Stranica 163 [163]
THE MOUSE, THE BIRD, AND THE SAUSAGE. 127
bird was determined to have his own way. So they drew lots
to settle it, and it fell so that the sausage was to fetch wood, the
mouse was to cook, and the bird was to draw water.
Now see what happened. ‘The sausage went away after
wood, the bird made up the fire, and the mouse put on the
pot, and they waited until the sausage should come home,
bringing the wood for the next day. But the sausage was
absent so long, that they thought something must have
happened to him, and the bird went part of the way to see if
he could see anything of him. Not far off he met with a dog
on the road, who, looking upon the sausage as lawful prey,
had picked him up, and made an end of him. The bird then
lodged a complaint against the dog as an open and flagrant
robber, but it was all no good, as the dog declared that he had
found forged letters upon the sausage, so that he deserved to
lose his life.
The bird then very sadly took up the wood and carried it
home himself, and related to the mouse all he had seen and
heard. They were both very troubled, but determined to look
on the bright side of things, and still to remain together. And
so the bird laid the cloth, and the mouse prepared the food, and
finally got into the pot, as the sausage used to do, to stir and
flavour the broth, but then she had to part with fur and skin,
and lastly with life !
And when the bird came to dish up the dinner, there
was no cook to be seen; and he turned over the heap of
wood, and looked and looked, but the cook never appeared
again. By accident the wood caught fire, and the bird
hastened to fetch water to put it out, but he let fall the
bucket in the well, and himself after it, and as he could not
get out again, he was obliged to be drowned.