The Pack of Scoundrels

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　The rooster said to the hen, "Now is the time when the nuts are getting ripe. Let us go up the mountain together, and for once eat our fill, before the squirrel takes them all away."

　　"Yes," answered the hen. "Come, let us go and have some fun together.

　　Together they went up the mountain, and since it was a clear day, they stayed until evening.

　　Now I don't know whether it was because they had overeaten, or they were just in high spirits, but —— to make a long story short —— they did not want to go back home on foot, so the rooster had to make a little carriage out of nutshells.

　　When it was finished, the hen sat down in it and said to the rooster, "You can hitch¹ yourself to it."

　　"You are dreaming!" said the rooster. "I would rather go home on foot than have myself hitched² up. That was not our agreement. I want to be the coachman and sit in the driver's seat. I am not going to pull it."

　　While they were quarreling about this, a duck came quacking³ by. "You thieves, who invited you to my nut mountain? Wait! You'll be sorry!" And with an open beak⁴ she attacked the rooster.

　　The rooster did not take this lying down. Jumping furiously onto the duck, he hacked⁵ at her so fiercely with one of his spurs that she begged for mercy, and as punishment she had to accept being hitched to the carriage.

　　So the rooster sat in the driver's seat and was the coachman, and away they sped.

　　"Run, duck! Run as fast as you can!"

　　After they had traveled a little way they met two people on foot, a pin and a needle.

　　"Stop! Stop!" shouted the pin and the needle, saying that soon it would be pitch dark, and they would not be able to walk another step. Moreover, the road was very dirty. They asked if they would not be able to climb inside for a little way, explaining that they had been at the tailor's tavern⁶ just outside the town gate, and that they had sat there too long over their beer.

　　Seeing that they were thin people and would not take up much room, the rooster let them both climb in, although they did have to promise that they would not step on his or on the hen's feet.

　　Late that evening they came to an inn, where they turned in, not wanting to drive any further into the night. Furthermore, the duck's feet were not doing well, and she was waddling⁷ from one side to the other.

　　At first the innkeeper did not want to receive them. He said that his inn was already full, but he was also thinking that these were not very respectable people. They begged him with their kindest words, offering to give him the egg that the hen had laid on the way, and telling him that he could keep the duck, who laid an egg every day. Finally he said that they could spend the night there.

　　They ordered food and drink, and had a high time.

　　Early the next morning, just as it was getting light, and everyone was still asleep, the rooster woke up the hen. They got the egg, pecked it open, and ate it together, throwing the shells into the fireplace. Then they went to the needle, who was still asleep, grabbed it by the head, and stuck it into the innkeeper's seat cushion. They stuck the pin into his towel, and then without further ado they fled across the heath.

　　The duck, who preferred to sleep under the open sky, had spent the night in the courtyard, and she heard them sneaking⁸ away. She forced herself to wake up, found a brook⁹, and swam away downstream, much faster than she had traveled in front of the carriage.

　　A few hours later the innkeeper climbed out of the feathers, washed himself, and started to dry off on the towel when the pin went across his face, leaving a red streak¹⁰ from one ear to the other. Then he went into the kitchen. He wanted to light his pipe, but as he approached the fireplace, the eggshells sprang into his eyes.

　　"Everything is after my head today," he said, sitting down crossly in the grandfather chair, but he jumped up immediately, shouting, "Ouch!" The needle had stuck him even worse, and not in the head.

　　Now he was totally angry. Suspecting the guests who had arrived so late yesterday evening, he went to look for them, but they were gone.

　　He then vowed¹¹ never again to take in such a pack of scoundrels who eat and drink a lot, pay nothing, and for thanks play mean tricks.

