Part 7 (1/2)

VII

THE WOODCUTTER AND HIS DONKEY

Once upon a time there was a poor woodcutter, and his work was to go out every day into the forest and cut wood. In the evening he used to load up his donkey with the wood he had cut and return to the town, where he sold it. The money he got each day was only sufficient for the food of himself and his wife for that day.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The woodcutter and his donkey]

They lived like that many months and many days, and they were very, very poor; till one day the woodcutter went out to the forest as usual to cut wood. As he was at work he looked up and saw a number of birds sitting on the top of a tree, with their beaks wide open. And there was a cloud of insects about the tree, and they fell into the birds' mouths.

Then the woodcutter said to himself, ”Behold these birds, they sit on the top of a tree with their mouths open, and G.o.d feeds them by bringing insects to fall into their mouths. They do not have to work or even to move from their perch; they just open their mouths and are fed. Why should I have to work hard all day and then only get just enough to eat?

Why should not G.o.d feed me like that?”

So he loaded up his donkey with the wood he had already cut and returned to the town. When he reached his house he went in and got into bed.

His wife went out and sold the wood, and then bought some food and returned home. When she found her husband in bed she said, ”My husband, are you ill?”

He replied, ”No, my wife, I am waiting for G.o.d to feed me as I saw Him feed the birds to-day.”

So she cooked the food and then called to him, ”The food is ready, my husband.”

He replied, ”No. To-day I saw that G.o.d fed the birds without them having to move. They just opened their mouths and the food dropped in, so now I am not going to move out of bed, but am just going to wait here in bed to be fed also.”

So his wife brought his food in to him there in bed and he ate and slept. Next morning his wife said to him, ”Arise, my husband, for it is time that you went to work.”

He replied, ”No, I am not going to work; I am just going to stop here in bed and wait to be fed.”

His wife said, ”But, my husband, we have no food and no money in the house. What are we to do if you do not go and work?”

He answered, ”Never mind. G.o.d is able to feed the birds when they are hungry, and so He is able to feed me.”

So he stopped there in bed. Now a neighbour of his had a vision that night that in a certain cave was a great treasure stored. He wanted to go and search for it, and when he heard that the woodcutter was not going to work that day he thought that he would borrow his donkey to bring back the wealth, if his vision came true.

So he came to borrow the donkey; but as he was a very mean man he did not want to tell of his vision or for what purpose he wanted the donkey.

He knocked at the door, and the wife came and opened it, and he asked to see the woodcutter.

The wife went to call her husband, but he said, ”Tell him to come in here; I will not get up.”

So the neighbour came in and asked the woodcutter to lend him his donkey, and said, ”If I have a prosperous journey I will give you a few coppers.”

The woodcutter agreed, and he took the donkey and went to the place about which he had dreamed. There he found the cave, and when he entered he saw piles of money, gold, silver and copper.

So he gathered up first all the gold and then all the silver and filled the donkey's saddle-bags, till at last they would hold no more.

He was loth to leave the copper, so he left the donkey outside the cave and went back and began to stuff his clothes with the copper coins.

Whilst he was doing this the mouth of the cave fell in, and he was unable to get out.

The donkey waited and waited till at last, when evening was near, seeing no one coming, it set off and returned home, and came to the door of the house. The wife heard a noise at the door and said, ”My husband, there is some one at the door; get up and open it to see who it is.”