Simon the Warrior came to him and said, “Will you support me? I have been beaten by the King of India.” King Taras himself was in a sad plight. “I haven’t eaten anything myself for two days,” he said. XI Having disposed of the two brothers, the old Devil went to Ivan. He changed himself into a general and came to Ivan, and began to persuade him to set up a large army. “A king should not live without an army,” he said. “Give me the power, and I’ll collect soldiers from among your people and organize an army.” Ivan listened to all he had to say. “Very well,” he said, “organize one, then; only teach the soldiers to sing nice songs, for I like singing.” And the old Devil went through Ivan’s kingdom to collect a voluntary army. To each recruit who should offer himself he promised a bottle of vodka and a red cap. The fools laughed at him. “We have plenty of drink,” they said; “we brew it ourselves, and as for caps, our women can make us any kind we like--embroidered ones and even ones with fringes.” And no one offered himself. The old Devil went back to Ivan and said, “Your fools won’t enlist of their own accord; we’ll have to force them.” “Very well; force them, then.” And the old Devil proclaimed throughout the kingdom that every man must enlist as a soldier, and if he fails to do so Ivan will have him put to death. The fools came to the Devil and said, “You tell us that if we won’t enlist as soldiers the King will have us put to death, but you don’t say what will happen to us when we become soldiers. People say that soldiers are killed.” “You can’t get over that.” When the fools heard this they kept to their decision. “We won’t go,” they said. “We’d sooner die at home since we have to die in either case.” “What fools you are!” the old Devil said. “A soldier may or may not be killed, but if you don’t go King Ivan will have you put to death for certain.” The fools reflected over this; then went to Ivan the Fool and said, “A general has appeared among us who orders us all to enlist as soldiers. ‘If you go as a soldier,’ he says, ‘you may or you may not be killed, but if you don’t go, King Ivan will have you put to death for certain.’ Is it true?” Ivan laughed. “How can I alone have you all put to death? Had I not been a fool I would have explained it to you, but I don’t understand it myself.” “Then we won’t go,” the fools said. “Very well, don’t.” The fools went to the general and refused to enlist as soldiers. The old Devil saw that his plan would not work, so he went to the King of Tarakan and wormed himself into his favour. “Come,” he said, “let us go and make war on King Ivan. He has no money, but grain and cattle and all manner of good things he has in abundance.” The King of Tarakan prepared to make war. He gathered together a large army, repaired his guns and cannons and marched across the border on his way to Ivan’s kingdom. People came to Ivan and said, “The King of Tarakan is marching on us with his army.”