A foolhardy man struck a bargain with the Devil that the latter was to serve on his farm for seven years and obey him in every way. In return for this faithful service he was to give his soul to the Master of Hell. The Devil fulfilled his part of the contract. He never protested against the hardest jobs, or grumbled over poor food, because he knew what reward awaited him in seven years' time.

Six years passed, but the man did not feel like selling his soul to the Devil so cheaply. Far from it, he kept thinking how he could outwit his enemy. He had cheated the Devil already when he entered into a bond with him: instead of giving a few drops of his blood in order to have his soul imprisoned for ever, he gave him the blood of a cock.

The contract was to expire soon, but the man had not yet thought of any means of breaking free. Now it happened on a sultry summer day that a black cloud rose in the south, threatening thunder. The Devil fled for shelter at once. He ran to the bottom of the earth along an underground passage he had dug underneath a boulder.

"Come and keep me company until the thunderstorm is over, there's a good fellow," pleaded the Devil meekly.

"What do I get if I do?" asked the man.

The Devil promised they would talk it over underground, they could not linger, as the thunderstorm was threateningly near.

The foolhardy man thought, "Fear has roasted the Devil so much that with luck I may get free altogether." So thinking he descended with him into his cave.

The storm lasted a long time. The thunderclaps followed in quick succession, the earth shook and the rocks heaved. At every crash the Devil pressed his fists over his ears and closed his eyes. His trembling body was covered with cold sweat and his tongue was tied through fear so he could not utter a word.

Towards the evening when the thunderstorm was over he said to the foolhardy man, "I could get on rather nicely with that old Thunderer and live in peace, if he did not make so much loud noise. The lightning cannot do me any harm in my underground shelter, but the awful rumbling noise has such an effect on me that it drives me out of my senses. I would pay generously if anyone relieved me of this torture."

The foolhardy man replied, "The best thing to do would be to steal that thunder-trumpet of his."

"I would surely steal it," said the Devil, "if it were possible. But the Thunderer is always on the alert. He never leaves his trumpet unguarded. How could one possibly steal it?"

The foolhardy man now explained how he thought the thing might come off.

"Yes, only if you come and help me," exclaimed the Devil. "I could never get the better of him singlehanded."

The man promised to lend him a hand. But he asked no less than that the Devil should give up his claim to his soul. "You may have three souls, for what I care, if you rid me of this terrible fear," the Devil consented with joy.

Then the foolhardy man told him in detail how they might succeed if they worked hand in hand. "But," he concluded, "we've got to wait until the day when the Thunderer tires himself out again, so that he will be fast asleep. Usually he sleeps like a hare with his eyes open."

Some time after they had made their plans there came another heavy thunderstorm. The Devil and the foolhardy man were sitting again in their hiding-place under the boulder. When night came they climbed a high mountain. Standing on its peak the Devil set the foolhardy man on his shoulders and with his magic power started growing until he reached the clouds, repeating all the time:

"Stretch to the sky, Grow to the clouds!"

When the foolhardy man stuck his head over the edge of the cloud and scanned the scene he perceived the Thunderer sound asleep with his head propped up against a cloud bank, but his outstretched right hand was lying across his trumpet.

It was impossible to steal the instrument without touching his hand and awakening him. The foolhardy man scrambled onto the cloud and crept up to the sleeper very quietly. Now he took a hair from behind his ear and tickled Thunderer's nose with it. The Thunderer immediately started scratching his nose. The man snatched the trumpet and jumped onto the Devil's back, who rushed down the mountain as fast as he could. He did not stop before he got to Hell where he hid his loot in his iron vault behind seven locks. He thanked the man for his help and set him free together with his soul.

However, the foolhardy man had not foreseen the disaster he had inflicted upon the world and mankind: the clouds yielded no rain, everything withered in the lasting drought.

"In my recklessness and ignorance I have caused great misery to mankind. It is my duty to do my best and put things right," he thought, and tried hard to think of how to find a remedy for the disaster.

He went north to ask the advice of the famous Finnish wizard and told him what had happened.

The wizard said, "The first thing for us to do is to send word to the Thunderer immediately and inform him of the hiding-place of his horn. We may rely on it that he will find a way of retrieving his property."

The wizard sent the Northern Eagle to take a message to the Thunderer. Next morning the Thunderer came to express his thanks for setting him on the track of the thief.

Now the Thunderer changed himself into a small boy, went to a fisherman and entered into his service. He knew that the Devil was in the habit of stealing fish out of the fishermen's nets in the lake and there was every chance that he would meet him there. The boy kept his eye on the nets untiringly day and night. Still a long time passed before he encountered his enemy.

The fisherman had noticed long ago that sometimes his nets were quite empty when he pulled them out in the morning, but he did not know the reason for it. The boy was well aware who stole the fish but he kept it to himself. He expected to catch the thief red-handed.

On one moonlit night the fisherman and his boy rowed to the lake to check their nets, and it so happened that they saw the thief emptying their nets under water.

The next day the fisherman went to consult a famous wise man. He asked him to use his magic power so that the Devil was caught in his net the next time he came stealing, and could only be set free at the will of the fisherman. Everything went as the fisherman had expected. When the nets were pulled out they found the Devil in one of the nets and hauled him ashore.

Now the fisherman and his boy took the cudgels they had reserved for the purpose and started beating him with all their might. Soon the Devil looked an ugly sight with his blood-covered head swollen and his eyes bulging. Still the fisherman and his boy showed no mercy. From time to time they had a short rest and then started again.

When the Devil saw that he was given no mercy, he started bargaining and offered half of his riches, or even more if he were set free. The vengeful fisherman would not hear of any talks until he was so exhausted he could not raise his stick any more. When they had made their bargain, the Devil was released from the net. He suggested that the fisherman and his boy descend to Hell and collect the ransom immediately. Perhaps he expected to outwit them.

On his farm the Devil received his guests in the best style and a feast was held in their honour which lasted for a whole week. The host showed his guests the treasures in his vaults and his magic instruments, and ordered his musicians to play the most beautiful tunes for the entertainment of his guests.

One morning the boy whispered to his master, "If you are shown the treasures again, ask the Devil to display the trumpet he keeps under seven locks and keys in his vaults."

At mealtime when the men were getting boozy the fisherman came out with his wish to see the instrument. The Devil fetched it and tried to play it. He blew with all his might and manipulated the holes in the pipe, but try as he might, he only managed to produce some semblance of the sound of a cat's caterwaul.

The fisherman exclaimed laughing, "Don't tire yourself in vain. It is plain to me that you are a poor musician. My boy will certainly outdo you here."

"Listen to that talk," shouted the Devil, "you are wrong if you think that playing this trumpet is like blowing a willow whistle, which anyone can do. Come, come, have a try! If you or your boy can produce anything like a tune out of this trumpet my name will no longer be Devil. Here, have a try!"

The boy took the trumpet. Hardly had he raised it to his lips when the walls of Hell shook and the Devil with his family and servants dropped to the floor unconscious.

All of a sudden there stood the Thunderer in place of the boy beside the fisherman and said,

"In the days to come, your nets shall bring you a rich catch whenever I play my trumpet up in the clouds."

On his way home the Thunderer met the foolhardy man who fell on his knees and humbly begged to be forgiven. The Thunderer said,

"People are often short-sighted and in their recklessness they may sin against heavenly wisdom and prudence. You should thank your luck that I am in a position to erase the traces of misery that your foolishness has inflicted on the people."

So saying he seated himself on a boulder and blew the trumpet until the heavenly gates of rain opened and watered the parched ground. The Thunderer took the foolhardy man into his service and he is said to live with him to this day.

Jason Ladock

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