Atondido Stories
story would leak out and thereafter the people on earth would
have no more respect for devils.
"Go back to the farmer," they said, "and dare him to a wres-
tling match. Tell him that whoever wins the match is to keep the
gold."
So the young devil went back to earth and dared the farmer
to a wrestling match. The farmer, who saw how things were,
said:
"My dear young friend, if I were to wrestle with you I'm
afraid I'd hurt you for I'm awfully strong. I tell you what I'll do:
I'll let you wrestle with my old grandfather. He's ninety-nine
years old but even so he's more nearly in your class."
The devil agreed to this and the farmer—oh, but that farmer
was a sly one!—led him out into the forest to a cave where a big
brown bear lay asleep.
"There's my grandfather," the farmer said. "Go wake him up
and make him wrestle."
The devil shook the bear and said:
"Wake up, old man! Wake up! We're going to wrestle!"
The bear opened his little eyes, stood up on his hind legs,
and taking the devil in his arms hugged him until the devil
thought his bones would all be crushed. It was as much as the
devil could do to escape with his life.
"Oh, my poor ribs! My poor ribs!" he gasped when he was
safely back in hell. "He's a terrible man—that farmer! Why, even
his old grandfather is so strong that I thought he'd squeeze me to
death!"
But when he had told his full story the other devils laughed
at him louder than before and told him that the farmer had again
fooled him.
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