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![[Illustration]](http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/bronze/books/treadwell/first/treadwell_first_zpage024.gif)
| Donkey: | I am getting old
I am getting old, I can not work. My master wants to kill me. What shall I do? I will run away. But how can I make a living? I have a good voice. I shall go to Bremen. Then I can sing in the band. |
![[Illustration]](http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/bronze/books/treadwell/first/treadwell_first_zpage025.gif)
| Donkey: | Good morning, Old Whiskers.
Why are you so sad to-day? |
| Cat: | How can I be happy?
I am getting old, I can not catch mice. My master wants to kill me. What shall I do? |
| Donkey: | Come with me to Bremen.
You have a good voice. You can sing in the band. |
| Cat: | Yes, I will go with you. |
![[Illustration]](http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/bronze/books/treadwell/first/treadwell_first_zpage026.gif)
| Donkey: | Good morning, old dog.
What are you doing here? Why do you pant so? |
| Dog: | I am getting old,
My master is going to kill me, so I have run away. But how can I make my living? |
| Donkey: | Come with us to Bremen.
We can all sing in the band. |
| Dog: | Yes, I will go with you. |
| Donkey: | Good morning, Red Cock.
Why do you crow so loud? |
| Cock: | Cock-a-doodle-do! cock-a-doodle-do!
Company is coming to-night, I heard the cook say. They want me for supper, so I crow while I can. |
| Donkey: | Will you come with us to Bremen?
You have a good voice. You can sing in our band. |
| Cock: | Yes, I will go with you. |
![[Illustration]](http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/bronze/books/treadwell/first/treadwell_first_zpage028.gif)
| Donkey: | It is a long way to Bremen.
Let us sleep in the woods to-night. I shall sleep under the tree. |
| Dog: | I shall sleep under the tree, too. |
| Cock: | I shall sleep on the branches, too.
Oh! I see a light in a house. |
| Donkey: | Let us go to the house. |
| Dog: | Yes, let us go to the house. |
| Donkey: | I can see in the window. |
| Cock: | What do you see, gray horse? |
| Donkey: | What do I see?
I see a table, full of good food. There are robbers at the table. |
| Dog: | That shall be our supper. |
| Cat: | Yes, that shall be our supper.
How can we get it? |
| Cock: | We must drive the robbers away.
How can we do it? |
| Donkey: | We can all sing,
and the robbers will run away. They want me for supper, I can sing, Hee-haw! hee-haw! hee-haw! |
| Dog: | I can sing,
Bow-wow! bow-wow! bow-wow! |
| Cat: | I can sing,
Mee-ow! mee-ow! mee-ow! |
| Cock: | I can sing, Cock-a-doo-dle-do!
cock-a-doo-dle-do! |
| Donkey: | I will stand by the window.
Old dog, stand on my back. Old Whiskers, get on the dog's back. Red Cock, get on the cat's back. |
![[Illustration]](http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/bronze/books/treadwell/first/treadwell_first_zpage031.gif)
| Donkey: | Now, let us all sing together.
Ready, one, two, three. |
| All: | Hee-haw! hee-haw! hee-haw!
Bow-wow! bow-wow! bow-wow! Mee-ow! mee-ow! mee-ow! Cock-a-doo-dle-do! cock-a-doo-dle-do! |
| Robber: | Did you hear that noise?
It must be goblins. Let us run away. |
| Cock: | See the robbers run.
Come, let us eat their supper. |
| Dog: | This is better than a bone. |
| Cock: | We shall never be hungry again. |
| Donkey: | I can eat no more.
Let us go to sleep. I shall sleep under the tree. Old dog, you sleep by the door. Old Whiskers, you sleep by the fire. Red Cock, you sleep on the roof. |
| Robber: | It is all still now.
The goblins are gone. Let us go back. |
| Cat: | Spit, spit! I will scratch! |
| Robber: | Let me out, let me out!
An old goblin is scratching me. |
| Dog: | Bow-wow! I will bite! |
| Robber: | A man has cut me with a knife.
Let me out! O, let me out! |
| Donkey: | Hee-haw! I will kick! |
| Robber: | A big goblin has struck me. |
| Cock: | Cock-a-doo-dle-do! cock-a-doo-dle-do! |
| Robber: | The judge on the roof says,
"Bring the robbers here." Come, let us be off. |
| Donkey: | We will not go to Bremen.
We will all live in this house. |
| Cock: | Cock-a-doo-dle-do! cock-a-doo-dle-do! |
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— German Folk Tale |