highly.'

'I wish we were doing the same,' said the cock.

'So do I,' answered the donkey. 'Can't we think of some plan for turning
out the robbers, and taking possession of the house ourselves?'

So they consulted together what they were to do, and at last they
arranged that the donkey should stand at the window with his fore-feet
on the sill, that the greyhound should get on his back, the cat on the
dog's shoulder, and the cock on the cat's head. When they had grouped
themselves in this way, at a given signal, they all began their
different forms of music. The donkey brayed, the greyhound barked, the
cat miawed, and the cock crew. Then they all scrambled through the
window into the room, breaking the glass into a thousand pieces as they
did so.

The robbers were all startled by the dreadful noise, and thinking that
some evil spirits at the least were entering the house, they rushed out
into the wood, their hair standing on end with terror. The four
companions, delighted with the success of their trick, sat down at the
table, and ate and drank all the food and wine that the robbers had left
behind them.

When they had finished their meal they put out the lights, and each
animal chose a suitable sleeping-place. The donkey lay down in the
courtyard outside the house, the dog behind the door, the cat in front
of the fire, and the cock flew up on to a high shelf, and, as they were
all tired after their long day, they soon went to sleep.

Shortly after midnight, when the robbers saw that no light was burning
in the house and that all seemed quiet, the captain of the band said:
'We were fools to let ourselves be so easily frightened away;' and,
turning to one of his men, he ordered him to go and see if all was safe.

The man found everything in silence and darkness, and going into the
kitchen he thought he had better strike a light. He took a match, and
mistaking the fiery eyes of the cat for two glowing coals, he tried to
light his match with them. But the cat didn't see the joke, and sprang
at his face, spitting and scratching him in the most vigorous manner.
The man was terrified out of his life, and tried to run out by the back
door; but he stumbled over the greyhound, which bit him in the leg.
Yelling with pain he ran across the courtyard only to receive a kick
from the donkey's hind leg as he passed him. In the meantime the cock
had been roused from his slumbers, and feeling very cheerful he called
out, from th