no money in use among them; they bartered their goods, and paid one another with labour. They looked at the gold coins with surprise.
'What nice little things they are!' said they.
And they began to exchange their goods and labour for the gentleman's gold pieces. And the old Devil began, as in Tarás's kingdom, to be free with his gold,
