A
sheep-dog had not a good master, but, on the contrary, one who let him
suffer hunger.
As he could stay no longer with him, he went quite sadly away.
On the road he met a sparrow who said, "Brother dog, why art thou so
sad?"
The dog replied, "I am hungry, and have nothing to eat."
Then said the sparrow, "Dear brother, come into the town with me, and I
will satisfy thy hunger."
So they went into the town together, and when they came in front of a
butcher's shop the sparrow said to the dog, "Stay there, and I will
pick a bit of meat down for thee," and he alighted on the stall, looked
about him to see that no one was observing him, and pecked and pulled
and tore so long at a piece which lay on the edge, that it slipped
down.
Then the dog seized it, ran into a corner, and devoured it.
The sparrow said, "Now come with me to another shop, and then I will
get thee one more piece that thou mayst be satisfied."
When the dog had devoured the second piece as well, the sparrow asked,
"Brother dog, hast thou now had enough?"
"Yes, I have had meat enough," he answered, "but I have had no bread
yet."
Said the sparrow, "Thou shalt have that also, come with me."
Then he took him to a baker's shop, and pecked at a couple of little
buns till they rolled down, and as the dog wanted still more, he led
him to another stall, and again got bread for him.
When that was consumed, the sparrow said, "Brother dog, hast thou now
had enough?"
"Yes," he replied, "now we will walk awhile outside the town."
Then they both went out on to the highway.
It was, however, warm weather, and when they had walked a
little way the dog said, "I am tired, and would like to sleep."
"Well, do sleep," answered the sparrow, "and in the meantime I will
seat myself on a branch."
So the dog lay down on the road, and fell fast asleep.
Whilst he lay sleeping there, a waggoner came driving by, who had a
cart with three horses, laden with two barrels of wine.
The sparrow, however, saw that he was not going to turn aside, but was
staying in the wheel track in which the dog was lying, so it cried,
"Waggoner, don't do it, or I will make thee poor."
The waggoner, however, growled to himself, "Thou wilt not make me
poor," and cracked his whip and drove the cart over the dog, and the
wheels killed him.
Then the sparrow cried, "Thou hast driven over my brother dog and
killed him, it shall cost thee thy cart and horses." "Cart and horses
indeed!" said the waggoner. "What harm canst thou do me?" and drove
onwards.
Then the sparrow crept under the cover of the cart, and pecked so long
at the same bung-hole that he got the bung out, and then all the wine
ran out without the driver noticing it.
But once when he was looking behind him he saw that the cart was
dripping, and looked at the barrels and saw that one of them was empty.
"Unfortunate fellow that I am," cried he.
"Not unfortunate enough yet," said the sparrow, and flew on to the head
of one of the horses and pecked his eyes out.
When the driver saw that, he drew out his axe and wanted to hit the
sparrow, but the sparrow flew into the air, and he hit his horse on the
head, and it fell down dead.
"Oh, what an unfortunate man I am," cried he.
"Not unfortunate enough yet," said the sparrow, and when the driver
drove on with the two horses, the sparrow again crept under the cover,
and pecked the bung out of the second cask, so all the wine was spilt.
When the driver became aware of it, he again cried, "Oh, what an
unfortunate man I am," but the sparrow replied, "Not unfortunate enough
yet," and seated himself on the head of the second horse, and pecked
his eyes out.
The driver ran up to it and raised his axe to strike, but the sparrow
flew in the air and the blow struck the horse, which fell.
"Oh, what an unfortunate man I am."
"Not unfortunate enough yet," said the sparrow, and lighted on the
third horse's head, and pecked out his eyes.
The driver, in his rage, struck at the sparrow without looking round,
and did not hit him, but killed his third horse likewise.
"Oh, what an unfortunate man I am," cried he.
"Not unfortunate enough yet," answered the sparrow.
"Now will I make thee unfortunate in thy home," and flew away.
The
driver had to leave the waggon standing, and
full of anger and vexation went home.
"Ah," said he to his wife, "what misfortunes I have had! My wine has
run out, and the horses are all three dead!" "Alas, husband," she
answered, "what a malicious bird has come into the house! It has
gathered together every bird there is in the world, and they have
fallen on our corn up there, and are devouring it."
Then
he went upstairs, and thousands and
thousands
of birds were sitting in the loft and had eaten up all the corn, and
the sparrow was sitting in the midst of them.
Then the driver cried, "Oh, what an unfortunate man I am?"
"Not unfortunate enough yet!" answered the sparrow; "waggoner, it shall
cost thee thy life as well," and flew out.
Then
the waggoner had lost all his property, and
he went downstairs into the room, sat down behind the stove and was
quite furious and bitter.
But the sparrow sat outside in front of the window, and cried,
"Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life."
Then the waggoner snatched the axe and threw it at the sparrow, but it
only broke the window, and did not hit the bird.
The sparrow now hopped in, placed itself on the stove and cried,
"Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life."
The latter, quite mad and blind with rage, smote the stove in twain,
and as the sparrow flew from one place to another so it fared with all
his household furniture, looking-glass, benches, table, and at last the
walls of his house, and yet he could not hit the bird.
At
length, however, he caught it with his
hand.
Then his wife said, "Shall I kill it?"
"No," cried he, "that would be too merciful. It shall die much more
cruelly," and he took it and swallowed it whole.
The sparrow, however, began to flutter about in his body, and fluttered
up again into the man's mouth; then it stretched out its head, and
cried, "Waggoner, it shall still cost thee thy life."
The driver gave the axe to his wife, and said, "Wife, kill the bird in
my mouth for me."
The woman struck, but missed her blow, and hit the waggoner right on
his head, so that he fell dead.
But
the sparrow flew up and away.
From Jacob and Wilhelm
Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret Hunt
(London:
George Bell, 1884), 1:235-238.
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