is
I cannot."

"Well, then, we will not go," they said.

"Very well," replied Ivan, "you need not become soldiers unless you wish
to."

The old devil, seeing his schemes about to prove failures, went to the
ruler of Tarakania and became his friend, saying: "Let us go and
conquer Ivan's kingdom. He has no money, but he has plenty of cattle,
provisions, and various other things that would be useful to us."

The Tarakanian ruler gathered his large army together, and equipping it
with cannons and rifles, crossed the boundary line into Ivan's kingdom.
The people went to Ivan and said: "The ruler of Tarakania is here with a
large army to fight us."

"Let them come," replied Ivan.

The Tarakanian ruler, after crossing the line into Ivan's kingdom,
looked in vain for soldiers to fight against; and waiting some time and
none appearing, he sent his own warriors to attack the villages.

They soon reached the first village, which they began to plunder.

The fools of both sexes looked calmly on, offering not the least
resistance when their cattle and provisions were being taken from them.
On the contrary, they invited the soldiers to come and live with them,
saying: "If you, dear friends, find it is difficult to earn a living in
your own land, come and live with us, where everything is plentiful."

The soldiers decided to remain, finding the people happy and prosperous,
with enough surplus food to supply many of their neighbors. They were
surprised at the cordial greetings which they everywhere received, and,
returning to the ruler of Tarakania, they said: "We cannot fight with
these people--take us to another place. We would much prefer the dangers
of actual warfare to this unsoldierly method of subduing the village."

The Tarakanian ruler, becoming enraged, ordered the soldiers to destroy
the whole kingdom, plunder the villages, burn the houses and provisions,
and slaughter the cattle.

"Should you disobey my orders," said he, "I will have every one of you
executed."

The soldiers, becoming frightened, started to do as they were ordered,
but the fools wept bitterly, offering no resistance, men, women, and
children all joining in the general lamentation.

"Why do you treat us so cruelly?" they cried to the invading soldiers.
"Why do you wish to destroy everything we have? If you have more need
of these things than we have, why not take them with you and leave us in
peace?"

The soldiers, becoming saddened with re