One day the devil came to tempt this old man, but, as soon as he heard him, he opened his sack and said:
“Artchila murtchila! go into my sack!”
And the devil himself entered into the sack. He takes the sack with the devil in it to a blacksmith, and for a long time and very vigorously he pounded it with his sledgehammer.
When the old soldier died he went to Paradise. When he arrived there St. Peter appears, and says to him:
“Why are you standing there? And what are you asking for?”
“Paradise.”
“What! Paradise!! Did not you prefer to have a sack of gold when God gave you the choice? Be off from here. Be off to hell. There are the gates, there.”
Our old man, in deepest sadness, goes to the door of hell, and knocks; but as soon as the door was opened the devil recognised his soldier, and began to cry out:
“Don’t let him come in! Don’t let him come in! He will cause us too much trouble, and too many misfortunes. He is so very vicious!”
And he will not receive him; so he returns again to Paradise, and God commanded St. Peter to let this man enter who had been such a foe to the devil.