Pacts with the Devil
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos)
082. The Generous Devil (El Diablo Generoso)
A gentleman had a large estate which lacked irrigation, and this left him with nothing but losses in dry years (e.g. droughts).
In the neighboring farm lived another landowner who was madly in love with the wife of the first, whom he courted in secret from her husband and constantly told her to elope with him. She replied that she would never abandon her spouse, because she was a Christian and would never disregard her duties, and moreover her husband was an excellent person and was very kind to her.
But the man pursued her for a long time, and the woman, in order to get rid of him, promised him that if he’d provide abundant water to her husband’s estate and equip it with mills in a single night, then she would do what he wanted. Then the man reached out to the Devil and told him that if in the [course of one] night he could complete what the neighboring woman had requested of him, he would give him his soul within a year. The Devil promised him that he would do so, and pricking a vein, he drew blood and made him sign a warrant to seal the pact.
At midnight a great noise was heard on the husband’s estate, who woke his wife and asked her: -“Did you hear that noise? What could it be?” -and she replied: -“I don’t know, nor can I think what it could be.”- The husband got up to see what was the cause of the noise, and he found that his estate had a complete installation of working mills in motion, and with abundant water flowing through numerous irrigation ditches which did not exist previously. He returned to the bedroom and again asked his wife what these meant, and he was so insistent with his questions that at last he got the truth out of her. Then he made her go to the suitor’s house to fulfill her promise.
The woman arrived at the latter’s house crying and told him how her husband ordered her to carry out her promise. The gentleman told her:
“Is your husband that honorable? I will not be less honorable than him; I respect what you have done, you can leave”.
At that moment the Devil arrived and asked the landowner if he was happy [with the results], and he told him that since the woman’s husband was so honorable that he had not allowed his wife to go back on her words, he had not dared to touch her and had told her to go back home.
The Devil then said: -“So that’s how things are? These two will not be more gentlemanly than I am. Here, take our sealed pact.” Then he disappeared.
Everyone was happy: the gentleman in love, free from his criminal desire; the husband, with his wife; and the estate, with good irrigation and [working] windmills.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Carecer – (to be without; used with “de”) to lack, to not have
Riego – (agriculture) irrigation (by means of channels or sprinkler), watering (by sprinkler or with a watering can); (medicine) circulation (of blood)
Hacendado – (property owner) landowner; (cattle raiser) rancher, landowner; (that has land and money) land-owning, property-owning, landed (formal)
Dotar – (to supply with; used with “de” or “con”) to equip with, to provide with, to endow with; (to grant the gift of; used with “de” or “con”) to endow with, to bless with; (to supply with a dowry) to give a dowry to
Molino – (factory) mill; (machine) grinder, mill
Imponer – (to implement) to impose, to set, to enforce; (to force to be accepted) to impose, to instill, to make compulsory; (to tax) to levy, to put; (to award) to confer; (to bank) (Spain) to deposit; (religious) to lay; (to pay into Social Security) (Chile) to contribute to Social Security; (to command respect or admiration) to be imposing; (to be critical) to be necessary, to be needed, to be imperative
Picar – (to be hurt by an animal) to sting, to bite, to peck at (birds); (to snack on) to eat, to nibble on; (to divide into pieces) to chop, to mince, to grind, to cut, to crush (ice); (mining) to break up (in big pieces), to chip (in small pieces); (to perforate) to punch; (to antagonize) to needle; (horse racing) to spur on; (bullfighting) to goad, to prod; (music) to play staccato; (to deteriorate) to rot, to corrode, to rust (metal); (computing) to key in; (to irritate) to itch; (to be peppery) to be hot, to be spicy, to burn; (to be hurt by an animal) to bite, to peck (birds); (to eat) to nibble; (to hook) to take the bait, to bite, to fall for it; (to scorch) to burn; (sports) to bounce; (automobile) to knock, to pink; (to leave) to split
Cédula – (identification) document, identity card; (finance) warrant, bond
En movimiento – moving, in motion, on the move, on the go