The Adventures Of Chanticleer And Partlet

: Grimms' Fairy Tales

1. HOW THEY WENT TO THE MOUNTAINS TO EAT NUTS



'The nuts are quite ripe now,' said Chanticleer to his wife Partlet,

'suppose we go together to the mountains, and eat as many as we can,

before the squirrel takes them all away.' 'With all my heart,' said

Partlet, 'let us go and make a holiday of it together.'



So they went to the mountains; and as it was a lovely day, they stayed

there till the vening. Now, whether it was that they had eaten so many

nuts that they could not walk, or whether they were lazy and would not,

I do not know: however, they took it into their heads that it did not

become them to go home on foot. So Chanticleer began to build a little

carriage of nutshells: and when it was finished, Partlet jumped into

it and sat down, and bid Chanticleer harness himself to it and draw her

home. 'That's a good joke!' said Chanticleer; 'no, that will never do;

I had rather by half walk home; I'll sit on the box and be coachman,

if you like, but I'll not draw.' While this was passing, a duck came

quacking up and cried out, 'You thieving vagabonds, what business have

you in my grounds? I'll give it you well for your insolence!' and upon

that she fell upon Chanticleer most lustily. But Chanticleer was no

coward, and returned the duck's blows with his sharp spurs so fiercely

that she soon began to cry out for mercy; which was only granted her

upon condition that she would draw the carriage home for them. This she

agreed to do; and Chanticleer got upon the box, and drove, crying, 'Now,

duck, get on as fast as you can.' And away they went at a pretty good

pace.



After they had travelled along a little way, they met a needle and a pin

walking together along the road: and the needle cried out, 'Stop, stop!'

and said it was so dark that they could hardly find their way, and such

dirty walking they could not get on at all: he told them that he and his

friend, the pin, had been at a public-house a few miles off, and had sat

drinking till they had forgotten how late it was; he begged therefore

that the travellers would be so kind as to give them a lift in their

carriage. Chanticleer observing that they were but thin fellows, and not

likely to take up much room, told them they might ride, but made them

promise not to dirty the wheels of the carriage in getting in, nor to

tread on Partlet's toes.



Late at night they arrived at an inn; and as it was bad travelling in

the dark, and the duck seemed much tired, and waddled about a good

deal from one side to the other, they made up their minds to fix their

quarters there: but the landlord at first was unwilling, and said his

house was full, thinking they might not be very respectable company:

however, they spoke civilly to him, and gave him the egg which Partlet

had laid by the way, and said they would give him the duck, who was in

the habit of laying one every day: so at last he let them come in, and

they bespoke a handsome supper, and spent the evening very jollily.



Early in the morning, before it was quite light, and when nobody was

stirring in the inn, Chanticleer awakened his wife, and, fetching the

egg, they pecked a hole in it, ate it up, and threw the shells into the

fireplace: they then went to the pin and needle, who were fast asleep,

and seizing them by the heads, stuck one into the landlord's easy chair

and the other into his handkerchief; and, having done this, they crept

away as softly as possible. However, the duck, who slept in the open

air in the yard, heard them coming, and jumping into the brook which ran

close by the inn, soon swam out of their reach.



An hour or two afterwards the landlord got up, and took his handkerchief

to wipe his face, but the pin ran into him and pricked him: then he

walked into the kitchen to light his pipe at the fire, but when he

stirred it up the eggshells flew into his eyes, and almost blinded him.

'Bless me!' said he, 'all the world seems to have a design against my

head this morning': and so saying, he threw himself sulkily into his

easy chair; but, oh dear! the needle ran into him; and this time the

pain was not in his head. He now flew into a very great passion, and,

suspecting the company who had come in the night before, he went to look

after them, but they were all off; so he swore that he never again

would take in such a troop of vagabonds, who ate a great deal, paid no

reckoning, and gave him nothing for his trouble but their apish tricks.





2. HOW CHANTICLEER AND PARTLET WENT TO VIST MR KORBES



Another day, Chanticleer and Partlet wished to ride out together;

so Chanticleer built a handsome carriage with four red wheels, and

harnessed six mice to it; and then he and Partlet got into the carriage,

and away they drove. Soon afterwards a cat met them, and said, 'Where

are you going?' And Chanticleer replied,



'All on our way

A visit to pay

To Mr Korbes, the fox, today.'



