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.
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.
‘No, don’t do that!’ called out the sexton in the chest. ‘Let me get out first!’
‘Oh, oh!’ said Little Klaus, pretending that he was afraid. ‘He is still in there! I must throw him quickly into the water to drown him!’
‘Oh! no, no!’ cried the sexton. ‘I will give you a whole bushelful of money if you will let me go!’
‘Ah, that’s quite another thing!’ said Little Klaus, opening the chest. The sexton crept out very quickly, pushed the empty chest into the water and went to his house, where he gave Little Klaus a bushel of money. One he had had already from the farmer, and now he had his wheelbarrow full of money.
‘Well, I have got a good price for the horse!’ said he to himself when he shook all his money out in a heap in his room. ‘This will put Big Klaus in a rage when he hears how rich I have become through my one horse; but I won’t tell him just yet!’
So he sent a boy to Big Klaus to borrow a bushel measure from him.