A WORKMAN was felling wood by the side of a river when his axe dropped by accident into a deep pool. Through the mishap he had lost the means of his livelihood. He sat down on the bank and lamented his hard fate. An able diver appeared and wanted to know why he wept so loudly. After the man told his misfortune, the diver plunged into the stream. A little while later he brought up a golden axe and asked if that was the one he had lost.

“No it isn’t,” said the man.

The diver disappeared beneath the water a second time and returned with a silver axe.

“Is this your axe?” he asked again.

The workman said it was not. ******

Now the other dived into the pool for the third time and brought up the axe that had been lost.

“Yes, that’s the one, that’s my axe,” said the workman, and was glad that it had been recovered. The diver was pleased with his honesty, and gave him the golden and silver axes in addition to his own.

The workman returned to his house where he told his companions all that had happened. One of them at once decided to try and secure the same good fortune for himself. He ran to the river and threw his axe on purpose into the pool at the same place, and sat down on the bank to weep.

The able diver appeared to him too. Having learned why he grieved, he plunged into the stream and brought up a golden axe.

“Is this the one you lost?” he asked.

The workman seized it greedily and said, “That’s the one! Oh yes!”

The diver knew it was not, and got very displeased with his misbehavior. Thus, he not only took away the golden axe, but refused to look for the axe the other had thrown into the pool as well.

❖ When honesty is at stake, study things first-hand.