Kabanata Kabanata 39 · Herr Korbes

. Herr Korbes

There were once a cock and a hen who wanted to take a journey together.

So the cock built a beautiful carriage, which had four red wheels, and

harnessed four mice to it. The hen seated herself in it with the cock,

and they drove away together. Not long afterwards they met a cat who

said, “Where are you going?” The cock replied, “We are going to the

house of Herr Korbes.” “Take me with you,” said the cat. The cock

answered, “Most willingly, get up behind, lest you fall off in front.

Take great care not to dirty my little red wheels. And you little

wheels, roll on, and you little mice pipe out, as we go forth on our

way to the house of Herr Korbes.”

After this came a millstone, then an egg, then a duck, then a pin, and

at last a needle, who all seated themselves in the carriage, and drove

with them. When, however, they reached the house of Herr Korbes, Herr

Korbes was not there. The mice drew the carriage into the barn, the hen

flew with the cock upon a perch. The cat sat down by the hearth, the

duck on the well-pole. The egg rolled itself into a towel, the pin

stuck itself into the chair-cushion, the needle jumped on to the bed in

the middle of the pillow, and the millstone laid itself over the door.

Then Herr Korbes came home, went to the hearth, and was about to light

the fire, when the cat threw a quantity of ashes in his face. He ran

into the kitchen in a great hurry to wash it off, and the duck splashed

some water in his face. He wanted to dry it with the towel, but the egg

rolled up against him, broke, and glued up his eyes. He wanted to rest,

and sat down in the chair, and then the pin pricked him. He fell in a

passion, and threw himself on his bed, but as soon as he laid his head

on the pillow, the needle pricked him, so that he screamed aloud, and

was just going to run out into the wide world in his rage, but when he

came to the house-door, the millstone leapt down and struck him dead.

Herr Korbes must have been a very wicked man!