The wolf and the fox


Ulven og ræven


The wolf had the fox with him, and whatsoever the wolf wished, that the fox was compelled to do, for he was the weaker, and he would gladly have been rid of his master. It chanced that once as they were going through the forest, the wolf said, "Red-fox, get me something to eat, or else I will eat thee thyself." Then the fox answered, "I know a farm-yard where there are two young lambs; if thou art inclined, we will fetch one of them." That suited the wolf, and they went thither, and the fox stole the little lamb, took it to the wolf, and went away. The wolf devoured it, but was not satisfied with one; he wanted the other as well, and went to get it. As, however, he did it so awkwardly, the mother of the little lamb heard him, and began to cry out terribly, and to bleat so that the farmer came running there. They found the wolf, and beat him so mercilessly, that he went to the fox limping and howling. "Thou hast misled me finely," said he; "I wanted to fetch the other lamb, and the country folks surprised me, and have beaten me to a jelly." The fox replied, "Why art thou such a glutton?"
Next day they again went into the country, and the greedy wolf once more said, "Red-fox, get me something to eat, or I will eat thee thyself." Then answered the fox, "I know a farm-house where the wife is baking pancakes to-night; we will get some of them for ourselves." They went there, and the fox slipped round the house, and peeped and sniffed about until he discovered where the dish was, and then drew down six pancakes and carried them to the wolf. "There is something for thee to eat," said he to him, and then went his way. The wolf swallowed down the pancakes in an instant, and said, "They make one want more," and went thither and tore the whole dish down so that it broke in pieces. This made such a great noise that the woman came out, and when she saw the wolf she called the people, who hurried there, and beat him as long as their sticks would hold together, till with two lame legs, and howling loudly, he got back to the fox in the forest. "How abominably thou hast misled me!" cried he, "the peasants caught me, and tanned my skin for me." But the fox replied, "Why art thou such a glutton?"
On the third day, when they were out together, and the wolf could only limp along painfully, he again said, "Red-fox, get me something to eat, or I will eat thee thyself." The fox answered, "I know a man who has been killing, and the salted meat is lying in a barrel in the cellar; we will get that." Said the wolf, "I will go when thou dost, that thou mayest help me if I am not able to get away." - "I am willing," said the fox, and showed him the by-paths and ways by which at length they reached the cellar. There was meat in abundance, and the wolf attacked it instantly and thought, "There is plenty of time before I need leave off!" The fox liked it also, but looked about everywhere, and often ran to the hole by which they had come in, and tried if his body was still thin enough to slip through it. The wolf said, "Dear fox, tell me why thou art running here and there so much, and jumping in and out?"
"I must see that no one is coming," replied the crafty fellow. "Don't eat too much!" Then said the wolf, "I shall not leave until the barrel is empty." In the meantime the farmer, who had heard the noise of the fox's jumping, came into the cellar. When the fox saw him he was out of the hole at one bound. The wolf wanted to follow him, but he had made himself so fat with eating that he could no longer get through, but stuck fast. Then came the farmer with a cudgel and struck him dead, but the fox bounded into the forest, glad to be rid of the old glutton.
En ræv var engang flyttet sammen med en ulv, men da den var den svageste, måtte den gøre alt, hvad ulven ville have, så den ville gerne være af med den herre. En dag, da de gik igennem skoven, sagde ulven: "Skaf mig noget at æde, ellers æder jeg dig." - "Jeg ved, hvor der er en bondegård med et par små lam," svarede ræven, "hvis du har lyst til det, kan vi jo hente et af dem." Ulven var meget fornøjet med forslaget, og ræven stjal lammet, bragte det til ulven og løb så sin vej. Ulven åd det, men havde ikke fået nok, og gik ind for at hente det andet. Men den bar sig så kejtet ad, at fåret opdagede den og gav sig til at skrige og bræge, så bønderne kom løbende og fandt ulven. De pryglede løs på den af alle kræfter og haltende og hylende løb den tilbage til ræven. "Du har rigtignok lokket mig i en rar snare," sagde den, "jeg ville hente det andet lam, og så fik bønderne fat på mig og gav sig til at prygle mig, så jeg er ganske mør." - "Hvorfor er du også så grådig," sagde ræven.
Næste dag gik de igen ud og ulven sagde: "Skaf mig noget at æde, ellers æder jeg dig selv." - "Jeg ved et sted herhenne, hvor konen skal lave pandekager i aften," svarede ræven, "skal vi hente nogle af dem." De gik derhen og ræven listede sig rundt om huset og snusede og kiggede så længe, til den opdagede, hvor fadet stod. Derpå snappede den seks pandekager og bragte dem til ulven. "Der har du noget at æde," sagde den og gik sin vej. Ulven slugte dem på et øjeblik. "De smager efter mere," tænkte den og gik hen og rev hele fadet ned, så det gik itu. Det gjorde et vældigt spektakel, konen kom styrtende, og da hun så ulven, kaldte hun folk til, som pryglede løs på den af al magt, og hylende slæbte den sig ud i skoven til ræven. "Hvor du har narret mig nederdrægtigt," råbte den, "bønderne fik fat i mig og garvede mit skind ordentligt." - "Hvorfor er du dog også så grådig," sagde ræven.
Dagen efter gik de ud sammen igen, og skønt ulven kun med besvær kunne slæbe sig af sted, sagde den dog: "Skaf mig noget at æde, ellers æder jeg dig." - "Der er en mand derhenne, der lige har slagtet," sagde ræven, "kødet er saltet og ligger nede i kælderen. Skal vi hente noget af det?" - "Ja, lad os det," svarede ulven, "men jeg går straks med, så du kan hjælpe mig at slippe bort." - "Værsgo'," sagde ræven, og ad en mængde krogveje slap de omsider ned i kælderen. Der var fuldt op af kød og ulven gav sig straks i færd med det og tænkte: "Det skal vare en stund, før jeg holder op." Ræven tog også for sig af retterne, men kiggede hele tiden rundt om sig og løb hvert øjeblik hen til det hul, de var kommet igennem, for at se, om den endnu var tynd nok til at slippe igennem. "Hvorfor render du hele tiden derhen og springer frem og tilbage?" spurgte ulven. "Jeg må dog se om der ikke kommer nogen," svarede den listige ræv, "spis nu ikke formeget." - "Jeggårikke, før tønden er tom," svarede ulven. Imidlertid kom bonden, der havde hørt ræven springe frem og tilbage. Ræven var med et spring ude af hullet, ulven ville løbe bagefter, men havde ædt sig så tyk, at den ikke kunne komme igennem, men blev siddende fast, og bonden tog nu en knippel og slog den ihjel. Men ræven sprang ind i skoven og var glad over, at den var blevet af med den gamle, grådige fyr.