two
governors. At the full of the moon on such and such a day, at such and
such an hour, the same devil will come for your Highness and carry you
off to hell."

The duke pretended to be unconcerned but in his heart he was deeply
shaken. The voice of the astrologer sounded to him like the voice of
judgment and for the first time conscience began to trouble him.

As for the governors, they couldn't eat a bite of food and were
carried from the palace half dead with fright. They piled their
ill-gotten wealth into wagons and rode away to their castles, where
they barred all the doors and windows in order to keep the devil out.

The duke reformed. He gave up his evil ways and corrected the abuses
of state in the hope of averting if possible his cruel fate.

The poor shepherd had no inkling of any of these things. He tended his
flocks from day to day and never bothered his head about the
happenings in the great world.

Suddenly one day the devil appeared before him and said: "I have
come, my friend, to repay you for your kindness. When the moon is in
its first quarter, I was to carry off the former governors of this
land because they robbed the poor and gave the duke evil counsel.
However, they're behaving themselves now so they're to be given
another chance. But they don't know this. Now on such and such a day
do you go to the first castle where a crowd of people will be
assembled. When a cry goes up and the gates open and I come dragging
out the governor, do you step up to me and say: 'What do you mean by
this? Get out of here or there'll be trouble!' I'll pretend to be
greatly frightened and make off. Then ask the governor to pay you two
bags of gold, and if he haggles just threaten to call me back. After
that go on to the castle of the second governor and do the same thing
and demand the same pay. I warn you, though, be prudent with the money
and use it only for good. When the moon is full, I'm to carry off the
duke himself, for he was so wicked that he's to have no second chance.
So don't try to save him, for if you do you'll pay for it with your
own skin. Don't forget!"

The shepherd remembered carefully everything the devil told him. When
the moon was in its first quarter he went to the first castle. A great
crowd of people was gathered outside waiting to see the devil carry
away the governor.

Suddenly there was a loud cry of despair, the gates of the castle
opened, and there was the devil, as black as night,