Chapter III: How They Made Themselves at Home

As soon as they were gone, the Traveling Musicians sat down at the table. They ate all that the robbers had left, and as they were very hungry, they ate very fast.

Then, when they had cleared the table, they put out the lights, and each found a place in which to sleep. The Ass lay upon a heap of straw in the yard; the Dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door; the Cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes; and the Cock perched upon a beam at the top of the house. They were all tired and soon fell asleep.

After some time the robbers, who had not fled far, got over their fright. They saw that the lights were out, and that all was quiet. They began to think they had been frightened at nothing. One, bolder than the rest, crept back to the house. All was still; all was dark.

He made his way into the kitchen, and groped about to find a candle. He found the candle, and then went to the fire, as he thought, to light his candle. But the live coals which he thought he saw were the two fiery eyes of the Cat.

He held the candle close, to light it, but the Cat, not liking the joke, sprang at his face, and spit, and scratched him. Away he ran to the door. But there the Dog jumped up and bit him in the leg. As he was crossing the yard, the Ass kicked him, and the Cock, now awake, crowed with all his might.

At this the robber ran back to his comrades, as fast as his legs could carry him. He told them that a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spit at him, and scratched his face with long bony fingers. A man with a knife in his hand hid behind the door, and stabbed him in the leg. A black monster stood in the yard, and struck him with a club. And the judge sat upon the top of the house, and cried out:--

“Throw the rascal up here!”

After this, the robbers never dared to go back to the house. The Traveling Musicians were so pleased with their quarters, that they took up their abode there, and there they are, I dare say, at this very day.

BELLING THE CAT

|There was a sly Cat in a house, and the Mice were so plagued with her at every turn, that they called a council to plan a way by which they might guard against being caught by her.

“If you will be ruled by me,” says one of the Mice, “there’s nothing like hanging a bell about the Cat’s neck, to give warning when Puss is coming.” They all thought that a capital plan.

“Well,” says another, “and now we are agreed upon the bell, say, who shall hang it upon the Cat’s neck?” But there was no one ready to bell the Cat.

THE WOLF AND THE CRANE

|A Wolf once had a bone stuck in his throat, and offered to pay the Crane well if she would thrust her long bill down and draw the bone out.

When she had done this, she asked for her pay. Then the Wolf laughed, and showed his teeth, and said:--

“Is it not enough for you that you have had your head in a Wolf’s mouth, and have drawn it out again safely? What more do you want?”

THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD

|A Wolf once walked behind a flock of Sheep, and did them no harm. At first, the Shepherd treated him as an enemy, and kept watch against him. But when the Wolf made no sign of hurting the Sheep, the Shepherd began to think he was quite as good as a watch-dog.

So one day, when the Shepherd wished to go to the city, he left the Sheep in the care of this quiet Wolf. That was the chance the Wolf wanted, and he made sad havoc with the flock. When the Shepherd came back and saw the Sheep scattered, he said:--

“It serves me right; for why did I trust Sheep to a Wolf?”

THE FROGS ASK FOR A KING

|In old times, the Frogs lived in a free and easy way, each one as he pleased. But the elders among them did not like this, and begged Jove to send them a king.

Jove thought them very foolish, and tossed a log into the middle of the pond. The Frogs were scared out of their wits, and plunged at once into the deepest hole. By and by, they peeped out and saw that King Log was stock-still.

They began to grow bolder; soon they laughed at King Log. Then they jumped up and sat on the log. That was not a king, they said, and off they went to Jove, and asked him to give them a new king.

This time Jove gave them an Eel. But the Eel was stupid, and the Frogs liked him no better. They sent a third time to Jove.

At this Jove was angry, and sent them a king of another sort. He sent them King Stork, and King Stork caught the Frogs, one by one, and ate them, till there was not one left.