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what was the matter. As soon as Shiro saw his master he ran to
meet him, wagging his tail, and, seizing the end of his kimono,
dragged him under a large yenoki tree. Here he began to dig
very industriously with 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,
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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 treas-
ure. He began to think that he, too, would like to find a for-
tune. 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 tor-
menting him whenever the dog crossed his path. But the good
old man was too kind-hearted to refuse his neighbor, so he con-
sented 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 the horrid old man's grasp.
The old man was very pleased when he saw the dog begin to
scratch and dig, for he at once supposed that some gold coins
lay buried under his tree as well as under his neighbor's, and
that the dog had scented them as before; so pushing Shiro
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away he began to dig himself, but there was nothing to be
found. As he went on digging a foul smell was noticeable, and
he at last came upon a refuse heap.
The old man's disgust can be imagined. This soon gave way
to anger. He had seen his neighbor's good fortune, and hoping
for the same luck himself, he had borrowed the dog Shiro; and
now, just as he seemed on the point of finding what he sought,
only a horrid smelling refuse heap had rewarded him for a
morning's digging. Instead of blaming his own greed for his
disappointment, he blamed the poor dog. He seized his spade,
and with all his strength struck Shiro and killed him on the
spot. He then threw the dog's body into the hole which he had
dug in the hope of finding a treasure of gold coins, and covered
it over with the earth. Then he returned to the house, telling no
one, not even his wife, what he had done.
After waiting several days, as the dog Shiro did not return,
his master began to grow anxious. Day after day went by and
the good old man waited in vain. Then he went to his neighbor
and asked him to give him back his dog. Without any shame or
hesitation, the wicked neighbor answered that he had killed
Shiro because of his bad behavior. At this dreadful news
Shiro's master wept many sad and bitter tears. Great indeed,
was his woful surprise, but he was too good and gentle to re-
proach his bad neighbor. Learning that Shiro was buried under
the yenoki tree in the field, he asked the old man to give him
the tree, in remembrance of his poor dog Shiro.
Even the cross old neighbor could not refuse such a simple
request, so he consented to give the old man the tree under
which Shiro lay buried. Shiro's master then cut the tree down
and carried it home. Out of the trunk he made a mortar. In this
his wife put some rice, and he began to pound it with the inten-
tion of making a festival to the memory of his dog Shiro.
A strange thing happened! His wife put the rice into the mor-
tar, and no sooner had he begun to pound it to make the cakes,
than it began to increase in quantity gradually till it was about
five times the original amount, and the cakes were turned out
of the mortar as if an invisible hand were at work.
When the old man and his wife saw this, they understood
that it was a reward to them from Shiro for their faithful love
to him. They tasted the cakes and found them nicer than any
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other food. So from this time they never troubled about food,
for they lived upon the cakes with which the mortar never
ceased to supply them.
The greedy neighbor, hearing of this new piece of good luck,
was filled with envy as before, and called on the old man and
asked leave to borrow the wonderful mortar for a short time,
pretending that he, too, sorrowed for the death of Shiro, and
wished to make cakes for a festival to the dog's memory.
The old man did not in the least wish to lend it to his cruel
neighbor, but he was too kind to refuse. So the envious man
carried home the mortar, but he never brought it back.
Several days passed, and Shiro's master waited in vain for
the mortar, so he went to call on the borrower, and asked him
to be good enough to return the mortar if he had finished with
it. He found him sitting by a big fire made of pieces of wood.
On the ground lay what looked very much like pieces of a
broken mortar. In answer to the old man's inquiry, the wicked
neighbor answered haughtily:
"Have you come to ask me for your mortar? I broke it to
pieces, and now I am making a fire of the wood, for when I
tried to pound cakes in it only some horrid smelling stuff came
out."
The good old man said:
"I am very sorry for that. It is a great pity you did not ask me
for the cakes if you wanted them. I would have given you as
many as ever you wanted. Now please give me the ashes of the
mortar, as I wish to keep them in remembrance of my dog."
The neighbor consented at once, and the old man carried
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