| The Bremen town musicians There was once an ass whose master had made him carry sacks to the mill for many a long year , but whose strength began at last to fail , so that each day as it came found him less capable of work . Then his master began to think of turning him out , but the ass , guessing that something was in the wind that boded him no good , ran away , taking the road to Bremen ; for there he thought he might get an engagement as town musician . When he had gone a little way he found a hound lying by the side of the road panting , as if he had run a long way . “ Now , Holdfast , what are you so out of breath about ? ” said the ass . “ Oh dear ! ” said the dog , “ now I am old , I get weaker every day , and can do no good in the hunt , so , as my master was going to have me killed , I have made my escape ; but now , how am I to gain a living ? ” - “ I will tell you what , ” said the ass , “ I am going to Bremen to become town musician . You may as well go with me , and take up music too . I can play the lute , and you can beat the drum . ” And the dog consented , and they walked on together . It was not long before they came to a cat sitting in the road , looking as dismal as three wet days. “ Now then , what is the matter with you , old shaver ? ” said the ass . “ I should like to know who would be cheerful when his neck is in danger , ” answered the cat . “ Now that I am old my teeth are getting blunt , and I would rather sit by the oven and purr than run about after mice , and my mistress wanted to drown me ; so I took myself off ; but good advice is scarce , and I do not know what is to become of me . ” - “ Go with us to Bremen , ” said the ass , “ and become town musician . You understand serenading . ” The cat thought well of the idea , and went with them accordingly . After that the three travellers passed by a yard , and a cock was perched on the gate crowing with all his might . “ Your cries are enough to pierce bone and marrow , ” said the ass ; “ what is the matter ? ” - “ I have foretold good weather for Lady-day , so that all the shirts may be washed and dried ; and now on Sunday morning company is coming , and the mistress has told the cook that I must be made into soup , and this evening my neck is to be wrung , so that I am crowing with all my might while I can . ” - “ You had much better go with us , Chanticleer , ” said the ass . “ We are going to Bremen . At any rate that will be better than dying . You have a powerful voice , and when we are all performing together it will have a very good effect . ” So the cock consented , and they went on all four together . But Bremen was too far off to be reached in one day , and towards evening they came to a wood , where they determined to pass the night . The ass and the dog lay down under a large tree ; the cat got up among the branches , and the cock flew up to the top , as that was the safest place for him . Before he went to sleep he looked all round him to the four points of the compass , and perceived in the distance a little light shining , and he called out to his companions that there must be a house not far off , as he could see a light , so the ass said , “ We had better get up and go there , for these are uncomfortable quarters . ” The dog began to fancy a few bones , not quite bare , would do him good . And they all set off in the direction of the light , and it grew larger and brighter , until at last it led them to a robber’s house , all lighted up . The ass . being the biggest , went up to the window , and looked in . “ Well , what do you see ? ” asked the dog . “ What do I see ? ” answered the ass ; “ here is a table set out with splendid eatables and drinkables , and robbers sitting at it and making themselves very comfortable . ” - “ That would just suit us , ” said the cock . “ Yes , indeed , I wish we were there , ” said the ass . Then they consulted together how it should be managed so as to get the robbers out of the house , and at last they hit on a plan . The ass was to place his forefeet on the window-sill , the dog was to get on the ass’s back , the cat on the top of the dog , and lastly the cock was to fly up and perch on the cat’s head . When that was done , at a given signal they all began to perform their music . The ass brayed , the dog barked , the cat mewed , and the cock crowed ; then they burst through into the room , breaking all the panes of glass . The robbers fled at the dreadful sound ; they thought it was some goblin , and fled to the wood in the utmost terror . Then the four companions sat down to table , made free with the remains of the meal , and feasted as if they had been hungry for a month . And when they had finished they put out the lights , and each sought out a sleeping-place to suit his nature and habits . The ass laid himself down outside on the dunghill , the dog behind the door , the cat on the hearth by the warm ashes , and the cock settled himself in the cockloft , and as they were all tired with their long journey they soon fell fast asleep . When midnight drew near , and the robbers from afar saw that no light was burning , and that everything appeared quiet , their captain said to them that he thought that they had run away without reason , telling one of them to go and reconnoitre . So one of them went , and found everything quite quiet ; he went into the kitchen to strike a light , and taking the glowing fiery eyes of the cat for burning coals , he held a match to them in order to kindle it . But the cat , not seeing the joke , flew into his face , spitting and scratching . Then he cried out in terror , and ran to get out at the back door , but the dog , who was lying there , ran at him and bit his leg ; and as he was rushing through the yard by the dunghill the ass struck out and gave him a great kick with his hind foot ; and the cock , who had been wakened with the noise , and felt quite brisk , cried out , “ Cock-a-doodle-doo ! ” Then the robber got back as well as he could to his captain , and said , “ Oh dear ! in that house there is a gruesome witch , and I felt her breath and her long nails in my face ; and by the door there stands a man who stabbed me in the leg with a knife ; and in the yard there lies a black spectre , who beat me with his wooden club ; and above , upon the roof , there sits the justice , who cried , ‘ Bring that rogue here ! ’ And so I ran away from the place as fast as I could . ” From that time forward the robbers never ventured to that house , and the four Bremen town musicians found themselves so well off where they were , that there they stayed . And the person who last related this tale is still living , as you see . |