Then the cat said, 'Take me with you,' Chanticleer said, 'With all my

heart: get up behind, and be sure you do not fall off.'



'Take care of this handsome coach of mine,

Nor dirty my pretty red wheels so fine!

Now, mice, be ready,

And, wheels, run steady!

For we are going a visit to pay

To Mr Korbes, the fox, today.'



Soon after came up a millstone, an egg, a duck, and a pin; and

Chanticleer gave them all leave to get into the carriage and go with

them.



When they arrived at Mr Korbes's house, he was not at home; so the mice

drew the carriage into the coach-house, Chanticleer and Partlet flew

upon a beam, the cat sat down in the fireplace, the duck got into

the washing cistern, the pin stuck himself into the bed pillow, the

millstone laid himself over the house door, and the egg rolled himself

up in the towel.



When Mr Korbes came home, he went to the fireplace to make a fire; but

the cat threw all the ashes in his eyes: so he ran to the kitchen to

wash himself; but there the duck splashed all the water in his face; and

when he tried to wipe himself, the egg broke to pieces in the towel all

over his face and eyes. Then he was very angry, and went without his

supper to bed; but when he laid his head on the pillow, the pin ran into

his cheek: at this he became quite furious, and, jumping up, would have

run out of the house; but when he came to the door, the millstone fell

down on his head, and killed him on the spot.





3. HOW PARTLET DIED AND WAS BURIED, AND HOW CHANTICLEER DIED OF GRIEF



Another day Chanticleer and Partlet agreed to go again to the mountains

to eat nuts; and it was settled that all the nuts which they found

should be shared equally between them. Now Partlet found a very large

nut; but she said nothing about it to Chanticleer, and kept it all to

herself: however, it was so big that she could not swallow it, and it

stuck in her throat. Then she was in a great fright, and cried out to

Chanticleer, 'Pray run as fast as you can, and fetch me some water, or I

shall be choked.' Chanticleer ran as fast as he could to the river, and

said, 'River, give me some water, for Partlet lies in the mountain, and

will be choked by a great nut.' The river said, 'Run first to the bride,

and ask her for a silken cord to draw up the water.' Chanticleer ran to

the bride, and said, 'Bride, you must give me a silken cord, for then

the river will give me water, and the water I will carry to Partlet, who

lies on the mountain, and will be choked by a great nut.' But the bride

said, 'Run first, and bring me my garland that is hanging on a willow

in the garden.' Then Chanticleer ran to the garden, and took the garland

from the bough where it hung, and brought it to the bride; and then

the bride gave him the silken cord, and he took the silken cord to

the river, and the river gave him water, and he carried the water to

Partlet; but in the meantime she was choked by the great nut, and lay

quite dead, and never moved any more.



Then Chanticleer was very sorry, and cried bitterly; and all the beasts

came and wept with him over poor Partlet. And six mice built a little

hearse to carry her to her grave; and when it was ready they harnessed

themselves before it, and Chanticleer drove them. On the way they

met the fox. 'Where are you going, Chanticleer?' said he. 'To bury my

Partlet,' said the other. 'May I go with you?' said the fox. 'Yes; but

you must get up behind, or my horses will not be able to draw you.' Then

the fox got up behind; and presently the wolf, the bear, the goat, and

all the beasts of the wood, came and climbed upon the hearse.



So on they went till they came to a rapid stream. 'How shall we get

over?' said Chanticleer. Then said a straw, 'I will lay myself across,

and you may pass over upon me.' But as the mice were going over, the

straw slipped away and fell into the water, and the six mice all fell in

and were drowned. What was to be done? Then a large log of wood came

and said, 'I am big enough; I will lay myself across the stream, and you

shall pass over upon me.' So he laid himself down; but they managed

so clumsily, that the log of wood fell in and was carried away by the

stream. Then a stone, who saw what had happened, came up and kindly

offered to help poor Chanticleer by laying himself across the stream;

and this time he got safely to the other side with the hearse, and

managed to get Partlet out of it; but the fox and the other mourners,

who were sitting behind, were too heavy, and fell back into the water

and were all carried away by the stream and drowned.



Thus Chanticleer was left alone with his dead Partlet; and having dug

a grave for her, he laid her in it, and made a little hillock over her.

Then he sat down by the grave, and wept and mourned, till at last he

died too; and so all were dead.