Er tin tin, (Once upon a time) there were two friends, Jauw and Kwakoe, who thought very much of each other. Where any one saw Jauw, he would be sure to find Kwakoe; and where any one saw Kwakoe, he would be sure to find Jauw; they were inseparable. Even at night they went to bed together; and if one of them should fall asleep first, the other would lie quietly beside him until he, too, fell asleep.

Well, one night the two friends went to bed as usual, and it happened that Jauw fell asleep first. Kwakoe, who was lying with his face toward Jauw, was greatly surprised to see a mouse come out of Jauw's nose and noiselessly leave the hut. Kwakoe wanted to find out more about this wonderful animal, for he knew that it could not be an ordinary mouse; so he got up quickly and followed the little beast.

The mouse moved stealthily in the dark shadows, took the road, and entered the forest, through which it led the way to a giant kankantri whose trunk was completely hidden in a tangle of boesi-tetei [1] that hung about it. Cautiously the mouse looked around, and, swiftly climbing up one of the bush-ropes, disappeared between the clumps of boesi-nanasi [2] that grew thickly upon the branches of the big tree. But Kwakoe, from behind a near-by bush, had seen everything, and patiently he awaited the mouse's return.

Well, after a long time the mouse again made its appearance from among the mass of boesi-nanasi, came down the same bush-rope, and returned to the village by the same road. The strange little animal went straight to the hut of the two friends, entered cautiously, and ran quickly into Jauw's nose before Kwakoe, who had followed it, had a chance to grab it.

As soon as the mouse had vanished, Jauw awoke with a yawn, stretched himself lazily, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, saying to his friend, "Kwakoe, man, I dreamed a wonderful dream, which I shall not soon forget. Ka, [3] but a man's head can take him to strange places!"

Kwakoe, curious to know if Jauw's dream could have any connection with what he had just seen, asked him to tell him about it; so Jauw proceeded to relate his dream: — "Well, then, friend Kwakoe, I dreamed that I quietly left the hut, followed the road a ways, and entered the forest. And I walked until I came to a big kankantri all covered with boesi-tetei and boesi-nanasi. I looked around to make sure that nobody was watching, and then I climbed up one of the bush-ropes. Hidden between the branches I discovered a great, big box, — so big that I could easily enter it through the keyhole. And what do you think I found in the box, Kwakoe? It was full of gold money, — just gold money, nothing else but gold money. Baja, [4] I was surprised. Happy to think that you and I would not have to work any more, I spent a long time counting the money. Then I crawled out of the box through the keyhole. I wanted to take the box back with me, but it was too heavy; so I decided to go home and get you to help me cut down the kankantri. I slid down the same bush-rope, and came home to tell you all about it. But you know how it is with dreams, Kwakoe. As soon as I entered the hut, I awoke. Ka, but a man's head can take him to strange places!"

Kwakoe, who had listened with great interest while Jauw related his dream, asked, "Do you think, friend Jauw, that you would recognize the kankantri if you should see it again?"

"Certainly I would," replied Jauw, "never before in my life have I seen such a big kankantri, or one so completely covered with boesi-tetei and boesi-nanasi. But why do you ask me that, Kwakoe?"

Thereupon Kwakoe told Jauw that it was his plan to search for the kankantri, and that Jauw would do better to get up and help grind the axes, so that they would have no difficulty in cutting down the tree which he thought they would have no trouble in finding. But Jauw, who knew nothing of the mouse in his own head, laughed at Kwakoe, saying that he had no desire to get up so early in the morning for the purpose of sharpening axes to cut down a kankantri he had never really seen, and that he could not see how an intelligent man like Kwakoe could put so much faith in dreams.

Then Kwakoe told Jauw that he did not believe in dreams, either, but that this was no ordinary dream; and he related to Jauw his experience with the wonderful mouse.

Jauw was amazed at what Kwakoe told him, but he was sure that Kwakoe would not tell him a lie; so he consented to go out and help sharpen the axes.

At daybreak the two friends entered the forest, and soon they came to the giant kankantri into which the mouse had climbed during the night.

As soon as Jauw saw the big tree all covered with boesi-tetei and boesi-nanasi, he exclaimed, "Kwakoe, this is the kankantri I saw in my dream. It can be no other."

Kwakoe and Jauw now went to work with their axes. It was not an easy matter to cut down such an enormous tree; but the thought of finding the treasure in its branches spurred them on, and at last the forest giant tottered and crashed down with a noise like thunder. And, sure enough, from its branches fell a large box. As it struck the ground, it broke open from the force of its own weight, and the bright gold pieces which Jauw had seen in his dream scattered and rolled over the ground. The two friends, in their joy, embraced each other, and declared that the mouse which had come out of Jauw's nose must have been his good spirit.

"Ka!" exclaimed Kwakoe, "it was a good thing for you that I did not catch the mouse when I tried, or you would be a dead man now."

Kwakoe and Jauw gathered up their treasure and carried it safely home. They celebrated by giving a great feast, to which everybody in the village was invited. At the feast they made it known how they came into possession of the golden treasure. They spent their money so freely, that the gold coins soon spread over the whole world and became known to every one; for I must tell you that before Kwakoe

and Jauw found their treasure, gold coins were not known to any one on earth.