The Dog and the Sparrow

A sheep-dog did not have a good master. His master let him go hungry. The dog could not stay any longer, so he sadly left. On the road he met a sparrow who said, “Brother dog, why are you so sad?” The dog replied, “I am hungry, and have nothing to eat.” Then the sparrow said, “Dear brother, come into town with me, and I will satisfy your hunger.” So they went into town together.

When they came to a butcher's shop, the sparrow said to the dog, “Stay here, and I will pick down a bit of meat for you.” He landed on the stall, looked around to see that no one was watching, and pecked and pulled at a piece of meat on the edge until it slipped down.

The dog seized it, ran into a corner, and gobbled it up. The sparrow said, “Now come with me to another shop, and I will get you another piece so you can be full.” When the dog had eaten the second piece too, the sparrow asked, “Brother dog, have you had enough now?” “Yes, I have had enough meat,” he answered, “but I have had no bread yet.” Said the sparrow, “You shall have that too, come with me.” Then he took him to a baker's shop, and pecked at a couple of little buns until they rolled down.

As the dog still wanted more, he led him to another stall and again got bread for him. When that was eaten, the sparrow said, “Brother dog, have you had enough now?” “Yes,” he replied, “now let's walk a while outside town.” Then they both went out onto the highway.

It was warm weather, and after they had walked a little way the dog said, “I am tired and would like to sleep.” “Well, sleep,” answered the sparrow, “and in the meantime I will sit on a branch.” So the dog lay down on the road and fell fast asleep.

While he lay sleeping there, a wagon driver came by with a cart pulled by three horses, loaded with two barrels of wine. The sparrow saw that the driver was not going to turn aside but would stay on the wheel track where the dog was lying, so the sparrow cried, “Wagon driver, don't do it, or I will make you poor!” The driver muttered to himself, “You will not make me poor,” and cracked his whip and drove the cart over the dog, and the wheels killed him.

Then the sparrow cried, “You have run over my brother dog and killed him. It shall cost you your cart and horses.” “Cart and horses indeed!” said the driver. “What harm can you do me?” And he drove on.

Then the sparrow crept under the cover of the cart and pecked at the same bung-hole until the bung came out, and all the wine ran out without the driver noticing. But when he looked behind him, he saw the cart dripping and looked at the barrels and saw that one was empty.

“Unfortunate man that I am!” he cried. “Not unfortunate enough yet,” said the sparrow, and flew onto the head of one of the horses and pecked out its eyes. When the driver saw that, he grabbed his axe and wanted to hit the sparrow, but the sparrow flew into the air, and he hit the horse on the head, and it fell down dead.

“Oh, what an unfortunate man I am!” he cried. “Not unfortunate enough yet,” said the sparrow. When the driver drove on with the two horses, the sparrow again crept under the cover and pecked the bung out of the second barrel, so all the wine was spilled.

When the driver saw it, he again cried, “Oh, what an unfortunate man I am!” But the sparrow replied, “Not unfortunate enough yet,” and perched on the head of the second horse and pecked out its eyes.

The driver ran up and raised his axe to strike, but the sparrow flew into the air, and the blow hit the horse, which fell. “Oh, what an unfortunate man I am!” “Not unfortunate enough yet,” said the sparrow, and landed on the third horse's head and pecked out its eyes.

The driver, in his rage, swung at the sparrow without looking and killed his third horse instead. “Oh, what an unfortunate man I am!” he cried. “Not unfortunate enough yet,” answered the sparrow. “Now I will make you unfortunate in your home,” and flew away.

The driver had to leave the wagon standing, and full of anger and vexation went home. “Ah,” he said to his wife, “what misfortunes I have had! My wine has run out, and all three horses are dead!” “Alas, husband,” she answered, “what a malicious bird has come into the house!

It has gathered every bird in the world, and they have fallen on our corn up there and are devouring it.” Then he went upstairs, and thousands and thousands of birds were sitting in the loft and had eaten all the corn, and the sparrow was sitting in the middle of them.

Then the driver cried, “Oh, what an unfortunate man I am!” “Not unfortunate enough yet!” answered the sparrow. “Wagon driver, it shall cost you your life as well,” and flew out. Then the wagon driver had lost all his property.

He went downstairs into the room, sat down behind the stove, and was furious and bitter. But the sparrow sat outside in front of the window and cried, “Wagon driver, it shall cost you your life.” Then the driver snatched the axe and threw it at the sparrow, but it only broke the window and did not hit the bird.

The sparrow now hopped in, perched on the stove, and cried, “Wagon driver, it shall cost you your life.” The driver, mad and blind with rage, smashed the stove in two. As the sparrow flew from one place to another, the same happened to all his household furniture—mirror, benches, table, and finally the walls of his house—yet he could not hit the bird.

At last, however, he caught it with his hand. Then his wife said, “Shall I kill it?” “No,” he cried, “that would be too merciful. It shall die much more cruelly.” And he took it and swallowed it whole.

But the sparrow began to flutter about inside his body and fluttered up again into the man's mouth. Then it stretched out its head and cried, “Wagon driver, it shall still cost you your life.” The driver gave the axe to his wife and said, “Wife, kill the bird in my mouth for me.” The woman struck, but missed her blow and hit the wagon driver right on the head, so that he fell dead.

But the sparrow flew up and away.