he owned all the
salt marshes, the rich lands where grow the finest crops, the wooded
valleys and all the fertile hills of the country, while the saint
ruled only over the sands. Therefore Satan was rich, whereas Saint
Michael was as poor as a church mouse.

After a few years of fasting the saint grew tired of this state of
affairs and began to think of some compromise with the devil, but the
matter was by no means easy, as Satan kept a good hold on his crops.

He thought the thing over for about six months; then one morning he
walked across to the shore. The demon was eating his soup in front of
his door when he saw the saint. He immediately rushed toward him,
kissed the hem of his sleeve, invited him in and offered him
refreshments.

Saint Michael drank a bowl of milk and then began: "I have come here
to propose to you a good bargain."

The devil, candid and trustful, answered: "That will suit me."

"Here it is. Give me all your lands."

Satan, growing alarmed, wished to speak: "But--"

The saint continued: "Listen first. Give me all your lands. I will
take care of all the work, the ploughing, the sowing, the fertilizing,
everything, and we will share the crops equally. How does that suit
you?"

The devil, who was naturally lazy, accepted. He only demanded in
addition a few of those delicious grey mullet which are caught around
the solitary mount. Saint Michael promised the fish.

They grasped hands and spat on the ground to show that it was a
bargain, and the saint continued: "See here, so that you will have
nothing to complain of, choose that part of the crops which you
prefer: the part that grows above ground or the part that stays in
the ground." Satan cried out: "I will take all that will be above
ground."

"It's a bargain!" said the saint. And he went away.

Six months later, all over the immense domain of the devil, one could
see nothing but carrots, turnips, onions, salsify, all the plants
whose juicy roots are good and savoury and whose useless leaves are
good for nothing but for feeding animals.

Satan wished to break the contract, calling Saint Michael a swindler.

But the saint, who had developed quite a taste for agriculture, went
back to see the devil and said: "Really, I hadn't thought of that at
all; it was just an accident, no fault of mine. And to make things
fair with you, this year I'll let you take everything that is under
the ground."

"Very well," answered Satan.

The follo