A man had a donkey, which had carried the corn-sacks to the mill for many a long year. But his strength was going and he was growing more and more unfit for this 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. Go with me and engage yourself also as a musician.
I will play the lute, and you shall beat the kettle-drum. Before long they came to a cat, sitting on the path, with a face like three rainy days. What shall I do now? You understand night-music, you can be a town-musician too. The cat thought of it and went with them. After this they came to a farm, where a rooster was sitting upon a gate, crowing with all its might. But guests are coming for Sunday and the housewife intends to eat me in the soup tomorrow. Now I am crowing. We are going to Bremen.
You have a good voice, and if we make music together it must have some quality. They could not reach the city of Bremen in one day, however in the evening they came to a forest where they meant to pass the night. The donkey and the dog laid themselves under a large tree, the cat and the rooster settled themselves in the branches.
But the rooster flew right to the top, where it was most safe. Before it went to sleep, it looked around and thought it saw a little spark light burning. So it called its friends. The donkey as the biggest went to the window and looked in. A table covered with good things to eat and drink and robbers sitting at it and enjoying themselves. Then the animals took counsel together how they should manage to drive away the robbers, and at last they thought of a plan.
When this was done, at a given signal, they began to perform their music together. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed and the rooster crowed. Then they burst through the window into the room, shattering the glass. At this horrible din, the robbers sprang up and fled in a great fright out into the forest. The four companions now sat down at the table and ate as if they were going to fast for a month. When they had done, they put the light out and each went to sleep.
