OR, THE WAITS OF BREMEN. 9
n^lies; and the cock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were all rather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.
But about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights Avere out and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had 1 >ecn in too great a hurry to inin away ; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he marched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, ho mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them to light it. But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face, and spit, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and away he ran to the back door ; but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him ; and the cock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might. At this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told the captain " how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spit at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingei*s; how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself 1 ehind the door, and stabbed him in the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and stinick him with a club, and how the devil sat upon the top of the house, and cried out, * Throw the rascal up here !*" After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house ; but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters, that they took up their abode there ; and there they are, I dare say, at this very day.
