The Rooster with the Golden Crest

Once upon a time there were a cat, a thrush and a Rooster with a golden crest who all lived together in a little wooden house in the forest.

One day the cat and the thrush went out to cut firewood, leaving the Rooster

on his own. As they left, they warned him:

“We are going far off and you will be here alone looking after the house.

When the cunning fox comes past, be sure the window stays shut fast.”

The fox soon found out that the cat and the thrush were not at home. He ran

to the wooden house, sat down under the window and sang out:

“O Rooster with your golden crest, Your glorious hackles and silky feathers, Open the window, won’t you please, And I shall give you your fill of peas.”

When he heard that, the Rooster put his head out of the window. Quick as a flash the fox grabbed him and hurried away home.

The frightened Rooster called out:

“The fox is carrying me to his lair

Through forests dark and mountains bare

Over rivers that flow fast and free…

Come cat, come thrush, and rescue me!”

The cat and the thrush heard him, dashed after the fox and managed to get the

Rooster away from him.

When the time came for the cat and the thrush to go into the forest again for fire-

wood, they told the Rooster:

“This time be sure not to look out of the window, as we are going even farther away and will not hear you if you call!”

They went away and soon the fox again appeared be-

neath the window and sang:

“O Rooster with your golden crest, Your glorious hackles and silky feathers,

Open the window, won’t you please, And I shall give you your fill of peas.”

The Rooster kept quiet and still, so the fox went on:

“The children came merrily,

Scattering the corn about.

The hens they eat it happily, But Rooster must go without.”

At that the Rooster stuck his head out of the window and

cackled:

“What, what, what? What do you mean go without?” The fox grabbed him and hurried away home.

The frightened Rooster called out:

“The fox is carrying me to his lair

Through forests dark and mountains bare

Over rivers that flow fast and free…

Come cat, come thrush, and rescue me!”

The cat and the thrush heard him and dashed after the fox. The cat ran as fast as he could; the thrush flew swiftly above the wood. They caught up with the fox.

The thrush fluttered and pecked, the cat scratched and bit to good effect — and they got the Rooster away.

After some time the cat and the thrush had to go into the forest for firewood again. As they left they warned the Rooster as strongly as they could:

“Don’t listen to the fox. Don’t look out of the window. We are going even farther and will not hear if you call.”

Off they went into the forest. As soon as they had gone, the fox was back. He sat beneath the window and sang:

“O Rooster with your golden crest, Your glorious hackles and silky feathers, Open the window, won’t you please, And I shall give you your fill of peas.”

The Rooster kept quiet and still, so the fox went on:

“The children came merrily, Scattering the corn about.

The hens they eat it happily, But Rooster must go without.”

Still the Rooster kept quiet, so the fox went on:

“People came merrily

Scattering nuts about

The hens they eat them happily, But Roosters must go without.”

At that the Rooster stuck his head out of the window and cackled:

“What, what, what? What do you mean go without?”

The fox grabbed him tight and hurried through forests dark and mountains

bare, over rivers that flow fast and free, all the way to his lair.

The frightened Rooster called and called, but all in vain. The cat and the thrush did not hear him and it was only when they returned home that they found he was gone.

The pair hurried after the fox. The cat ran as fast as he could, the thrush flew swiftly above the wood… and they came to the fox’s lair. The cat took his gúsli – a stringed instrument a bit like a zither – and began to play:

“Hum, gusli, sing,

String upon golden string.

Here is the fox’s cosy lair.

I wonder, will we find him there.”

The fox listened and thought to himself:

“I’ll just take a look who is playing the gusli so well and singing so sweetly.” He climbed out of his lair and the cat and the thrush pounced on him. They

fluttered and bit, scratched and pecked until he gave up and ran away.

They found the Rooster, sat him in a basket and carried him back home.

The three of them never had any more trouble from the fox and they are still

living happily together today.