veled in the chest,
seized him; but the prince fell lifeless on the ground and instantly
crumbled into dust.

Into the saddle then I sprung,
The tale to tell to old and young.

The Little Purse with two Half-pennies.

There was once an old man and an old woman. The old woman had a hen
and the old man had a rooster; the old woman's hen laid two eggs a day
and she ate a great many, but she would not give the old man a single
one. One day the old man lost patience and said: "Listen, old crony,
you live as if you were in clover, give me a couple of eggs so that I
can at least have a taste of them."

"No indeed!" replied the old woman, who was very avaricious. "If you
want eggs, beat your rooster that he may lay eggs for you, and then
eat them; I flogged my hen, and just see how she lays now."

The old man, being stingy and greedy, listened to the old woman's
talk, angrily seized his rooster, gave him a sound thrashing and said:

"There, now, lay some eggs for me or else go out of the house, I won't
feed you for nothing any longer."

As soon as the rooster escaped from the old man's hands it ran off
down the high-road. While thus pursuing its way, lo and behold! it
found a little purse with two half-pennies. Taking it in its beak, the
bird turned and went back toward the old man's house. On the road it
met a carriage containing a gentleman and several ladies. The
gentleman looked at the rooster, saw a purse in its bill, and said to
the driver:

"Get down and see what this rooster has in its beak."

The driver hastily jumped from his box, took the little purse from the
rooster's bill, and gave it to his master. The gentleman put it in his
pocket and drove on. The rooster was very angry and ran after the
carriage, repeating continually:

"Kikeriki, sir, Kikerikak,
To me the little purse give back."

The enraged gentleman said to the coachman as they passed a well:

"Take that impudent rooster and throw it into the well."

The driver got down from his box again, seized the rooster, and flung
it down the well. When the rooster saw that its life was in such great
danger, what was it to do?

It began to swallow the water, and drank and drank till it had
swallowed all the water in the well. Then it flew out and again ran
after the carriage, calling:

"Kikeriki, sir, Kikerikak,
To me the little purse give back."

When the gentleman saw this, he was perfectly amazed and said:

"