. Beasts and men . ends. Wouldnt it be a fine thing if we couldget a share of their meal ? I confess that my stomach acheswith hunger. And mine too, said the dog, Ive never been sohungry in my life. But how are we to get the food ? Let us serenade them, and perhaps theyll throw ussomething as a reward, said Greyskin. Music, you know,has charms to soothe the savage breast. This seemed such a good idea that the choristers lost notime in putting it into execution. All four began to donkey hee-hawed, the dog howled, the cat miaued, and46 THE CHORISTERS OF ST. GUDULE the cock crowed. From
. Beasts and men . ends. Wouldnt it be a fine thing if we couldget a share of their meal ? I confess that my stomach acheswith hunger. And mine too, said the dog, Ive never been sohungry in my life. But how are we to get the food ? Let us serenade them, and perhaps theyll throw ussomething as a reward, said Greyskin. Music, you know,has charms to soothe the savage breast. This seemed such a good idea that the choristers lost notime in putting it into execution. All four began to donkey hee-hawed, the dog howled, the cat miaued, and46 THE CHORISTERS OF ST. GUDULE the cock crowed. From the noise they made one would havethought that the heavens were falling. The effect of this marvellous quartet upon the robberswas instantaneous. Leaping from their seats, they ran fromplace to place in mortal terror, tumbling over one another,oversetting chairs and adding to the racket by their shrieksand cries. At that moment the cock fell against the window,breaking the glass to smithereens ; the donkey gave the. Breaking the Glass to Smithereens frame a push, and all the four precipitated themselves intothe room. This was the last straw ; the robbers could standno more ; half mad with fear they rushed to the door andfled into the forest. Then our four choristers drew up to the table and set towork upon the food with which it was laden. Their longwalk had given them a good appetite, so that there was littleleft by the time they had finished. Feeling drowsy after theirmeal, they then settled themselves to sleep. The donkeymade himself a bed on a heap of straw in the yard; the dogstretched himself out upon the mat by the house door; thecat lay among the warm cinders on the hearth; and the cock 47 FOLK TALES OF BEASTS AND MEN perched upon the roof-top. A few minutes more and theywere all fast asleep. Meanwhile the robbers, who had retreated some distanceinto the forest, waited anxiously for something dreadful tohappen. An hour passed by and there was neither sight norsound to a
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