20
The Bremen Town Musicians
Once upon a time there was a donkey whose master chased him
away as he was no longer fit for work. So the donkey headed for
Bremen where he thought he could become a town musician. On
his way he met a hunting dog who was panting wretchedly
because he was too old and weak to hunt. The dog joined the
donkey and they carried on. It didn’t take long before they saw a
cat sitting by the side of the road with a long, long face. The cat
was too old to chase mice for her mistress. The donkey and the
dog convinced the cat to come to Bremen and become a town
musician. A little later the three passed by a farmyard and heard
a rooster crying his heart out. The rooster was to be eaten the
following Sunday in the soup. So the rooster was soon convinced
by the idea of life as a musician and the four of them headed for
Bremen.
However, they could not reach the city of Bremen in a day, and in
the evening they came to a forest. The donkey and the dog lay
down under a tree to sleep. The cat climbed up on a branch and
the rooster flew right to the treetop where to him it appeared
safest. From up high he saw the light of a house that wasn´t too
far away, so the four of them set forth hoping to find better
lodging and some food.
When they reached the house, the donkey plucked up his courage
and looked through the window, where he saw a table set with
delicious things to eat and drink. But sitting round the table there
was a gang of robbers. The animals discussed how they could
drive the robbers away until they hatched a plan: The donkey
stood with his front feet on the window, the dog jumped on the
donkey’s back, the cat climbed onto the dog and finally the
