Brother Lustig travelled about with his money, and squandered and
wasted what he had as before. When at last he had no more than four
kreuzers, he passed by an inn and thought, “The money must go,” and
ordered three kreuzers’ worth of wine and one kreuzer’s worth of bread
for himself. As he was sitting there drinking, the smell of roast goose
made its way to his nose. Brother Lustig looked about and peeped, and
saw that the host had two geese standing in the oven. Then he
remembered that his comrade had said that whatsoever he wished to have
in his knapsack should be there, so he said, “Oh, ho! I must try that
with the geese.” So he went out, and when he was outside the door, he
said, “I wish those two roasted geese out of the oven and in my
knapsack,” and when he had said that, he unbuckled it and looked in,
and there they were inside it. “Ah, that’s right!” said he, “now I am a
made man!” and went away to a meadow and took out the roast meat. When
he was in the midst of his meal, two journeymen came up and looked at
the second goose, which was not yet touched, with hungry eyes. Brother
Lustig thought to himself, “One is enough for me,” and called the two
men up and said, “Take the goose, and eat it to my health.” They
thanked him, and went with it to the inn, ordered themselves a half
bottle of wine and a loaf, took out the goose which had been given
them, and began to eat. The hostess saw them and said to her husband,
“Those two are eating a goose; just look and see if it is not one of
ours, out of the oven.” The landlord ran thither, and behold the oven
was empty! “What!” cried he, “you thievish crew, you want to eat goose
as cheap as that? Pay for it this moment; or I will wash you well with
green hazel-sap.” The two said, “We are no thieves, a discharged
soldier gave us the goose, outside there in the meadow.” “You shall not
throw dust in my eyes that way! the soldier was here but he went out by
the door, like an honest fellow. I looked after him myself; you are the
thieves and shall pay!” But as they could not pay, he took a stick, and
cudgeled them out of the house.
Brother Lustig went his way and came to a place where there was a
magnificent castle, and not far from it a wretched inn. He went to the
inn and asked for a night’s lodging, but the landlord turned him away,
and said, “There is no more room here, the house is full of noble
guests.” “It surprises me that they should come to you and not go to
that splendid castle,” said Brother Lustig. “Ah, indeed,” replied the
host, “but it is no slight matter to sleep there for a night; no one
who has tried it so far, has ever come out of it alive.”
“If others have tried it,” said Brother Lustig, “I will try it too.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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