Another of his queer ways was to try and puzzle any one he met by asking him all sorts of strange questions, such as how many stars there were in the sky, how many drops of water in the sea, and so forth. He did puzzle a good many people in this way, but once or twice he got an answer quite as smart as his questions, and that was just what he liked.
One day a soldier came to him with a dispatch, and Suvoroff, seeing that he was quite a young, simple-looking fellow, thought it would be good fun to try his hand upon him.
"How many fish are there in the sea?" he asked.
"Just exactly as many as haven't been caught yet," answered the lad at once.
The General was rather taken aback, but he went on, nevertheless:
"If you were in a besieged town, without food, how would you supply yourself?"
"From the enemy."
"How far is it from here to the moon?"
"Two of your Excellency's forced marches."
Suvoroff smiled and looked pleased, for he was very proud of being able to move his men so quickly, and had won many a victory by it.