h his paws, yelping
with joy all the time. The old man, unable to understand what it all
meant, stood looking on in bewilderment. But Shiro went on barking and
digging with all his might.

The thought that something might be hidden beneath the tree, and that
the dog had scented it, at last struck the old man. He ran back to the
house, fetched his spade and began to dig the ground at that spot. What
was his astonishment when, after digging for some time, he came upon a
heap of old and valuable coins, and the deeper he dug the more gold
coins did he find. So intent was the old man on his work that he never
saw the cross face of his neighbor peering at him through the bamboo
hedge. At last all the gold coins lay shining on the ground. Shiro sat
by erect with pride and looking fondly at his master as if to say, "You
see, though only a dog, I can make some return for all the kindness you
show me."

The old man ran in to call his wife, and together they carried home the
treasure. Thus in one day the poor old man became rich. His gratitude
to the faithful dog knew no bounds, and he loved and petted him more
than ever, if that were possible.

The cross old neighbor, attracted by Shiro's barking, had been an
unseen and envious witness of the finding of the treasure. He began to
think that he, too, would like to find a fortune. So a few days later
he called at the old man's house and very ceremoniously asked
permission to borrow Shiro for a short time.

Shiro's master thought this a strange request, because he knew quite
well that not only did his neighbor not love his pet dog, but that he
never lost an opportunity of striking and tormenting him whenever the
dog crossed his path. But the good old man was too kind-hearted to
refuse his neighbor, so he consented to lend the dog on condition that
he should be taken great care of.

The wicked old man returned to his home with an evil smile on his face,
and told his wife how he had succeeded in his crafty intentions. He
then took his spade and hastened to his own field, forcing the
unwilling Shiro to follow him. As soon as he reached a yenoki tree, he
said to the dog, threateningly:

"If there were gold coins under your master's tree, there must also be
gold coins under my tree. You must find them for me! Where are they?
Where? Where?"

And catching hold of Shiro's neck he held the dog's head to the ground,
so that Shiro began to scratch and dig in order to free himself from