he robbers. When he went home he said to his wife: "I am on
friendly terms with the robbers and I would like to see whether I can
get a little money out of them, and I have invented this story to tell
them: that we have a rabbit, which I send home alone every evening with
fire-wood and things for soup, which my wife cooks." Then he said to his
daughter: "When I come with the thieves, you bathe the rabbit in water
and come out of the door to meet me and say: 'Is that the way to load
the poor little rabbit so that it comes home tired to death?'"

When the thieves heard that he had a rabbit that carried things, they
wanted it, saying: "If we had it we could send it to carry money, food,
and other things to our houses." Uncle Capriano said to them one day: "I
should like to have you come to my house to-day." There were thirteen of
the thieves; one said Yes, another said No. The captain said: "Let us go
and see the rabbit." When they arrived at the house the daughter came to
the door and said: "Is that the way to load the poor little rabbit so
that it comes home tired to death?" When they entered the house all felt
of the rabbit and exclaimed: "Poor little animal! poor little animal! it
is all covered with sweat." When the thieves saw this they looked at
each other and said: "Shall we ask him to give us this little rabbit?"
Then they said: "Uncle Capriano, you must give us the rabbit without any
words, and we will pay you whatever you ask." He answered: "Ask me for
anything except this rabbit, for if I give you that I shall be ruined."
They replied: "You must give it to us without further words, whether you
are ruined or not." Finally Uncle Capriano let them have the rabbit for
two hundred ounces, and they gave him twenty besides to buy himself a
present with. After the thieves had got possession of the rabbit, they
went to a house in the country to try it. They each took a bag of money
and said: "Let us send a bag to each of our houses." The captain said:
"First, carry a bag to mine." So they took the rabbit to load it, and
after they had put the bags on it, the rabbit could not move and one of
the thieves struck it on the haunch with a switch. Then the rabbit ran
away instantly. The thieves went in great anger to Uncle Capriano and
said: "Did you have the boldness to play such a trick on us, to sell us
a rabbit that could not stir when we put a few bags of money on it?"
"But, gentlemen," said the old man, "did you beat it?"