Atondido Stories
"He is a foolish one!" he thought to himself.
"Oh, don't do that!" the devil cried. "What have we ever done
to you?"
The farmer pretended to be firm and repeated that that was
just what he was going to do.
"Please listen to me," the devil begged. "If you promise to let
us alone I tell you what I'll do: I'll bring you such a big bag of
gold that it will make you a rich man."
At first the farmer, being a shrewd fellow, pretended that he
cared nothing for money. Then gradually he let himself be per-
suaded and at last said:
"Very well. If you bring me the gold within an hour I won't
bind you with bast. But don't keep me waiting or I may change
my mind."
The young devil—oh, you never saw a more stupid young
fellow!—scurried off and, long before the hour was up, he came
panting back with a great big bag of gold.
"Is that enough?" he asked.
The farmer who had really never seen so much money in all
his life hemmed and hawed but finally said:
"Well, it isn't as much as I expected but I'll accept it."
The young devil, delighted with his bargain, hurried back to
hell and told all his black comrades how grateful they ought to
be to him for saving them from the farmer who was planning to
bind them, hand and foot, with bast.
When the other devils heard the whole story, they laughed at
him loud and long.
"You are certainly the stupidest devil in hell!" they said.
"Why, that man has made a fool of you!"
They discussed the matter among themselves and decided
that the devil would have to get back the bag of gold or the
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