His donkey had worked for him many years.
At last the donkey grew so old that he was no longer of any use for work, and his master wished to get rid of him.
The donkey, fearing he might be killed, ran away.
He took the road to Bremen, where he had often heard the street band playing.
He liked music, so he thought he might join the band.
He had not gone far when he came upon an old dog.
The dog was panting, as if he had been running a long way.
"Why are you panting, my friend?" asked the donkey.
"Ah," said the dog, "I am too old for the hunt. My master wished to have me killed. So I ran away. But how I am to find bread and meat, I do not know."
"Well," said the donkey, "come with me. I am going to play in the band at Bremen. I think you and I can easily earn a living by music. I can play the lute, and you can play the kettledrum."
The dog was quite willing, and so they both walked on."
They had not gone far when they saw a cat sitting in a yard.
He looked as sad as three days of rainy weather.
"What's the matter with you, old Tom?" asked the donkey.
"You would be sad, too," said the cat, "if you were in my place; for now that I am getting old and cannot catch mice, they wish to drown me. I have run away, but how I am going to live, I do not know."
"Come with us to Bremen," said the donkey. "We are going to play in the band.
I know you love music, as you sing so well at night. You too can join the band."
So the donkey, the dog, and the cat all walked on together.
After a time the three came to a farmyard.
There on the gate sat a cock, crying "Cock-a-doodle-do" with all his might.
"Why are you making so much noise?" asked the donkey.
"Ah," said the cock, "I find I must have my head cut off so that I may serve as a dinner for Monday. I'm crowing as hard as I can while my head is still on."
"Come with us, old Red Comb," said the donkey. "We are going to Bremen to join the band. You have a fine voice. You can join, too."
"Ah," said the cock, "that is just what I should like to do."
And they all went on their way to Bremen.
The donkey and the dog lay down under a large tree.
The cat climbed up on one of the branches.
The cock flew to the very top of the tree where he felt quite safe.
From his perch on the top of the tree the cock saw a light.
Calling his friends, he said, "We are not far from a house. I can see a light."
"Let us go on," said the donkey, "for it may be just the house for us."
As they drew near, the light grew larger and brighter.
At last they could see that it came from the window of a robber's house.
The donkey, who was the tallest, went up and looked in.
"What do you see, old Long Ears?" asked the cock.
"What do I see?" answered the donkey. "Why a table spread with plenty to eat and drink, and the robbers having their supper."
"We should be there, too, if we had our rights," said the cock.
"Ah, yes," said the donkey, "if we could only get inside."
Then the four friends talked over what they had better do in order to drive the robbers out of the house.
At last they hit upon a plan.
The donkey stood upon his hind legs and placed his front feet on the window sill.
The dog then stood on the donkey's back.
The cat climbed upon the dog, while the cock perched upon the cat's head.
The donkey gave a signal, and they began, all at the same time, to make their loudest music.
The donkey brayed,
the dog barked,
the cat mewed
and the cock crowed,
all with such force that the windowpane shook and was almost broken.
The robbers had never heard such a noise.
They thought it must come from witches, or giants, or goblins, and they all ran as fast as they could to the wood behind the house.
Then our four friends rushed in and ate what the robbers had left upon the table.
It did not take long, for they acted as if they had been hungry for a month.
When the four had eaten, they put out the light, and each went to sleep in the spot which he liked the best.
The donkey lay down in the yard.
The dog lay behind the door.
The cat curled himself in front of the fire, while the cock flew up on a high beam.
They soon fell fast asleep.