#p#

有一次，公鸡对母鸡说：「现在正是核桃成熟的时候，我们要趁着松鼠还没有把核桃全部吃完，赶紧进山去吃个够。」「对呀，」母鸡答道，「走吧，我们可以好好地享受享受。」牠们於是就上了山，而且因为天气晴朗，一直在山上呆到天黑。不知道牠们究竟是因为吃多了撑着呢，还是因为牠们突然变得心高气傲起来，牠们竟然不愿意步行回家。公鸡用核桃壳做了一辆小车。车子做好后，小母鸡坐了上去对公鸡说：「你只管在前面拉车吧。」「让我拉车？」公鸡嚷了起来，「我宁愿步行回家也不愿意拉车。不行，我决不答应！要我坐在车上当个车伕还可以，可要我拉车，这根本不可能。」

　　就在牠们这样争论的时候，一只鸭子嘎嘎嘎地叫着对牠们说：「你们这两个小偷，是谁同意你们上我的核桃山的？等着，我要让你们吃点苦头！」牠说着便张开阔嘴，向公鸡扑过去。但是公鸡并非等闲之辈，毫不示弱地向鸭子反击，对着鸭子猛踢猛蹬，弄得鸭子只好低头求饶，并且愿意接受惩罚，给牠们拉车。小公鸡坐在车伕的位子上，高高地叫了一声：「鸭子，尽量给我跑快点！」小车便飞快地向前驶去。牠们走了一程后，遇到了两个赶路的，一个是大头针，一个是缝衣针。「停一停，停一停！」它俩喊道。然后又说，天快要黑了，它们寸步难行，而且路上又髒得要命，所以问能不能搭一会儿车。它俩还说，它们在城门口裁缝们常去的酒店里喝啤酒，结果呆得太晚了。由於它俩都骨瘦如柴，佔不了多少位子，公鸡便让它们上了车，条件是要它们保证不踩到牠和母鸡的脚。天黑了很久以后，牠们来到了一家旅店前。牠们不愿意在黑夜里继续赶路，再加上鸭子的脚力又不行，跑起来已经是左摇右摆，牠们便进了店里。店主人起初提出了许多异议，说甚么店已经住满了，而且他觉得牠们不是甚么高贵的客人。可牠们说了很多好话，说要把小母鸡在路上生的鸡蛋给他，还把每天能生一只蛋的鸭子留给他，他终於答应让牠们在店里过夜。

　　第二天清早，天刚濛濛亮，大家都还在睡梦中，公鸡却叫醒了母鸡，取出那只鸡蛋，把它啄破，和母鸡一起把蛋吃进了肚子，再把蛋壳扔进火炉。然后，牠们来到还在沉睡的缝衣针旁，抓住它的脑袋，把它插进店老闆椅子的坐垫中，又把大头针插在店老闆的毛巾里。做完这些后，公鸡和母鸡便飞快地逃走了。鸭子因为喜欢睡在露天，所以晚上一直呆在院子里，没有进屋。牠听到公鸡和母鸡逃跑了，心里万分高兴。牠找到一条小溪，顺着它游了下去——这种旅行的方法当然要比拉车快多了。

　　几个小时之后，店老闆才起来。他洗了洗脸，准备用毛巾擦一擦，结果大头针从他的脸上划过，在他的脸上留下了一道直至耳根的长长的血印。他走进厨房，想点燃烟斗，可当他走到火炉旁时，鸡蛋壳从火炉里蹦了出来，碰到了他的眼睛。「今天早晨好像甚么都跟我过不去。」他说，同时气呼呼地在他爷爷留给他的椅子上坐了下来。可他立刻又跳了起来，而且叫着：「哎哟！哎哟！」那缝衣针虽然没有紮着他的脸，却比大头针扎得更厉害。他现在真的气坏了，不由得怀疑起昨天很晚才住进店来的那帮客人。他去找牠们，结果发现牠们早已逃得无影无踪了。他於是发誓说，他的店里今后决不再接待任何二流子，因为这帮傢伙吃得多，不付一分钱，而且还忘恩负义地对你做恶作剧。