The narrator, Kompot, wakes up to find a dug hole under his house and multiple broken shovels. He reports this to the police, who are searching for a dangerous escaped convict in the village. Kompot joins the investigation and shares his theory that the convict must have hidden in an empty house, changed clothes, and blended in with the residents. The police agree and gather all residents for interrogation. Kompot identifies the convict and devises a plan to capture him using a bucket of water and dynamite. He successfully executes the plan, and the convict is caught. The police thank Kompot for his help, and he returns to his daily life as a village farmer.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Kompot, discovers a dug-up hole under his house with many broken iron shovels.
2. Kompot reports the incident to the police, who are investigating a particularly dangerous criminal who has escaped from prison.
3. The police show Kompot a photo of the escaped criminal and ask for his help in identifying the man.
4. Kompot notices that the window of a nearby resident's house is broken, and upon investigation, finds a prison robe in the house.
5. Kompot theorizes that the escaped criminal may have hidden in the house, changed into the resident's clothes, and is now disguising himself as a villager.
6. The police decide to gather all the residents and interrogate them to identify the imposter.
7. Kompot helps the police by using his knowledge of the village and its residents to identify the imposter.
8. The imposter is revealed to be a resident who was not previously known to Kompot.
9. Kompot comes up with a plan to distract the imposter and uses a smoke bomb to create a diversion.
10. The imposter is caught and the police thank Kompot for his help in solving the case.