A certain man had a donkey that had served him faithfully for many
long years, but whose strength was so far gone that at last he was
quite unfit for work. So his master began to consider how much he
could make of the donkey's skin, but the beast, perceiving that no
good wind was blowing, ran away along the road to Bremen. "There,"
thought he, "I can be town musician." When he had run some way, he
found a hound lying by the roadside, yawning like one who was very
tired. "What are you yawning for now, you big fellow?" asked the ass.
"Ah," replied the hound, "because every day I grow older and weaker; I
cannot go any more to the hunt, and my master has well-nigh beaten me
to death, so that I took to flight; and now I do not know how to earn
my bread."
"Well, do you know," said the ass, "I am going to Bremen, to be town
musician there; suppose you go with me and take a share in the music.
I will play on the lute, and you shall beat the kettledrums." The dog
was satisfied, and off they set.
Presently they came to a cat, sitting in the middle of the path, with
a face like three rainy days! "Now, then, old shaver, what has crossed
you?" asked the ass.
"How can one be merry when one's neck has been pinched like mine?"
answered the cat. "Because I am growing old, and my teeth are all worn
to stumps, and because I would rather sit by the fire and spin, than
run after mice, my mistress wanted to drown me; and so I ran away. But
now good advice is dear, and I do not know what to do."
"Go with us to Bremen. You understand nocturnal music, so you can
be town musician." The cat consented, and went with them. The three
vagabonds soon came near a farmyard, where, upon the barn door, the
cock was sitting crowing with all his might. "You crow through marrow
and bone," said the ass; "what do you do that for?"
"That is the way I prophesy fine weather," said the cock; "but because
grand guests are coming for the Sunday, the housewife has no pity, and
has told the cook-maid to make me into soup for the morrow; and this
evening my head will be cut off. Now I am crowing with a full throat
as long as I can."
"Ah, but you, Red-comb," replied the ass, "rather come away with us.
We are going to Bremen, to find there something better than death;
you have a good voice, and if we make music together it will have full
play."
The cock consented to this plan, and so all four traveled on together.
They could not, however, reach Bremen in one day, and at evening they
came into a forest, where they meant to pass the night. The ass and
the dog laid themselves down under a large tree, the cat and the cock
climbed up into the branches, but the latter flew right to the top,
where he was most safe. Before he went to sleep he looked all round
the four quarters, and soon thought he saw a little spark in the
distance; so, calling his companions, he said they were not far from
a house, for he saw a light. The ass said: "If it is so, we had better
get up and go farther, for the pasturage here is very bad"; and the
dog continued: "Yes, indeed! a couple of bones with some meat on would
be very acceptable!" So they made haste toward the spot where the
light was, and which shone now brighter and brighter, until they came
to a well-lighted robber's cottage. The ass, as the biggest, went to
the window and peeped in. "What do you see, Gray-horse?" asked the
cock. "What do I see?" replied the ass; "a table laid out with savory
meats and drinks, with robbers sitting around enjoying themselves."
"That would be the right sort of thing for us," said the cock.
"Yes, yes, I wish we were there," replied the ass. Then these animals
took counsel together how they should contrive to drive away the
robbers, and at last they thought of a way. The ass placed his
forefeet upon the window ledge, the hound got on his back, the cat
climbed up upon the dog, and, lastly, the cock flew up and perched
upon the head of the cat. When this was accomplished, at a given
signal they commenced together to perform their music: the ass brayed,
the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock crew; and they made such
a tremendous noise, and so loud, that the panes of the window were
shivered! Terrified at these unearthly sounds, the robbers got up with
great precipitation, thinking nothing less than that some spirits had
come, and fled off into the forest, so the four companions immediately
sat down at the table, and quickly ate up all that was left, as if
they had been fasting for six weeks.
As soon as they had finished, they extinguished the light, and each
sought for himself a sleeping-place, according to his nature and
custom. The ass laid himself down upon some straw, the hound behind
the door, the cat upon the hearth, near the warm ashes, and the cock
flew up on a beam which ran across the room. Weary with their long
walk, they soon went to sleep.
At midnight the robbers perceived from their retreat that no light was
burning in their house, and all appeared quiet; so the captain said:
"We need not have been frightened into fits"; and, calling one of the
band, he sent him forward to reconnoiter. The messenger, finding
all still, went into the kitchen to strike a light, and, taking the
glistening, fiery eyes of the cat for live coals, he held a
lucifer match to them, expecting it to take fire. But the cat, not
understanding the joke, flew in his face, spitting and scratching,
which dreadfully frightened him, so that he made for the back door;
but the dog, who laid there, sprang up and bit his leg; and as he
limped upon the straw where the ass was stretched out, it gave him
a powerful kick with its hind foot. This was not all, for the cock,
awaking at the noise, clapped his wings, and cried from the beam:
"Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-do!"
Then the robber ran back as well as he could to his captain, and said:
"Ah, my master, there dwells a horrible witch in the house, who spat
on me and scratched my face with her long nails; and then before the
door stands a man with a knife, who chopped at my leg; and in the yard
there lies a black monster, who beat me with a great wooden club; and
besides all, upon the roof sits a judge, who called out, 'Bring the
knave up, do!' so I ran away as fast as I could."
After this the robbers dared not again go near their house; but
everything prospered so well with the four town musicians of Bremen,
that they did not forsake their situation! And there they are to this
day, for anything I know.
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