here once lived a simple woodcutter who was renowned for his honesty. He made his living cutting wood in the forest to bring to the town to sell, earning just enough money to keep him and his home. Though he was not rich, he was contented with his life.

One day as he was walking alongside a river carrying back his day's labors, his ax slipped from his hands to fall into the swift-flowing waters. As the man did not know how to swim, he was afraid to approach the waters to retrieve his ax. In despair, the poor woodcutter began to wail and cry as he thought his ax lost forever, and that he would now be reduced to a beggar as he could not afford to buy another ax for himself.

Now it just so happens that in this river lived a spirit who was mightily disturbed by the wailing and moaning beside his abode. So with some curiosity, the spirit rose out of the waters to see what was happening and to end the crying.

Upon seeing the spirit, the woodcutter hurriedly prostrated himself on the banks of the river in fear. But he was fortunate that this river spirit was kindly and asked why he was so sad.

"O Great River Spirit, I was careless and lost my ax in your waters. Now, I have no means to be a woodcutter anymore, and I am sure to lose my home and starve because I cannot work to keep myself."

eeling some pity for him, and really having no desire to continue to listen to the wailing, the spirit spoke to the man. "If I return your ax to you, will you stop crying and leave me in peace?"

"If you will, I would be most grateful, Master."

So the river spirit dived back into his waters and shortly he came up carrying an ax made of gold.

"Does this belong to you?"

The woodcutter shook his head. "Alas, no, Master. That is not my ax."

"But is it not finer than your ax? Why don't you take it?"

The woodcutter put his hands behind his back and shook his head sorrowfully. "No, Master. It is not mine and I will not take it.
Please look again."

So the river spirit dived back into his waters again and shortly he came up carrying an ax made of silver.

"Does this belong to you?"

Again the woodcutter shook his head. "Alas, no, Master. That is not my ax."

"But this is much finer than your ax. Why don't you take it?"

he woodcutter again put his hands behind his back and shook his head. "No, Master. It is not mine and I will not take it. My ax is but a simple thing made of wood and iron; will you please look again?"

Again, the river spirit dived into the waters, and he emerged a third time. This time he carried with him a plain ax made of wood and iron.

The woodcutter, upon seeing this, joyfully stretched forth his hands to receive his old tool. "Yes, Master. That is my old ax which I so carelessly dropped into your waters. Thank you for retrieving it."

Now the river spirit was so impressed by the woodcutter's honesty, he generously pressed the man to accept the ax made of gold and the ax made of silver. Happily, the woodcutter returned home carrying his riches and his plain old ax.

As he neared his home, a neighbor accosted him. "Where did you get all that gold and silver?"

"It was given to me by the river spirit," the woodcutter told his neighbor, and related the entire story to him.

Now this neighbor was a man filled with greed and he was immediately jealous of the woodcutter's good fortune. So he was determined that he should also gain for himself the riches offered by the river spirit. The next day, this neighbor purposely went to the river and threw his ax into the swift-flowing waters. Then he began to wail and cry over its loss.

s the woodcutter had told him, the river spirit came out of the waters and the neighbor immediately prostrated himself on the banks of the river.

"Why are you crying?"

"O Great Spirit, I have lost my ax in your waters and my livelihood is lost with it as well."

Feeling some pity for him, the spirit spoke to the man. "If I return your ax to you, will you stop crying and leave me in peace?"

"If you will, I would be most grateful, Master."

So the river spirit dived into his waters and shortly he came up carrying an ax made of gold. "Does this belong to you?"

The man's eyes filled with greed at seeing this ax made of solid gold. Forgetting all that the woodcutter said about honesty, he immediately stretched his hands forth. "Yes, Master. Yes, it is mine."

The river spirit only sneered at him, threw the golden ax back into his waters, and dove after it. No matter how much the greedy neighbor wailed and moaned, the river spirit refused to appear again and the man was forced to depart with nothing to show for the loss of an ax.