The one raven said, “Oh yes; I see that, but what good does it do him?”

And the other raven said, “It does him no good now, but if he were to go home again and strike on the great stone on the top of the hill back of Herr Axel’s house, then it would do him good; for in it lies a great treasure of silver and gold.”

Claus had picked up his ears at all this talk, you may be sure.  “See,” said he, “that is the way that a man will pass by a great fortune in the little world at home to seek for a little fortune in the great world abroad”—­which was all very true.  After that he lost no time in getting back home again.

“What! are you back again?” said Hans.

“Oh yes,” said Claus, “I am back again.”

“That is always the way with a pewter penny,” said Hans—­for that is how some of us are welcomed home after we have been away.

As for Claus, he was as full of thoughts as an egg is of meat, but he said nothing of them to Hans.  Off he went to the high hill back of Herr Axel’s house, and there, sure enough, was the great stone at the very top of the hill.

Claus struck on the stone with his oaken staff, and it opened like the door of a beer vault, for all was blackness within.  A flight of steps led down below, and down the steps Claus went.  But when he had come to the bottom of the steps, he stared till his eyes were like great round saucers; for there stood sacks of gold and silver, piled up like bags of grain in the malt-house.

[Illustration:  Claus and the Manikin]

At one end of the room was a great stone seat, and on the seat sat a little manikin smoking a pipe.  As for the beard of the little man, it was as long as he was short, for it hung down so far that part of it touched the stone floor.

“How do you find yourself, Claus?” said the little manikin, calling Claus by his name.

“So good!” said Claus, taking off his hat to the other.

“And what would you like to have, Claus?” said the little man.

“I would like,” said Claus, “to have some money, if you please.”

“Take what you want,” said the little man, “only do not forget to take the best with you.”

Oh no; Claus would not forget the best; so he held the staff tighter than ever in his fist—­for what could be better than the staff that brought him there?  So he went here and there, filling his pockets with the gold and silver money till they bulged out like the pockets of a thief in the orchard; but all the time he kept tight hold of his staff, I can tell you.

When he had as much as his pockets could hold, he thanked the little manikin and went his way, and the stone door closed behind him.

And now Claus lived like a calf in the green corn-field.  Everything he had was of the best, and he had twice as much of that as any of the neighbors.  Then how brother Hans stared and scratched his head and wondered, when he saw how Claus sat in the sun all day, doing nothing but smoking his pipe and eating of the best, as though he were a born prince!  Every day Claus went to the little man in the hill with his pockets empty, and came back with them stuffed with gold and silver money.  At last he had so much that he could not count it, and so he had to send over to brother Hans for his quart-pot, so that he might measure it.