undertaken Simon the Soldier, began: “My business is going on well. Tomorrow Simon will return to his father’s house.”
His comrades asked, “How did you manage it?”
“First,” says he, “I made Simon so bold that he offered to conquer the whole world for his king; and the king made him his general and sent him to fight the King of India. They met for battle, but the night before, I damped all the powder in Simon’s camp, and made more straw soldiers for the Indian King than you could count. And when Simon’s soldiers saw the straw soldiers surrounding them, they grew frightened. Simon ordered them to fire; but their cannons and guns would not go off. Then Simon’s soldiers were quite frightened, and ran like sheep, and the Indian King slaughtered them. Simon was disgraced. He has been deprived of his estate, and tomorrow they intend to execute him. There is only one day’s work left for me to do; I have just to let him out of prison that he may escape home. Tomorrow I shall be ready to help whichever of you needs me.”
Then the second imp, who had Tarás in hand, began to tell how he had fared. “I don’t want any help,” said he, “my job is going all right. Tarás can’t hold out for more than a week. First I caused him to grow greedy and fat. His covetousness became so great that whatever he saw he wanted to buy. He has spent all his money in buying immense lots of goods, and still continues to buy. Already he has begun to use borrowed money. His debts hang like a weight round his neck, and he is so involved that he can never get clear. In a week his bills come due, and before then I will spoil all his stock. He will be unable to pay and will have to go home to his father.”
Then they asked the third imp (Iván’s), “And how are you getting on?”
“Well,” said he, “my affair goes badly. First I spat into his drink to make his stomach ache, and then I went into his field and hammered the