The Wonderful Musician

Once upon a time there was a wonderful musician. He walked alone through a forest, thinking about all sorts of things. When he had nothing left to think about, he said to himself, "Time is getting heavy here in the forest.

I'll find myself a good companion." Then he took his fiddle from his back and played so beautifully that the sound echoed through the trees. Soon a wolf came trotting through the bushes toward him. "Ah, a wolf is coming! I don't want him!" said the musician.

But the wolf came closer and said, "Dear musician, how beautifully you play! I would like to learn that too." "It's easy to learn," replied the musician. "You just have to do everything I tell you." "Oh, musician," said the wolf, "I will obey you like a student obeys his master." The musician told the wolf to follow him.

When they had gone a little way, they came to an old oak tree that was hollow inside and split in the middle. "Look," said the musician, "if you want to learn to fiddle, put your front paws into this crack." The wolf obeyed, but the musician quickly picked up a stone and with one blow wedged the wolf's paws so tightly that he was stuck like a prisoner.

"Stay there until I come back," said the musician, and he went on his way.

After a while, he said to himself again, "Time is getting heavy here in the forest. I'll find another companion." He took his fiddle and played again in the forest. Soon a fox came creeping through the trees toward him. "Ah, a fox is coming! I don't want him!" said the musician.

The fox came up and said, "Dear musician, how beautifully you play! I would like to learn that too." "It's easy to learn," said the musician. "You just have to do everything I tell you." "Oh, musician," said the fox, "I will obey you like a student obeys his master." "Follow me," said the musician.

When they had walked a little way, they came to a path with high bushes on both sides. There the musician stopped. He bent a young hazel bush down to the ground and put his foot on its top.

Then he bent down a young tree from the other side and said, "Now, little fox, if you want to learn something, give me your left front paw." The fox obeyed. The musician tied the fox's paw to the left branch.

"Little fox," he said, "now give me your right paw." He tied it to the right branch. When he had checked that the knots were tight, he let go. The bushes sprang up and jerked the fox into the air, where he hung, struggling.

"Wait there until I come back," said the musician, and he went on his way.

Again he said to himself, "Time is getting heavy here in the forest. I'll find another companion." He took his fiddle, and the sound echoed through the forest. Soon a little hare came hopping toward him. "A hare is coming! I don't want him!" said the musician.

"Ah, dear musician," said the hare, "how beautifully you fiddle! I would like to learn that too." "It's easy to learn," said the musician. "You just have to do everything I tell you." "Oh, musician," replied the little hare, "I will obey you like a student obeys his master." They walked a little way until they came to a clearing in the forest where an aspen tree stood.

The musician tied a long string around the hare's neck and fastened the other end to the tree. "Now, little hare, run twenty times around the tree!" cried the musician. The little hare obeyed. After twenty laps, the string was wrapped twenty times around the trunk, and the hare was trapped.

No matter how hard he pulled, the string only cut into his tender neck. "Wait there until I come back," said the musician, and he went on his way.

In the meantime, the wolf had pushed and pulled and bitten at the stone until he freed his paws from the crack. Full of anger, he hurried after the musician to tear him to pieces. When the fox saw the wolf running, he cried out, "Brother wolf, help me! The musician tricked me!" The wolf pulled down the little tree, bit the cord in two, and freed the fox. The fox went with him to take revenge. They found the tied-up hare and freed him too. Then all three animals searched for the musician together.

The musician had once more played his fiddle as he walked along, and this time he was luckier. The sound reached the ears of a poor woodcutter. Right away, whether he wanted to or not, he stopped working and came with his hatchet under his arm to listen to the music.

"At last, the right companion is coming," said the musician. "I was looking for a human being, not a wild animal." He began to play so beautifully and joyfully that the poor man stood as if enchanted, and his heart leaped with happiness.

As he stood there, the wolf, the fox, and the hare appeared. The woodcutter saw that they meant harm. So he raised his shiny axe and placed himself in front of the musician, as if to say, "Anyone who tries to touch him must deal with me!" The animals were terrified and ran back into the forest.

The musician played once more to the man out of gratitude, and then he continued on his way.