After a while a man came by in a wagon, and finding Reinecke in the road he picked him up and threw him into the wagon, intending to strip off his skin as soon as he reached home. Now this man had three cheeses in a knapsack in his wagon, and presently Reinecke roused himself from his feigned death, arose softly, stole the three cheeses out of the knapsack, and made off. As soon as he had reached a safe distance he devoured two of the cheeses and went on his way, holding the third under his chin. In the course of his travels he met friend Isegrim, who had eaten his beloved colt. Isegrim no sooner saw Reinecke with the cheese than his mouth began to water, and he asked him how he had come by it. Then Reinecke, truthful as usual, replied that he had sucked it up out of a brook. "And where may that brook be found?" asked Isegrim hastily. "Follow me," answered Reinecke; "I will lead you to it." Now it happened that this meeting took place at the full of the moon, about midnight, and a beautiful, star-bestrewn sky shed a magical half-darkness over everything. Reinecke led Isegrim to a brook and, showing him the reflection of the moon mirrored in the flowing water, said: "Do you see that great cheese there in the water? Now suck up the water in great gulps and you will suck up the cheese at last, just as I did." So simple Isegrim sucked up the water in great gulps, until it began to run out at his ears. Reinecke very kindly plugged up his ears and cried to him: "Keep on sucking, dear Isegrim; you'll soon have it!" Simple Isegrim went at it again, and sucked until the water ran out of his eyes. At once Reinecke stopped up his eyes, crying again: "Keep on, dear Isegrim, you'll soon have it now!" Poor Isegrim sucked on, until the water ran out at his nose. Then Reinecke stopped up his nose and climbed upon his back, saying he was sick and could not walk, and Isegrim must carry him. The Wolf, in very woful plight, set out to carry the Fox, when Reinecke tuned up and sang: The sick is carrying the well! The sick is carrying the well! And he kept on repeating the same words until Isegrim asked: "What's that you're singing, cousin?" "Nothing, nothing, dear Isegrim; they are only the fantasies of illness!" and he kept up his song: The sick is carrying the well! The sick is carrying the well! So it went on till they came to a house where a wedding was being celebrated. When the wedding-guests heard Reinecke's song they came out of the house and praised his singing. Thereupon he said that he could sing a better song than that if they would let him go into the house and up into the loft. To this they agreed.