Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories Part 73

King s.e.m.e.n listened to his new general, and ordered all the young men without exception to be drafted as soldiers, and started new factories.

He had a lot of new guns and cannon made, and at once started a war against a neighbouring king. The moment the enemy's army came out against him, he ordered his soldiers to fire at them with bullets and to burn them with the cannon fire. He at once maimed and burnt one-half the army. The neighbouring king became frightened, and he surrendered and gave up his kingdom to him. King s.e.m.e.n was happy.

"Now I will vanquish the King of India," he said.

But the King of India heard of King s.e.m.e.n, and adopted all his inventions and added a few of his own. The King of India drafted not only all the young men, but he also made all the unmarried women serve as soldiers, and so he had even more soldiers than King s.e.m.e.n. He adopted all of King s.e.m.e.n's guns and cannon, and introduced flying in the air and throwing explosive bombs from above.

King s.e.m.e.n went out to make war on the King of India. He thought that he would conquer him as he had conquered before; but the scythe was cutting too fine,--the King of India did not give s.e.m.e.n's army a chance to fire a single shot, for he sent his women into the air, to throw explosive bombs on s.e.m.e.n's army. The women began to pour the bombs on s.e.m.e.n's army, like borax on c.o.c.kroaches, and the whole army ran away, and King s.e.m.e.n was left alone. The King of India took possession of the whole of s.e.m.e.n's kingdom, and s.e.m.e.n the Warrior ran whither his eyes took him.

The old devil had done up this brother, and he made for King Taras. He took the shape of a merchant and settled in Taras's kingdom. He started an establishment, and began to issue money. The merchant paid high prices for everything, and the whole nation rushed to the merchant to get his money. And the people had so much money that they paid all their back taxes and paid on time all the taxes as they fell due. King Taras was happy.

"Thanks to the merchant," he thought, "I shall now have more money than ever, and my life will improve."

And King Taras fell on new plans. He began to build himself a new palace: he commanded the people to haul lumber and stone, and to come to work, and offered high prices for everything. King Taras thought that as before the people would rush to work for him. But, behold, all the lumber and stone was being hauled to the merchant, and only the labourers were rus.h.i.+ng to the king.

King Taras offered higher prices, but the merchant went higher still.

King Taras had much money, but the merchant had more still, and the merchant could offer better pay than the king. The royal palace came to a standstill,--it could not be built.

King Taras wanted to get a garden laid out. When the fall came, King Taras proclaimed that he wanted people to come and set out trees for him; but n.o.body came, as they were all digging a pond for the merchant.

Winter came. King Taras wanted to buy sable furs for a new coat, and he sent out men to buy them. The messenger came back, and said that there were no sables,--that all the furs were in the merchant's possession, as he had offered a higher price, and that he had made himself a sable rug.

King Taras wanted to have some stallions. He sent messengers to buy them for him; but they came back, and said that the merchant had all the good stallions, and they were hauling water and filling up the pond.

All the business of the king came to a stop. Men would not do anything for him, but worked only for the merchant; all he received was the merchant's money, for taxes.

And the king collected such a ma.s.s of money that he did not know what to do with it, and his life grew bad. The king stopped planning things, and only thought of how he might pa.s.s his life peacefully, but he could not do so. He was oppressed in everything. His cooks, and his coachmen, and his servants began to leave him for the merchant. And he began to suffer for lack of food. He would send the women to market to buy provisions, but there was nothing there, for the merchant bought up everything, and all he received was money for taxes.

King Taras grew angry and sent the merchant abroad; but the merchant settled at the border and continued to do his work: as before, people dragged for the merchant's money all the things from the king to him.

The king was in a bad plight: he did not eat for days at a time, and the rumour was spread that the merchant was boasting that he was going to buy the king himself with his money. King Taras lost his courage, and did not know what to do.

s.e.m.e.n the Warrior came to him, and said:

"Support me, for the King of India has vanquished me."

But Taras himself was pinched.

"I have not eaten myself for two days," he said.

XI.

The old devil had done up the two brothers, and now went to Ivan. The old devil took the shape of a general, and he came to Ivan and tried to persuade him to provide himself with an army.

"It will not do for a king to live without an army," he said. "Just command me, and I will gather soldiers from among your people, and will get you up an army."

Ivan took his advice.

"All right," he said, "get me up an army: teach them to play good music,--I like that."

The old devil started to go over the kingdom, to gather volunteers. He said that they should go and get their crowns shaved, for which they would get a bottle of vodka each, and a red cap.

The fools laughed at him.

"We have all the liquor we want," they said, "for we distil it ourselves, and as for caps, our women will make us any we want, even motley ones, with ta.s.sels at that."

Not one of them would go. The old devil went to Ivan and said:

"Your fools will not go of their own will; you will have to force them."

"All right," he said, "drive them by force!"

And so the old devil announced that all the fools were to inscribe themselves as soldiers, and that Ivan would execute those who would not go.

The fools came to the general and said:

"You say that the king will have us killed if we do not become soldiers, but you do not tell us what we shall have to do as soldiers. They say that soldiers, too, are killed."

"Yes, that cannot be helped."

When the fools heard that, they became stubborn.

"We will not go," they said. "If so, let us be killed at home! Death cannot be escaped anyway."

"Fools that you are!" said the old devil. "A soldier may be killed or not, but if you do not go, King Ivan will certainly have you killed."

The fools considered the matter, and went to see Ivan the Fool.

"Your general has come," they said, "and tells us all to turn soldiers.

'If you become soldiers,' he says, 'you may be killed, or not, but if you do not become soldiers King Ivan will certainly put you to death.'

Is that true?"

Ivan began to laugh.

"How can I, one man, have you all put to death? If I were not a fool, I should explain that to you, but as it is, I do not understand it myself."

"If so," they said, "we shall not become soldiers."

"All right," he said, "don't."

The fools went to the general and refused to become soldiers.

The old devil saw that his business did not work, so he went to the King of c.o.c.kroachland, and got into his favour.

"Let us go," he said, "and wage war on King Ivan, and vanquish him. He has no money, but he has plenty of grain, and cattle, and all kinds of things."

The King of c.o.c.kroachland went out to make war: he had gathered a large army, and collected guns and cannon, and left his borders, to enter Ivan's kingdom.

People came to Ivan and said: