The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

The Good bargain

There was once a peasant who had driven his cow to the fair, and soldher for seven talers. On the way home he had to pass a pond, andalready from afar he heard the frogs crying, aik, aik, aik, aik.Well, said he to himself, they are talking without rhyme or reason,it is seven that I have received, not eight. When he got to thewater, he cried to them, stupid animals that you are. Don't you knowbetter than that. It is seven thalers and not eight. The frogs,however, stuck to their, aik aik, aik, aik. Come, then, if you won'tbelieve it, I can count it out to you. And he took his money out ofhis pocket and counted out the seven talers, always reckoning fourand twenty groschen to a taler. The frogs, however, paid noattention to his reckoning, but still cried, aik, aik, aik, aik.What, cried the peasant, quite angry, if you know better than I,count it yourselves, and threw all the money at them into the water.He stood still and wanted to wait until they were through and hadreturned to him what was his, but the frogs maintained their opinionand cried continually, aik, aik, aik, aik. And besides that, did notthrow the money out again. He still waited a long while untilevening came on and he was forced to go home. Then he abused thefrogs and cried, you water-splashers, you thick-heads, yougoggle-eyes, you have great mouths and can screech till you hurtone's ears, but you cannot count seven talers. Do you think I'mgoing to stand here till you get through. And with that he wentaway, but the frogs still cried, aik, aik, aik, aik, after him tillhe went home sorely vexed. After a while he bought another cow, whichhe slaughtered, and he made the calculation that if he sold the meatwell he might gain as much as the two cows were worth, and have thehide into the bargain. When therefore he got to the town with themeat, a great pack of dogs were gathered together in front of thegate, with a large greyhound at the head of them, which jumped at themeat, sniffed at it, and barked, wow, wow, wow. As there was nostopping him, the peasant said to him, yes, yes, I know quite wellthat you are saying wow, wow, wow, because you want some of the meat,but I should be in a fine state if I were to give it to you. Thedog, however, answered nothing but wow, wow. Will you promise not todevour it all then, and will you go bail for your companions. Wow,wow, wow, said the dog. Well, if you insist on it, I will leave itfor you, I know you well, and know whom you serve, but this I tellyou, I must have my money in three days or else it will go ill withyou, you can just bring it out to me. Thereupon he unloaded the meatand turned back again. The dogs fell upon it and loudly barked, wow,wow. The countryman, who heard them from afar, said to himself, hark,now they all want some, but the big one is responsible to me for it.When three days had passed, the countryman thought, to-night my moneywill be in my pocket, and was quite delighted. But no one would comeand pay it. There is no trusting any one now, said he. At last helost patience, and went into the town to the butcher and demanded hismoney. The butcher thought it was a joke, but the peasant said,jesting apart, I will have my money. Did not the big dog bring youthe whole of the slaughtered cow three days ago. Then the butchergrew angry, snatched a broomstick and drove him out. Wait, said thepeasant, there is still some justice in the world, and went to theroyal palace and begged for an audience. He was led before the king,who sat there with his daughter, and asked him what injury he hadsuffered. Alas, said he, the frogs and the dogs have taken from mewhat is mine, and the butcher has paid me for it with the stick. Andhe related at full length what had happened. Thereupon the king'sdaughter began to laugh heartily, and the king said to him, I cannotgive you justice in this, but you shall have my daughter to wife forit - in her whole life she has never yet laughed as she has just doneat you, and I have promised her to him who could make her laugh. Youmay thank God for your good fortune. Oh, answered the peasant, I donot want her at all. I have a wife already, and she is one too manyfor me, when I go home, it is just as if I had a wife standing inevery corner. Then the king grew angry, and said, you are a boor.Ah, lord king, replied the peasant, what can you expect from an ox,but beef. Stop, answered the king, you shall have another reward.Be off now, but come back in three days, and then you shall have fivehundred counted out in full. When the peasant went out by the gate,the sentry said, you have made the king's daughter laugh, so you willcertainly receive something good. Yes, that is what I think,answered the peasant, five hundred are to be counted out to me.Listen, said the soldier, give me some of it. What can you do withall that money. As it is you, said the peasant, you shall have twohundred, present yourself in three days, time before the king, andlet it be paid to you. A Jew, who was standing by and had heard theconversation, ran after the peasant, held him by the coat, and said,oh, wonder of God, what a child of fortune you are. I will change itfor you, I will change it for you into small coins, what do you wantwith the great talers. Jew, said the countryman, three hundred canyou still have, give it to me at once in coin, in three days fromthis, you will be paid for it by the king. The Jew was delightedwith the small profit, and brought the sum in bad groschen, three ofwhich were worth two good ones. After three days had passed,according to the king's command, the peasant went before the king.Pull his coat off, said the latter, and he shall have his fivehundred. Ah, said the peasant, they no longer belong to me, Ipresented two hundred of them to the sentry, and three hundred theJew has changed for me, so by right nothing at all belongs to me. Inthe meantime the soldier and the Jew entered and claimed what theyhad gained from the peasant, and they received the blows strictlycounted out. The soldier bore it patiently and knew already how ittasted, but the Jew said sorrowfully, alas, alas, are these the heavytalers. The king could not help laughing at the peasant, and whenall his anger was spent, he said, as you have already lost yourreward before it fell to your lot, I will give you compensation. Gointo my treasure chamber and get some money for yourself, as much asyou will. The peasant did not need to be told twice, and stuffedinto his big pockets whatsoever would go in. Afterwards he went toan inn and counted out his money. The Jew had crept after him andheard how he muttered to himself, that rogue of a king has cheated meafter all, why could he not have given me the money himself, and thenI should have known what I had. How can I tell now if what I havehad the luck to put in my pockets is right or not. Good heavens,said the Jew to himself, that man is speaking disrespectfully of ourlord the king, I will run and inform, and then I shall get a reward,and he will be punished as well. When the king heard of the peasant'swords he fell into a passion, and commanded the Jew to go and bringthe offender to him. The Jew ran to the peasant, you are to go atonce to the lord king in the very clothes you have on. I know what'sright better than that, answered the peasant, I shall have a new coatmade first. Do you think that a man with so much money in his pocketshould go there in his ragged old coat. The Jew, as he saw that thepeasant would not stir without another coat, and as he feared that ifthe king's anger cooled, he himself would lose his reward, and thepeasant his punishment, said, I will out of pure friendship lend youa coat for the short time. What people will not do for love. Thepeasant was contented with this, put the Jew's coat on, and went offwith him. The king reproached the countryman because of the evilspeaking of which the Jew had informed him. Ah, said the peasant,what a Jew says is always false - no true word ever comes out of hismouth. That rascal there is capable of maintaining that I have hiscoat on. What is that, shrieked the Jew, is the coat not mine. HaveI not lent it to you out of pure friendship, in order that you mightappear before the lord king. When the king heard that, he said, theJew has assuredly deceived one or the other of us, either myself orthe peasant. And again he ordered something to be counted out to himin hard thalers. The peasant, however, went home in the good coat,with the good money in his pocket, and said to himself, this time Ihave made it.