Guno and Koyo

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• Everywhere in Java, Sumatra and
Celebes, the people know of two
men named Guno and Koyo. The
name Guno means “Helpful” and
Guno is really a very unhelpful
man; and while Koyo’s name
means “rich”, Koyo in fact never
has any money at all. Whatever he
manages to get his hands on, Guno
the “Helpful”, one helps him lose.
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• It is said that one time Guno
persuaded Koyo to go with him to
rob an Old Hadji. They crept in the
night to the old man’s house and
began to dig a hole under the wall.
When the hole was large enough
for a man to enter, Guno crawled
through. He silently gathered the
valuables of the sleeping Hadji and
handed them neatly on the
ground.
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• As Guno prepared to go out, he saw
the Hadji’s colorful robe hanging on a
peg. He took the robe down and
dressed himself in it. He said to
himself: “I will soil my new robe if I
crawl out the way I came in.” So
instead of going through the hole, he
went to the door, unlocked it and
stepped out.
• Koyo, expecting Guno to appear
though the hole, was startled. Seeing
the dignified robe figure coming out
of the door, he thought it was the
Hadji, and that Guno was still inside.
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• And leaving the file of loot where
he had placed it on the ground, he
began to run. Guno, thinking the
Hadji was behind him, hastily
threw his new robe away and fled
after Koyo.

• Because the two of them made so

much noise fleeing through the
village, the neighbors were
awakened, and they came out with
sticks and sickles to pursue them.
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• Guno and Koyo ran across the open fields
until they came panting to the edge of the
river.
• “Indeed the river is flooded'” Koyo said.

• “No, it certainly is not flooded,” Guno said.

“If it were in flood it would be muddy and
dark. But it is so clear you can almost see
the bottom.”

• Koyo looked. It was true. Faintly in the

starlight, he could see the rocks on the
bottom of the river.
• “Well,” he said nervously, “you go first and
tell me how it is.” So Guno held his breath,
and leaped from the rocky ledge.
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But the riverbed was dry, there was no water at all, and Guno
fell into the ground and stones below.

As he lay there in great surprise, he heard Koyo shouting to him

from the ledge:

“How is it? How is it?”

Guno was embarrassed. So he began to make swimming motion

with his hands and legs as he lay on the bottom of the river bed,
and he called out.

“It’s fine below, don’t you see me?”

So Koyo, too, took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and
leaped from the ledge. He landed next to Guno, sprawling on
the ground.