He saw the quantities of gold
"If I can only find my way home to tell my father about it, he will be a rich man!" he cried.
It was a long distance home and several times he thought that he had lost his way. Finally, however, he saw his own mother's light in the window. He ran toward it as fast as he could run.
"Manoel Littlebean, what have you been doing?" cried his mother when she saw him. "Where did you get so dirty? Come, let me give you a bath the first thing!"
"Never mind about the bath, mother," said Manoel. "I have more important things to attend to. Where is father?"
His mother called her husband and they both forgot how dirty the child was when they heard his story.
"Let us hurry to the robbers' cave, father," he said. "We must get there before they return."
"What about the wolf?" asked his mother anxiously.
Manoel Littlebean laughed.
"The wolf doesn't have any stomachache now," he said. "He went home long ago."
They went to the robbers' cave and brought home the huge sacks full of gold. It was enough to make them live like princes for a lifetime.
"I have the best and cleverest son in the world," said the father.
"Never in the world was there a son who was such a joy and comfort to his parents," said his mother.
Manoel Littlebean was treated by every one as politely as if he had been big.