A donkey had worked hard all his life, but now he was old, and his master did not want him any more. So the donkey ran away. "I will go to the town of Bremen," he said, "and become a musician."
On the road he met a dog, lying tired by the way. "I am too old to hunt, and my master wanted to hurt me," said the dog. "Come with me to Bremen," said the donkey. "We will make music together." So they walked on.
Soon they met a cat with a sad face, and then a cock, or rooster, who was afraid of being cooked for dinner. Both joined the donkey and the dog. Now there were four friends going to Bremen to be musicians.
Night came before they reached the town, so they stopped in a forest. From a tree, the cock saw a light. They followed it and found a little house. Inside, some robbers were eating a fine dinner at a big table.
The hungry animals made a plan. The donkey put his feet on the window, the dog stood on the donkey, the cat on the dog, and the cock on top. Then all together they made their loudest noise: braying, barking, meowing, and crowing.
The robbers were so frightened by the strange sound that they ran out of the house and into the dark forest. The four friends went in, ate the good dinner, and fell asleep, happy and warm.
Later a robber crept back to see if it was safe. In the dark the cat scratched him, the dog bit him, the donkey kicked him, and the cock cried out. The robber ran away and told the others that the house was full of monsters. The robbers never came back, and the four friends lived in the little house together for the rest of their days.
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