An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to hima great many years, but was now growing old and every day more and moreunfit for work. His master therefore was tired of keeping him andbegan to think of putting an end to him; but the ass, who saw that somemischief was in the wind, took himself slyly off, and began his journeytowards the great city, 'For there,' thought he, 'I may turn musician.'

After he had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by theroadside and panting as if he were tired. 'What makes you pant so, myfriend?' said the ass. 'Alas!' said the dog, 'my master was going toknock me on the head, because I am old and weak, and can no longer makemyself useful to him in hunting; so I ran away; but what can I do toearn my livelihood?' 'Hark ye!' said the ass, 'I am going to the greatcity to turn musician: suppose you go with me, and try what you cando in the same way?' The dog said he was willing, and they jogged ontogether.

They had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of theroad and making a most rueful face. 'Pray, my good lady,' said the ass,'what's the matter with you? You look quite out of spirits!' 'Ah, me!'said the cat, 'how can one be in good spirits when one's life is indanger? Because I am beginning to grow old, and had rather lie at myease by the fire than run about the house after the mice, my mistresslaid hold of me, and was going to drown me; and though I have been luckyenough to get away from her, I do not know what I am to live upon.''Oh,' said the ass, 'by all means go with us to the great city; you area good night singer, and may make your fortune as a musician.' The catwas pleased with the thought, and joined the party.

Soon afterwards, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a cockperched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might and main.'Bravo!' said the ass; 'upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray whatis all this about?' 'Why,' said the cock, 'I was just now saying thatwe should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my mistress andthe cook don't thank me for my pains, but threaten to cut off myhead tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests that are comingon Sunday!' 'Heaven forbid!' said the ass, 'come with us MasterChanticleer; it will be better, at any rate, than staying here to haveyour head cut off! Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, wemay get up some kind of a concert; so come along with us.' 'With all myheart,' said the cock: so they all four went on jollily together.

They could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so whennight came on, they went into a wood to sleep. The ass and the dog laidthemselves down under a great tree, and the cat climbed up into thebranches; while the cock, thinking that the higher he sat the safer heshould be, flew up to the very top of the tree, and then, according tohis custom, before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him tosee that everything was well. In doing this, he saw afar off somethingbright and shining and calling to his companions said, 'There must be ahouse no great way off, for I see a light.' 'If that be the case,' saidthe ass, 'we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not thebest in the world!' 'Besides,' added the dog, 'I should not be theworse for a bone or two, or a bit of meat.' So they walked off togethertowards the spot where Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drewnear it became larger and brighter, till they at last came close to ahouse in which a gang of robbers lived.

The ass, being the tallest of the company, marched up to the window andpeeped in. 'Well, Donkey,' said Chanticleer, 'what do you see?' 'Whatdo I see?' replied the ass. 'Why, I see a table spread with all kinds ofgood things, and robbers sitting round it making merry.' 'That wouldbe a noble lodging for us,' said the cock. 'Yes,' said the ass, 'if wecould only get in'; so they consulted together how they should contriveto get the robbers out; and at last they hit upon a plan. The ass placedhimself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeet resting against thewindow; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up to the dog'sshoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cat's head. Whenall was ready a signal was given, and they began their music. The assbrayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and thenthey all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling intothe room, amongst the broken glass, with a most hideous clatter! Therobbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert,had now no doubt that some frightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them,and scampered away as fast as they could.

The coast once clear, our travellers soon sat down and dispatched whatthe robbers had left, with as much eagerness as if they had not expectedto eat again for a month. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, theyput out the lights, and each once more sought out a resting-place tohis own liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw inthe yard, the dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door, thecat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes, and thecock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were allrather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.

But about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights wereout and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been intoo great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder thanthe rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, hemarched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match inorder to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes ofthe cat, he mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them tolight it. But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face,and spat, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and awayhe ran to the back door; but there the dog jumped up and bit him in theleg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him; and thecock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might. Atthis the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and toldthe captain how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat athim and scratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with aknife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed himin the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and struck him with aclub, and how the devil had sat upon the top of the house and cried out,'Throw the rascal up here!' After this the robbers never dared to goback to the house; but the musicians were so pleased with their quartersthat they took up their abode there; and there they are, I dare say, atthis very day.