Just like the donkey, the dog became too old to be useful to his owners. Both animals decided to continue together. They should find a better future in Bremen. One can play a lute and one can hit the drums.
Not long after, they met a cat. The cat sat by the road and looked very sad.
The cat told a sad story too. Old age, weak teeth, slow legs, and a merciless master were the main points of the story. The cat was about to be drawn!
The donkey and the dog invited the cat to join them on the road to Bremen. Who could better understand the music than a night-musician?
When they came by the farm, where a cock crowed at the gate.
The future town musicians of Bremen asked the cock why he is so loud and he explained he is about to be cooked tomorrow, so he crows while his head is still on his neck.
The donkey, the dog, and the cat invited the cock to join them. More is marrier and a great singer is always welcomed in the band.
So they continued together. But the road to Bremen is long and the night was close. They decided to find a safe place to rest in the forest. After a while, they saw a light.
They came closer and found a hut. It was a hideout of robbers who were sitting at the table full of food and drink.
The animals knew they had to chase away the robbers to get some food and shelter for themselves. They made a plan.
The dog climbed up the donkey's back, the cat on the dog, and the cock on the top of all. They started making all kinds of noises when the donkey looking like a kind of sculpture broke into the hut through the window.
The robbers were terrified. The mere look at the strange monster made them run away and the hut was ready for the animals.
They enjoyed food and drink. Then they found the best positions for sleep. The donkey lay on straw outside of the hut, the dog behind the door, the cat in the ashes of the heath, and the cock on the roof.
After a while, the leader of the robbers demanded that one of his gang return and check the hut. So one of the robbers came back into the house where the light was off.
He entered and wanted to make a fire so he could look around. When he lit the match and bent to the heath, the cat jumped into his face and scratched him.
He tried to run through the door where the dog bit him and across the yard, where the donkey kicked him. If that wasn't enough the cock started crowing at his ears so the frightened man ran back to his pack as fast as he could.
When the rest of the robbers heard about the monster with flashy eyes who scratched their member, the man who cut him in the leg, the monster who kicked him, and the judge who screamed at him, they were convinced that this hut was no longer suitable for them.
They never returned but the town musicians of Bremen who never came to Bremen, could stay there as long as they wanted.