"Won't that do?" asked he after a while.
"No," said the soldier, "harder still."
And again the blows hailed on the knapsack.
"That's enough," said the soldier at last. "I'll come to you again, if it's necessary."
Then he took the knapsack on his shoulder, and went back to the town, where he pitched the Devil out of the knapsack in the middle of the street.
The Devil was crushed as flat as a mushroom. He could hardly stand on his legs. It had never gone so ill with him before; but the soldier had money enough and to spare, and there was some left over for his heirs.
When he died and arrived in the other world, he went to hell and knocked at the door.
The Devil peeped through the door to see who it was, and yelled out, "No, no, you scamp, you're not wanted here; you may go wherever you like, but you won't get in here."
So the soldier went to the Old God, and told him how it had fared with him. He replied, "Stay here now; there's plenty of room for soldiers."
Since that time the Devil has admitted no more soldiers into hell.