chest with you. I won’t keep it another hour in the house. Who knows that he isn’t in there still?’
Little Klaus gave the farmer his sack with the dry skin, and got instead a good bushelful of money. The farmer also gave him a wheelbarrow to carry away his money and the chest. ‘Farewell,’ said Little Klaus; and away he went with his money and the big chest, wherein sat the sexton.
On the other side of the wood was a large deep river. The water flowed so rapidly that you could scarcely swim against the stream.
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A great new bridge had been built over it, on the middle of which Little Klaus stopped, and said aloud so that the sexton might hear:
‘Now, what am I to do with this stupid chest? It is as heavy as if it were filled with stones! I shall only be tired, dragging it along; I will throw it into the river. If it swims home to me, well and good; and if it doesn’t, it’s no matter.’
Then he took the chest with one hand and lifted it up a little, as if he were going to throw it into the water,
