Bir zamanlar İsviçre'de yaşlı bir kont yaşıyordu. Tek bir oğlu vardı, ama oğlan aptaldı ve hiçbir şey öğrenememişti. Bir gün babası, "Dinle oğlum, şimdiye kadar ne yaptımsa kafana bir şey sokamadım. Sen buradan git! Seni bir ustanın yanına vereceğim, bir de o denesin" dedi. Oğlan yabancı bir şehre gönderildi ve bir yıl boyunca bir ustanın yanında kaldı. Bir yıl sonra yine eve döndü.
"Ee, oğlum, neler öğrendin bakalım?" diye sordu babası. "Köpeklerin havlarken ne söylediklerini öğrendim baba" dedi oğlan.
"Hadi canım sen de! Tek öğrendiğin bu mu yani? Ben seni başka bir şehre, başka bir ustanın yanına göndereyim bari" dedi babası.
Oğlan oraya götürüldü ve bu ustanın yanında da bir yıl çalıştı.
Eve döndüğünde babası yine sordu. "Neler öğrendin oğlum?"
"Kuş dili öğrendim baba!"
Babası öfkelendi. "Sen bir hiçsin evlat! Bunca zaman hiçbir şey öğrenemedin! Utanmıyor musun karşıma böyle çıkmaya? Seni üçüncü kez yine bir ustanın yanına göndereceğim. Bu sefer de bir şey öğrenmeden gelirsen sana artık babalık etmem!"
Oğlan üçüncü ustanın da yanında bir yıl kaldıktan sonra eve döndü.
Babası yine sordu. "Oğlum, ne öğrendin?"
"Babacığım, bu yıl kurbağaların nasıl vırakladıklarını öğrendim" dedi oğlan.
Babası kızgınlıktan küplere binerek, "Bu adam benim oğlum değil artık! Onu reddediyorum! Götürün bunu ormana, orada da canını alın" diye haykırdı.
Oğlanı ormana götürdüler, ama ona acıdılar ve öldürmediler; serbest bıraktılar. Onun yerine bir ceylan keserek gözleriyle dilini çıkarıp kanıt olarak babasına götürdüler.
Oğlan sağda solda dolaştıktan sonra bir şatoya geldi ve yatacak bir yer istedi.
Derebeyi, "Olur" dedi. "Aşağıdaki eski kulede kalmak istersen git oraya. Ama seni uyarıyorum, çünkü orası çok tehlikeli. Durmadan havlayıp uluyan köpeklerle dolu. Bu hayvanlara belli bir saatte, yemeleri için bir insan sunulur hep."
O yöredeki tüm insanlar işkenceye katlanır gibi bu köpeklere katlanıyordu ve kimse onlara yardım edemiyordu.
Ama oğlanın gözü yılmadı. "Bırakın beni köpeklerin yanına gideyim. Onlara atacak bir şey de verin. Merak etmeyin, onlar bana bir şey yapmaz" dedi.
Oğlan böyle istediği için ona, köpeklere verilmek üzere biraz yiyecek verdikten sonra onu kuleye götürdüler. Oraya vardığında köpekler ona saldırmadı ve havlamadı. Aksine, sevinçle kuyruk sallayarak onun etrafında döndüler. Sadece kendilerine verilenleri yiyip oğlanın kılına bile dokunmadılar.
Ertesi gün herkesin karşısına sapasağlam çıkan delikanlı, derebeyine, "Köpekler bana neden hep orada kaldıklarını ve bu ülkeye neden zarar verdiklerini anlattılar. Onlar büyüye yakalanmışlar. Kulenin altındaki büyük bir hazinenin koruyuculuğunu üstlenmişler! Bu hazine oradan kaldırılmadıkça rahat edemeyecekler. Ve bunun nasıl olacağını da onların konuşmalarından anladım" dedi.
Bunu duyunca herkes sevindi ve derebeyi, bu işi başardığı takdirde onu manevi evlat edineceğini açıkladı. Oğlan yine kuleye döndü, çünkü ne yapacağını biliyordu ve bunu gerçekleştirdi. Altın dolu sandığı yukarı taşıttı. Aynı anda köpeklerin uluması kesildi ve hayvanlar bir daha görünmez oldu; ülke de sıkıntıdan kurtuldu. Bir süre sonra Roma'ya gitmeyi aklına koydu. Yolda giderken içinde kurbağaların oturup vırakladığı bir bataklığın önünden geçti. Onları dinledi ve ne konuştuklarını anlayınca onu bir düşünce aldı; çok üzüntülüydü.
Sonunda Roma'ya vardı; tam o sırada papa ölmüştü! Kardinaller yeni papanın kim olacağı konusunda çaresizdiler. Sonunda karar verdiler, mucize gösterebilen biri papa olacaktı. Ta o sırada bizim genç kont kiliseye geldi. Aynı anda iki beyaz güvercin onun iki omzuna kondu. Ruhaniler bunu Tanrı'nın bir işareti olarak kabul edip, ona papa olmak isteyip istemediğini sordular. Oğlan önce kararsız kaldı; buna layık olup olmadığını düşündü, ama güvercinler konuşarak onu ikna ettiler. Sonunda "Evet" dedi. Bunun üzerine törenle kutsandı. Böylece yolda gelirken kurbağadan duydukları gerçekleşti ve papa oldu. Bu nedenle kilisede okuması gereken, ama kendisinin bilmediği ilahinin sözlerini onun kulağına güvercinler fısıldadı.
