He advanced to the council-table: 70 And, ‘Please your honours,’ said he, ‘I’m able, By means of a secret charm, to draw All creatures living beneath the sun, That creep, or swim, or fly, or run, After me so as you never saw! 75 And I chiefly use my charm On creatures that do people harm, The mole, and toad, and newt, and viper; And people call me the Pied Piper.’ (And here they noticed round his neck 80 A scarf of red and yellow stripe, To match with his coat of the self-same cheque; And at the scarf’s end hung a pipe; And his fingers, they noticed, were ever straying, As if impatient to be playing 85 Upon this pipe, as low it dangled Over his vesture so old-fangled.) ‘Yet,’ said he, ‘poor Piper as I am, In Tartary I freed the Cham, Last June, from his huge swarms of gnats; 90 I eased in Asia the Nizam Of a monstrous brood of vampyre bats: And, as for what your brain bewilders, If I can rid your town of rats Will you give me a thousand guilders?’ 95 ‘One? fifty thousand!’--was the exclamation Of the astonished Mayor and Corporation. Into the street the Piper stept, Smiling first a little smile, As if he knew what magic slept 100 In his quiet pipe the while; Then, like a musical adept, To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled, And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled, Like a candle flame where salt is sprinkled; 105 And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered, You heard as if an army muttered; And the muttering grew to a grumbling; And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling; And out of the houses the rats came tumbling. 110 Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats, Brown rats, black rats, grey rats, tawny rats, Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, Cocking tails and pricking whiskers, 115 Families by tens and dozens, Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives-- Followed the Piper for their lives. From street to street he piped advancing And step for step they followed dancing, 120 Until they came to the river Weser, Wherein all plunged and perished --Save one, who, stout as Julius Cæsar, Swam across and lived to carry (As he the manuscript he cherished) 125 To Rat-land home his commentary, Which was, ‘At the first shrill notes of the pipe, I heard a sound as of scraping tripe, And putting apples, wondrous ripe,