主播大秀

Adapted by Sue Reid;听Read by Sue Brodie

The old donkey wheezed and puffed as he lumbered up the hill. 听鈥淭his hill is so steep, and these bags of corn are so heavy,鈥� he grumbled.听 鈥淗urry up!鈥� said his master, 鈥渙r you鈥檒l go without supper.鈥�

That night, as the donkey munched his oats, he heard his master grumble to his wife. 听鈥淗e鈥檚 too old. In the morning we鈥檒l get rid of him.鈥� 听鈥淏rrrr,鈥� snorted the donkey, 鈥渁ll these years I鈥檝e worked for him. 听In the morning I鈥檒l make a run for it.鈥�

Next morning, when the farmer opened the stable door, the donkey bit his leg.听 鈥淥w! 听Come back here, ungrateful creature!鈥� bawled the farmer. 听But the donkey was already galloping down the road.听 鈥淵ippee! Free at last!鈥� he brayed. 鈥淣ow I鈥檒l take the road to Bremen, and become a musician.鈥� 听He was so excited that he didn鈥檛 see the hound panting by the roadside.

鈥淢ind where you put your hoofs!鈥� yelped the hound.听 鈥淪orry, old fellow, didn鈥檛 see you,鈥� apologised the donkey.听 鈥淲hy are you here?鈥澨� 鈥淚鈥檝e 听run away from my master,鈥澨� the hound replied. 听鈥淚 was his best hunting dog. 听But now I鈥檓 old he wants to get rid of me.鈥澨� 鈥淛oin me!鈥� said the donkey, 鈥淚鈥檓 off to 听Bremen to be a musician. 听I will play the lute and you shall beat the kettle drum.鈥澨� 鈥淵ou鈥檙e on!鈥� said the hound.

They hadn鈥檛 gone far when they saw a pitiful sight. 听A cat, whiskers drooping, crawling slowly along the roadside. 听鈥淲hat鈥檚 up, puss?鈥� said the hound.听 The cat drew herself up.听 鈥淚 am not Puss. I am the best mouser this side of Bremen.听 But I鈥檓 old and I don鈥檛 want to catch mice any more, so my mistress says she doesn鈥檛 want me around.鈥澨� 鈥淭hen join us!鈥� said the donkey, 鈥渨e鈥檙e off to Bremen to be musicians.鈥澨� 鈥淚鈥檒l join you with pleasure鈥�, purred the cat, 鈥渕ind if I ride on your back?鈥�

They hadn鈥檛 gone far when they heard a cock crow from a fence in a farmyard.听 鈥淲hy are you crowing?鈥� the donkey asked.听 鈥淢y master wants to put me in his pot for dinner. 听So I鈥檓 crowing while I still can!鈥� the cock replied.听 鈥淛oin us!鈥� said the donkey, 鈥測ou have a fine voice. 听And we鈥檙e off to Bremen to be 听musicians. We can all make music together.鈥澨� 鈥淏e pleased to,鈥� said the cock, and hopped down from the fence.听 And all four went on together.

By now it was growing dark and the animals were tired. 听They couldn鈥檛 reach the city of Bremen in one day. 听鈥淟et鈥檚 rest here till morning,鈥� said the donkey.听 So the hound and the donkey lay down by a tree, the cat climbed up on to a branch while the cock flew up to the highest branch of all. 听He was about to shut his eyes when he saw a light shining through the trees. 听鈥淚 can see a house,鈥� he called excitedly.

The donkey鈥檚 stomach was rumbling.听 鈥淟et鈥檚 go!鈥� he said, 鈥渢here鈥檒l be food there.鈥澨� 鈥淎 nice meaty bone,鈥� said the hound, smacking his lips.听 鈥淎nd a lovely fire to lie beside,鈥� purred the cat.

The animals crept up to the house and peered through the window. 听Round a table sprawled a group of men, eating and drinking.听 鈥淭hey鈥檙e robbers,鈥� growled the hound.听 鈥淲e must frighten them away,鈥� hissed the cat. 听鈥淐limb up on my back,鈥� said the donkey.听 鈥淵ou first, hound, then cat, then cock.听 Up you go!听 Now, let鈥檚 make the biggest noise anyone ever heard.听 听One 鈥� two 鈥� three ...鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 a monster trying to break in!鈥� shouted one of the robbers.听 鈥淚t鈥檚 got the head of a cock and the hoofs of a donkey,鈥� another cried, 鈥淚鈥檓 off!鈥�

When they had gone, the animals climbed down. 听The cat settled herself by the fire, the hound seized a bone off the table and took it away to chew, the donkey wandered into the shed for hay, and the cock flew up to the rafters.

In the wood, the robbers were watching. 鈥淭he light鈥檚 gone out,鈥� said their leader. 鈥淵ou!鈥� he told one of his men, 鈥済o and see if it鈥檚 safe to go back.鈥澨� The man didn鈥檛 dare refuse. 听He crept quietly up to the house听and opened the door. 听鈥淗a!鈥� he thought, seeing something glow on the hearth, 鈥淚鈥檒l light a match at those embers.鈥澨� He held a match to the cat鈥檚 eyes.听 The cat screeched and lashed out with her claws. 听The man yelled and ran to the door, where the hound bit him. 听鈥淭ake that!鈥� said the donkey, putting out a leg to trip him up.听 鈥淐ock a doodle doo!鈥� yodelled the cock from the rafters.

The man stumbled back to his companions. 听鈥淎 witch scratched me, something stabbed me leg and a monster tripped me up! Then someone shouted from the roof that he鈥檇 get us if we didn鈥檛 scarper,鈥� he gabbled.听 鈥淭hat鈥檚 it, we鈥檙e off!鈥� said the robbers.

The animals settled down to sleep again. 听It was so comfortable there that when morning came they decided they鈥檇 rather stay than trudge on to Bremen. 听And, as the cat pointed out, the robbers had run away when they heard them sing. So perhaps it was after all the best thing to do.

听