The Vagabonds

 10. The Vagabonds (Das Lumpengesindel)

The rooster said to the hen,

"It is the time when nuts are ripe, so let us go together to the mountains and have a good feast for once, before the squirrels come and carry all away."

"Yes," answered the hen, "come along; we will have a jolly time together."

Then they set off together to the mountains, and as it was a fine day they stayed there till the evening. Now whether it was that they had eaten so much, or because of their pride and haughtiness, I do not know, but they would not go home on foot; so the rooster set to work to make a little carriage out of nutshells. When it was ready, the hen seated herself in it, and said to the rooster,

"Now you can harness yourself to it."

"That's all very fine," said the rooster, "I would sooner go home on foot than do such a thing: and I never agreed to it. I don't mind being coachman, and sitting on the box; but as to drawing it myself, it's quite out of the question."

As they were wrangling, a duck came quacking,

"You thieving vagabonds, who told you you might go to my mountain? Look out, or it will be the worse for you!" and flew at the rooster with bill wide open. But the rooster was not backward, and he gave the duck a good dig in the body, and hacked at her with his spurs so valiantly that she begged for mercy, and willingly allowed herself to be harnessed to the carriage. Then the rooster seated himself on the box and was coachman; so off they went at a great pace, the rooster crying out "Run, duck, as fast as you can!"

When they had gone a part of the way they met two foot-passengers, a pin and a needle. They cried "Stop! stop!" and said that it would soon be blindman's holiday; that they could not go a step farther; that the ways were very muddy; might they just get in for a little? They had been standing at the door of the tailors' house of call and had been delayed because of beer.

The rooster, seeing they were slender folks that would not take up a great deal of room, let them both step in, only they must promise not to tread on his toes nor on the hen's.

Late in the evening they came to an inn, and there they found that they could not go any farther that night, as the duck's paces were not good, she waddled so much from side to side; so they turned in. The landlord at first made some difficulty; his house was full already, and he thought they had no very distinguished appearance; at last, however, when they had made many fine speeches, and had promised him the egg that the hen had laid on the way, and that he should keep the duck, who laid one every day, he agreed to let them stay the night; and so they had a very good time.

Early in the morning, when it was beginning to grow light, and everybody was still asleep, the rooster woke up the hen, fetched the egg, and made a hole in it, and they ate it up between them, and put the eggshell on the hearth. Then they went up to the needle, who was still sleeping, picked him up by his head, and stuck him in the landlord's chair-cushion, and having also placed the pin in his towel, off they flew over the hills and far away. The duck, who had chosen to sleep in the open air, and had remained in the yard, heard the rustling of their wings, and, waking up, looked about till she found a brook, down which she swam a good deal faster than she had drawn the carriage.

A few hours later the landlord woke, and, leaving his feather-bed, began washing himself; but when he took the towel to dry himself he drew the pin all across his face, and made a red streak from ear to ear. Then he went into the kitchen to light his pipe, but when he stooped towards the hearth to take up a coal the eggshell flew in his eyes.

"Everything goes wrong this morning," said he, and let himself drop, full of vexation, into his grandfather's chair; but up he jumped in a moment, crying, "Oh dear!" for the needle had gone into him, and not in the head.

Now he became angry, and had his suspicions of the guests who had arrived so late the evening before; and when he looked round for them they were nowhere to be seen.

Then he swore that he would never more harbour such vagabonds, that consumed so much, paid nothing, and played such nasty tricks into the bargain.

My Notes

• This is the translation of Lucy Crane, with minor corrections.
• This is tale type 210 (The Traveling Animals and the Wicked Man). The Grimms included another tale of this type in their collection, Mr. Korbes.
• This story was present in all seven editions of Grimms' collection, and was always placed as the tenth tale. However, the story was expanded upon as various edits were made.

1812 version

The rooster said to the hen, "The nuts are ripe, so we should go up the mountain together and eat our fill before the squirrel takes them all away." "Yes," the hen answered, "come on, let's go together."

They went away together, and as it was a bright day they stayed till evening. Now I don't know whether they ate themselves so fat or whether they had become so high-spirited that they didn't want to walk home, but the rooster had to build a little wagon out of nut shells. When he was finished, the hen sat down and said to the rooster, "You can harness yourself to it."

"No, said the rooster, "That wouldn't be fine with me! I'd rather walk home than let myself be harnessed, as that wasn't the agreement. I want to be a coachman and sit on the box, but I won't pull it myself."

As they were arguing, a duck cackled along, "You thieves! Who told you to go to my nut hill? You shall have it bad!" And she attacked the rooster with her beak.

But the rooster was not lazy either, and attacked the duck vigorously, finally hacking away with his spur so violently that she begged for mercy and was willing to be harnessed to the wagon as punishment. The rooster sat on the box and was the coachman, and now it went on at a gallop.

"Duck, run as fast as you can!" said the rooster.

When they had driven part of the way, they met two pedestrians, a pin and a sewing needle. They shouted at them to stop and said that it was going to be pitch dark in a moment, and they couldn't go any further as it was so dirty on the street and asked if they could ride for a bit. They had been to the tailors' inn in front of the gate, and had too much beer. The rooster, since they were thin people who didn't take up much space, let them both get in, but they had to promise not to step on his toes.

Late in the evening they came to an inn, and because they didn't want to drive any further that night, and the duck wasn't very good on her feet either, and fell from one side to the other, they stopped in. At first the innkeeper made many objections, as his house was already full, and he also thought that they might not be distinguished passengers. But finally, when they said sweetly that he should have the egg that the hen had laid on the way, and also keep the duck that lays one every day, he gave in. Now they let themselves be applied freshly and lived in the lap of luxury.

Early in the morning, when it was just getting light and everyone was still asleep, the rooster woke the hen, took the egg, picked it up, and they ate it together, but they threw the shells on the hearth. Then they went to the sewing needle, which was still sleeping, grabbed it by the head, and stuck it in the innkeeper's armchair cushion, and they put the pin in his towel, and then they flew away over the heath.

The duck, who had wanted to sleep under the open sky and had stayed in the yard, heard them fly away, and she woke up and found a stream, which she swam down faster than she had pulled the wagon.

A few hours later the innkeeper got out of bed, washed himself and wanted to dry himself with the towel when he tore his face with the pin, then he went into the kitchen and wanted to light a pipe, but, when he got to the hearth, the eggshells jumped into his eyes. "Everything's hitting my head this morning," he said, and sat down angrily in his grandfather's chair... ouch! He was stabbed even worse by the sewing needle, and not in the head. Then he got very angry and had suspicions about the guests who had come so late last night, and when he went and looked around for them they were gone. So he swore an oath not to take into his house any more rascals who eat a lot, pay nothing, and on top of that play tricks as a thank you.