On the third day the fool took an axe and set out for the wood. He arrived and demanded the money.
The birch tree groaned and groaned.
“No, countryman,” said the fool, “if you always put off everything till the morrow, I shall never get anything from you at all. I do not like joking, and I shall settle matters with you at once and for all.”
He took the axe and struck the tree, and the chips flew on all sides.
Now in the tree was a hollow, and in this hollow some robbers had hidden a bag of gold. The tree was split into two parts, and the fool saw a heap of red gold; and he gathered the gold together in a heap and took some of it home and showed it to his brothers.
And his brothers said to him:
“Where did you get such a lot of money, fool?”
“A countryman of mine gave it to me for my ox,” he said, “and there is still a great deal left. I could not bring half of it home. Let us go, brothers, and get the rest of it.”
They went into the wood and found the money, and brought it home.
“Now look you, fool,” said the clever brothers, “do not tell any one that we have so much money.”