回到家后，农夫把他的经历一五一十地告诉了他的朋友。其中有一个人非常羡慕农夫的好运气，就想照样试一试。于是他也拿了一把斧头在河边砍柴，故意将斧头丢入河中，然后装出很伤心的样子放声大哭。没过多久，赫耳墨斯果然出现了。听了他的不幸经历后，赫耳墨斯马上就潜到水中为他寻找斧头。一会儿之后，赫耳墨斯拿着一把金斧头上来了。那人一看就使劲点头，兴奋地大叫这正是他的斧头。赫耳墨斯对他的贪婪非常失望，不仅没有把金斧头送给他，还把他原先的那把也没收了。
诚实就是最有效的策略。
A Workman，felling wood by the side of a river，let his axe drop-by accident into a deep pool. Being thus deprived of the means of his livelihood，he sat down on the bank and lamented his hard fate. Mercury appeared and demanded the cause of his tears. After he told him his misfortune，Mercury plunged into the stream，and，bringing up a golden axe，inquired if that were the one he had lost. On his saying that it was not his，Mercury disappeared beneath the water a second time，returned with a silver axe in his hand，and again asked the Workman if it were his. When the Workman said it was not，he dived into the pool for the third time and brought up the axe that had been lost. The Workman claimed it and expressed his joy at its recovery. Mercury，pleased with his honesty，gave him the golden and silver axes in addition to his own.