The Street Musicians

The Street Musicians

A man once possessed a donkey which had served him faithfully for many

years, but at last the poor beast grew old and feeble, and every day his

work became more of a burden. As he was no longer of any use, his master

made up his mind to shoot him; but when the donkey learnt the fate that

was in store for him, he determined not to die, but to run away to the

nearest town and there to become a street musician.

When he had trotted along for some distance he came upon a greyhound

lying on the road, and panting for dear life. ‘Well, brother,’ said the

donkey, ‘what’s the matter with you? You look rather tired.’

‘So I am,’ replied the dog, ‘but because I am getting old and am growing

weaker every day, and cannot go out hunting any longer, my master wanted

to poison me; and, as life is still sweet, I have taken leave of him.

But how I am to earn my own livelihood I haven’t a notion.’

‘Well,’ said the donkey, ‘I am on my way to the nearest big town, where

I mean to become a street musician. Why don’t you take up music as a

profession and come along with me? I’ll play the flute and you can play

the kettle-drum.’

The greyhound was quite pleased at the idea, and the two set off

together. When they had gone a short distance they met a cat with a

face as long as three rainy days. ‘Now, what has happened to upset your

happiness, friend puss?’ inquired the donkey.

‘It’s impossible to look cheerful when one feels depressed,’ answered

the cat. ‘I am well up in years now, and have lost most of my teeth;

consequently I prefer sitting in front of the fire to catching mice, and

so my old mistress wanted to drown me. I have no wish to die yet, so I

ran away from her; but good advice is expensive, and I don’t know where

I am to go to, or what I am to do.’

‘Come to the nearest big town with us,’ said the donkey, ‘and try your

fortune as a street musician. I know what sweet music you make at night,

so you are sure to be a success.’

The cat was delighted with the donkey’s proposal, and they all continued

their journey together. In a short time they came to the courtyard of an

inn, where they found a cock crowing lustily. ‘What in the world is the

matter with you?’ asked the donkey. ‘The noise you are making is enough

to break the drums of our ears.’

‘I am only prophesying good weather,’ said the cock; ‘for to-morrow is

a feast day, and just because it is a holiday and a number of people

are expected at the inn, the landlady has given orders for my neck to be

wrung to-night, so that I may be made into soup for to-morrow’s dinner.’

‘I’ll tell you what, redcap,’ said the donkey; ‘you had much better come

with us to the nearest town. You have got a good voice, and could join a

street band we are getting up.’ The cock was much pleased with the idea,

and the party proceeded on their way.

But the nearest big town was a long way off, and it took them more than

a day to reach it. In the evening they came to a wood, and they made up

their minds to go no further, but to spend the night there. The donkey

and the greyhound lay down under a big tree, and the cat and the cock

got up into the branches, the cock flying right up to the topmost twig,

where he thought he would be safe from all danger. Before he went to

sleep he looked round the four points of the compass, and saw a little

spark burning in the distance. He called out to his companions that he

was sure there must be a house not far off, for he could see a light

shining.

When he heard this, the donkey said at, once: ‘Then we must get up,

and go and look for the house, for this is very poor shelter.’ And the

greyhound added: ‘Yes; I feel I’d be all the better for a few bones and

a scrap or two of meat.’

So they set out for the spot where the light was to be seen shining

faintly in the distance, but the nearer they approached it the brighter

it grew, till at last they came to a brilliantly lighted house. The

donkey being the biggest of the party, went to the window and looked in.

‘Well, greyhead, what do you see?’ asked the cock.

‘I see a well-covered table,’ replied the donkey, ‘with excellent food

and drink, and several robbers are sitting round it, enjoying themselves

highly.’

‘I wish we were doing the same,’ said the cock.

‘So do I,’ answered the donkey. ‘Can’t we think of some plan for turning

out the robbers, and taking possession of the house ourselves?’

So they consulted together what they were to do, and at last they

arranged that the donkey should stand at the window with his fore-feet

on the sill, that the greyhound should get on his back, the cat on the

dog’s shoulder, and the cock on the cat’s head. When they had grouped

themselves in this way, at a given signal, they all began their

different forms of music. The donkey brayed, the greyhound barked,

the cat miawed, and the cock crew. Then they all scrambled through the

window into the room, breaking the glass into a thousand pieces as they

did so.

The robbers were all startled by the dreadful noise, and thinking that

some evil spirits at the least were entering the house, they rushed

out into the wood, their hair standing on end with terror. The four

companions, delighted with the success of their trick, sat down at the

table, and ate and drank all the food and wine that the robbers had left

behind them.

When they had finished their meal they put out the lights, and each

animal chose a suitable sleeping-place. The donkey lay down in the

courtyard outside the house, the dog behind the door, the cat in front

of the fire, and the cock flew up on to a high shelf, and, as they were

all tired after their long day, they soon went to sleep.

Shortly after midnight, when the robbers saw that no light was burning

in the house and that all seemed quiet, the captain of the band said:

‘We were fools to let ourselves be so easily frightened away;’ and,

turning to one of his men, he ordered him to go and see if all was safe.

The man found everything in silence and darkness, and going into the

kitchen he thought he had better strike a light. He took a match, and

mistaking the fiery eyes of the cat for two glowing coals, he tried to

light his match with them. But the cat didn’t see the joke, and sprang

at his face, spitting and scratching him in the most vigorous manner.

The man was terrified out of his life, and tried to run out by the back

door; but he stumbled over the greyhound, which bit him in the leg.

Yelling with pain he ran across the courtyard only to receive a kick

from the donkey’s hind leg as he passed him. In the meantime the cock

had been roused from his slumbers, and feeling very cheerful he called

out, from the shelf where he was perched, ‘Kikeriki!’

Then the robber hastened back to his captain and said: ‘Sir, there is a

dreadful witch in the house, who spat at me and scratched my face with

her long fingers; and before the door there stands a man with a long

knife, who cut my leg severely. In the courtyard outside lies a black

monster, who fell upon me with a huge wooden club; and that is not all,

for, sitting on the roof, is a judge, who called out: “Bring the rascal

to me.” So I fled for dear life.’

After this the robbers dared not venture into the house again, and they

abandoned it for ever. But the four street musicians were so delighted

with their lodgings that they determined to take up their abode in the

robbers’ house, and, for all I know to the contrary, they may be living

there to this day.

[From the German, Kletke.]