Once upon a time, a man had an ass, which was now so old that he was not able to work.
Then the master said he would take off the skin and sell it. But, when the ass heard him say this, he ran away along the road to a large town not far off. "There," he thought, "I can be one of the town band."He had not gone far when he saw a dog lying by the side of the road.
"What is the matter with you, old fellow?" said the ass.
"Ah !" replied the dog, "every day I grow older and weaker. My master beats me, and now he has turned me out, and I do not know how to get my living.""Well," said the ass, "I am going to town to join the town band. Come along and help me. You shall play the drum." The dog agreed, and off they went.
Soon they came to a cat sitting in the middle of the path and looking very unhappy.
"Now Tom," said the ass, " why do you look so glum?""Why? Because I am too old to catch mice, and so my mistress tried to drown me this morning. I ran away, and here I am; but I do not know what to do.""Come with me to the town. You can make music at night, I know."The cat agreed; and the three went on together.
Soon they came to a farm-yard; and there was a rooster sitting on the fence, and crowing with all his might.
"Now, old Red-comb," said the ass, "why do you crow so loud?""To-morrow the cook is going to cut off my head and make broth out of me.""Is she? You had better come with us. We are going to the town to be in the band, and your voice will do very well."So they all four went on together. But, as they could not reach the town in one day, they went into a wood to pass the night. The ass and the dog lay down under a large tree, thecat climbed up into the branches, the rooster flew right up to the top, so as to be quite safe. But, before he went to sleep, he looked round, and saw a light a little way off. He called to the others, and they agreed to go and see what it was.
They found the light came from a cottage. The ass went to the window and peeped in.
"What do you see? " said the rooster.
"What do I see? A table laid out with food and drink, and some men enjoying themselves."Then the four friends thought of a plan to drive the men away and get their supper. The ass put his feet on the window-ledge, the dog got on his back, the cat climbed upon the dog, and the rooster flew up on the cat"s head.
Then the music began. The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed, and the rooster crowed. They made such a noise that the men jumped up in fright and ran away into the wood as fast as ever they could.
Then the four friends sat down to the table, and soon ate everything up. When they had finished, they put out the light and got ready to go to sleep. The ass lay down on some straw, the dog behind the back door, the cat by the fire. and the rooster flew up to a high beam.
After a time, one of the men came back to see what was the matter. He went into the kitchen to strike a light, and, thinking the cat"s eyes were fire, he went close up to him. Tom flew at his face, spitting and scratching; so he turned roundand ran to the door. But the dog was there, and bit his leg; and, as he was limping along, the ass gave him a great kick. The rooster woke up with the noise, flapped his wings, and cried "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"Then the man ran back to the others, and said, "Oh dear! Oh dear! There is a horrid witch in the house, and she spat at me, and scratched my face. Before the door is a man with a knife, and he chopped at my leg. In the yard is a black monster, who beat me with a great big club; and on the roof sits a judge, who called out, "Lock the fool up, do!" So I ran away as fast as I could."--The Brothers Grimm
Authors.-The Brothers Grimm.
General Notes.-How many actors are in this little story? Are you glad they frightened the robbers away? Why?