by: The Brothers Grimm
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A certain man had a donkey, which had carried the corn-sacks to the
mill indefatigably for many a long year. But his strength was going, and he
was growing more and more unfit for work. Then his master began to consider
how he might best save his keep. But the donkey, seeing that no good wind was
blowing, ran away and set out on the road to Bremen. There, he thought, I can
surely be a town-musician.
When he had walked some distance, he found a hound lying on the road,
gasping like one who had run till he was tired. What are you gasping so for,
you big fellow, asked the donkey.
"Ah," replied the hound, as I am old, and daily grow weaker, and no longer
can hunt, my master wanted to kill me, so I took to flight, but now how am I
to earn my bread."
"I tell you what," said the donkey, "I am going to Bremen, and shall be
town-musician there. Go with me and engage yourself also as a musician. I will
play the lute, and you shall beat the kettle-drum."
The hound agreed, and on they went. Before long they came to a cat, sitting
on the path, with a face like three rainy days. "Now then, old shaver, what
has gone askew with you," asked the donkey.
"Who can be merry when his neck is in danger," answered the cat. "Because I
am now getting old, and my teeth are worn to stumps, and I prefer to sit by
the fire and spin, rather than hunt about after mice, my mistress wanted to
drown me, so I ran away. But now good advice is scarce. Where am I to go."
"Go with us to Bremen. You understand night-music, you can be a
town-musician."
The cat thought well of it, and went with them. After this the three
fugitives came to a farm-yard, where the cock was sitting upon the gate,
crowing with all his might.
"Your crow goes through and through one," said the donkey. "What is the
matter?"
"I have been foretelling fine weather, because it is the day on which our
lady washes the christ-child's little shirts, and wants to dry them," said the
cock. "But guests are coming for sunday, so the housewife has no pity, and has
told the cook that she intends to eat me in the soup to-morrow, and this
evening I am to have my head cut off. Now I am crowing at the top of my lungs
while still I can."
"Ah, but red-comb," said the donkey, "you had better come away with us. We
are going to Bremen. You can find something better than death everywhere. You
have a good voice, and if we make music together it must have some quality."
The cock agreed to this plan, and all four went on together. They could not
reach the city of Bremen in one day, however, and in the evening they came to
a forest where they meant to pass the night. The donkey and the hound laid
themselves down under a large tree, the cat and the cock settled themselves in
the branches. But the cock flew right to the top, where he was most safe.
Before he went to sleep he looked round on all four sides, and thought he
saw in the distance a little spark burning. So he called out to his companions
that there must be a house not far off, for he saw a light.
The donkey said, "If so, we had better get up and go on, for the shelter
here is bad." The hound thought too that a few bones with some meat on would
do him good.
So they made their way to the place where the light was, and soon saw it
shine brighter and grow larger, until they came to a well-lighted robbers,
house. The donkey, as the biggest, went to the window and looked in.
"What do you see, my grey-horse?" asked the cock.
"What do I see?" answered the donkey. "A table covered with good things to
eat and drink, and robbers sitting at it enjoying themselves."
"That would be the sort of thing for us," said the cock.
Then the animals took counsel together how they should manage to drive away
the robbers, and at last they thought of a plan. The donkey was to place
himself with his fore-feet upon the window-ledge, the hound was to jump on the
donkey's back, the cat was to climb upon the dog, and lastly the cock was to
fly up and perch upon the head of the cat.
When this was done, at a given signal, they began to perform their music
together. The donkey brayed, the hound barked, the cat mewed, and the cock
crowed. Then they burst through the window into the room, shattering the
glass.
At this horrible din, the robbers sprang up, thinking no otherwise than
that a ghost had come in, and fled in a great fright out into the forest.
The four companions now sat down at the table, well content with what was
left, and ate as if they were going to fast for a month.
As soon as the four minstrels had done, they put out the light, and each
sought for himself a sleeping-place according to his nature and what suited
him. The donkey laid himself down upon some straw in the yard, the hound
behind the door, the cat upon the hearth near the warm ashes, and the cock
perched himself upon a beam of the roof. And being tired from their long walk,
they soon went to sleep.
When it was past midnight, and the robbers saw from afar that the light was
no longer burning in their house, and all appeared quiet, the captain said, we
ought not to have let ourselves be frightened out of our wits, and ordered one
of them to go and examine the house.
The messenger finding all still, went into the kitchen to light a candle,
and, taking the glistening fiery eyes of the cat for live coals, he held a lucifer-match to them to light it. But the cat did not understand the joke,
and flew in his face, spitting and scratching. He was dreadfully frightened,
and ran to the back-door, but the dog, who lay there sprang up and bit his
leg. And as he ran across the yard by the dunghill, the donkey gave him a
smart kick with its hind foot. The cock, too, who had been awakened by the
noise, and had become lively, cried down from the beam, "Cock-a-doodle-doo."
Then the robber ran back as fast as he could to his captain, and said, "Ah,
there is a horrible witch sitting in the house, who spat on me and scratched
my face with her long claws. And by the door stands a man with a knife, who
stabbed me in the leg. And in the yard there lies a black monster, who beat me
with a wooden club. And above, upon the roof, sits the judge, who called out,
bring the rogue here to me. So I got away as well as I could."
After this the robbers never again dared enter the house. But it suited the
four musicians of Bremen so well that they did not care to leave it any more.
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