An aged count once lived in Switzerland, who had an only son, but he was stupid, and could learn nothing. Then said the father, "Hark thee, my son, I can get nothing into thy head, let me try as I will. Thou must go from hence, I will give thee into the care of a celebrated master, who shall see what he can do with thee." The youth was sent into a strange town, and remained a whole year with the master. At the end of this time, he came home again, and his father asked, "Now, my son, what hast thou learnt?" - "Father, I have learnt what the dogs say when they bark." - "Lord have mercy on us!" cried the father; "is that all thou hast learnt? I will send thee into another town, to another master." The youth was taken thither, and stayed a year with this master likewise. When he came back the father again asked, "My son, what hast thou learnt?" He answered, "Father, I have learnt what the birds say." Then the father fell into a rage and said, "Oh, thou lost man, thou hast spent the precious time and learnt nothing; art thou not ashamed to appear before mine eyes? I will send thee to a third master, but if thou learnest nothing this time also, I will no longer be thy father." The youth remained a whole year with the third master also, and when he came home again, and his father inquired, "My son, what hast thou learnt?" he answered, "Dear father, I have this year learnt what the frogs croak." Then the father fell into the most furious anger, sprang up, called his people thither, and said, "This man is no longer my son, I drive him forth, and command you to take him out into the forest, and kill him." They took him forth, but when they should have killed him, they could not do it for pity, and let him go, and they cut the eyes and the tongue out of a deer that they might carry them to the old man as a token.
The youth wandered on, and after some time came to a fortress where he begged for a night's lodging. "Yes," said the lord of the castle, "if thou wilt pass the night down there in the old tower, go thither; but I warn thee, it is at the peril of thy life, for it is full of wild dogs, which bark and howl without stopping, and at certain hours a man has to be given to them, whom they at once devour." The whole district was in sorrow and dismay because of them, and yet no one could do anything to stop this. The youth, however, was without fear, and said, "Just let me go down to the barking dogs, and give me something that I can throw to them; they will do nothing to harm me." As he himself would have it so, they gave him some food for the wild animals, and led him down to the tower. When he went inside, the dogs did not bark at him, but wagged their tails quite amicably around him, ate what he set before them, and did not hurt one hair of his head. Next morning, to the astonishment of everyone, he came out again safe and unharmed, and said to the lord of the castle, "The dogs have revealed to me, in their own language, why they dwell there, and bring evil on the land. They are bewitched, and are obliged to watch over a great treasure which is below in the tower, and they can have no rest until it is taken away, and I have likewise learnt, from their discourse, how that is to be done." Then all who heard this rejoiced, and the lord of the castle said he would adopt him as a son if he accomplished it successfully. He went down again, and as he knew what he had to do, he did it thoroughly, and brought a chest full of gold out with him. The howling of the wild dogs was henceforth heard no more; they had disappeared, and the country was freed from the trouble.
The youth wandered on, and after some time came to a fortress where he begged for a night's lodging. "Yes," said the lord of the castle, "if thou wilt pass the night down there in the old tower, go thither; but I warn thee, it is at the peril of thy life, for it is full of wild dogs, which bark and howl without stopping, and at certain hours a man has to be given to them, whom they at once devour." The whole district was in sorrow and dismay because of them, and yet no one could do anything to stop this. The youth, however, was without fear, and said, "Just let me go down to the barking dogs, and give me something that I can throw to them; they will do nothing to harm me." As he himself would have it so, they gave him some food for the wild animals, and led him down to the tower. When he went inside, the dogs did not bark at him, but wagged their tails quite amicably around him, ate what he set before them, and did not hurt one hair of his head. Next morning, to the astonishment of everyone, he came out again safe and unharmed, and said to the lord of the castle, "The dogs have revealed to me, in their own language, why they dwell there, and bring evil on the land. They are bewitched, and are obliged to watch over a great treasure which is below in the tower, and they can have no rest until it is taken away, and I have likewise learnt, from their discourse, how that is to be done." Then all who heard this rejoiced, and the lord of the castle said he would adopt him as a son if he accomplished it successfully. He went down again, and as he knew what he had to do, he did it thoroughly, and brought a chest full of gold out with him. The howling of the wild dogs was henceforth heard no more; they had disappeared, and the country was freed from the trouble.
After some time he took it into his head that he would travel to Rome. On the way he passed by a marsh, in which a number of frogs were sitting croaking. He listened to them, and when he became aware of what they were saying, he grew very thoughtful and sad. At last he arrived in Rome, where the Pope had just died, and there was great difficulty as to whom they should appoint as his successor. They at length agreed that the person should be chosen as pope who should be distinguished by some divine and miraculous token. And just as that was decided on, the young count entered into the church, and suddenly two snow-white doves flew on his shoulders and remained sitting there. The ecclesiastics recognized therein the token from above, and asked him on the spot if he would be pope. He was undecided, and knew not if he were worthy of this, but the doves counselled him to do it, and at length he said yes. Then was he anointed and consecrated, and thus was fulfilled what he had heard from the frogs on his way, which had so affected him, that he was to be his Holiness the Pope. Then he had to sing a mass, and did not know one word of it, but the two doves sat continually on his shoulders, and said it all in his ear.