Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book CLVII: The Sooty Brother

A discharged soldier had nothing to live on, and did not know how tomake his way. So he went out into the forest and when he had walkedfor a short time, he met a little man who turned out to be the devil.The little man said to him, "What ails you, you seem so verysorrowful?" Then the soldier said, "I am hungry, but have no money."The devil said, "If you will hire yourself to me, and be myserving-man, you shall have enough for all your life. You shallserve me for seven years, and after that you shall again be free. Butone thing I must tell you, and that is, you must not wash, comb, ortrim yourself, or cut your hair or nails, or wipe the water from youreyes." The soldier said, "All right, if there is no help for it," andwent off with the little man, who straightway led him down into hell.Then he told him what he had to do. He was to poke the fire underthe kettles wherein the hell-broth was stewing, keep the house clean,drive all the sweepings behind the doors, and see that everything wasin order, but if he once peeped into the kettles, it would go illwith him. The soldier said, "Good, I will take care." And then theold devil went out again on his wanderings, and the soldier enteredupon his new duties, made the fire, and swept the dirt well behindthe doors, just as he had been bidden.When the old devil came back again, he looked to see if all had beendone, appeared satisfied, and went forth a second time. The soldiernow took a good look on every side, the kettles were standing allround hell with a mighty fire below them, and inside they wereboiling and sputtering. He would have given anything to look insidethem, if the devil had not so particularly forbidden him.At last he could no longer restrain himself, slightly raised the lidof the first kettle, and peeped in, and there he saw his formercorporal sitting. "Aha, old bird," said he, "do I meet you here? Youonce had me in your power, now I have you." And he quickly let thelid fall, poked the fire, and added a fresh log. After that, he wentto the second kettle, raised its lid also a little, and peeped in andthere sat his former ensign. "Aha, old bird, so I find you here, youonce had me in your power, now I have you." He closed the lid again,and fetched yet another log to make it really hot. Then he wanted tosee who might be sitting up in the third kettle - and who should itbe but his general. "Aha, old bird, do I meet you here. Once youhad me in your power, now I have you." And he fetched the bellows andmade hell-fire blaze right under him.So he did his work seven years in hell, did not wash, comb, or trimhimself, or cut his hair or nails, or wash the water out of his eyes,and the seven years seemed so short to him that he thought he hadonly been half a year. Now when the time had fully gone by, thedevil came and said, "Well Hans, what have you done?" "I poked thefire under the kettles, and I have swept all the dirt well behind thedoors.""But you have peeped into the kettles as well, it is lucky for youthat you added fresh logs to them, or else your life would have beenforfeited. Now that your time is up, will you go home again?" "Yes,"said the soldier, "I should very much like to see what my father isdoing at home." The devil said, "In order that you may receive thewages you have earned, go and fill your knapsack full of thesweepings, and take it home with you. You must also go unwashed anduncombed, with long hair on your head and beard, and with uncut nailsand dim eyes, and when you are asked whence you come, you must say,from hell, and when you are asked who you are, you are to say, thedevil's sooty brother, and my king as well."The soldier held his peace, and did as the devil bade him, but he wasnot at all satisfied with his wages. Then as soon as he was up in theforest again, he took his knapsack from his back, to empty it, but onopening it, the sweepings had become pure gold. "I should never haveexpected that," said he, and was well pleased, and entered the town.The landlord was standing in front of the inn, and when he saw thesoldier approaching, he was terrified, because Hans looked such ahorrible sight, worse than a scare-crow. He called to him and asked,"Whence do you come?" "From hell." "Who are you?" "The devil's sootybrother, and my king as well." Then the host would not let him enter,but when Hans showed him the gold, he came and unlatched the doorhimself. Hans then ordered the best room and attendance, ate, anddrank his fill, but neither washed nor combed himself as the devilhad bidden him, and at last lay down to sleep. But the knapsack fullof gold remained before the eyes of the landlord, and left him nopeace, and during the night he crept in and stole it away. Nextmorning, however, when Hans got up and wanted to pay the landlord andtravel further, behold his knapsack was gone. But he soon composedhimself and thought, you have been unfortunate from no fault of yourown. And straightway went back again to hell, complained of hismisfortune to the old devil, and begged for his help. The devilsaid, "Seat yourself, I will wash, comb, and trim you, cut your hairand nails, and wash your eyes for you." And when he had done withhim, he gave him the knapsack back again full of sweepings, and said,"Go and tell the landlord that he must return you your money, or elseI will come and fetch him, and he shall poke the fire in your place."Hans went up and said to the landlord, "You have stolen my money, ifyou do not return it, you shall go down to hell in my place, and willlook as horrible as I." Then the landlord gave him the money, andmore besides, only begging him to keep it secret. And Hans was now arich man.He set out on his way home to his father, bought himself a shabbysmock to wear, and strolled about making music, for he had learned todo that while he was with the devil in hell.There was however, an old king in that country, before whom he had toplay, and the king was so delighted with his playing, that hepromised him his eldest daughter in marriage. But when she heardthat she was to be married to a common fellow in a smock, she said,"Rather than do that, I would go into the deepest water." Then theking gave him the youngest, who was quite willing to do it to pleaseher father, and thus the devil's sooty brother got the king'sdaughter, and when the aged king died, the whole kingdom likewise.