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to punish us with death. Is it true?"
Ivan began to laugh heartily on hearing this, and said: "Well, how I
alone can punish you with death is something I cannot understand. If I
was not a fool myself I would be able to explain it to you, but as it 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
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