unwilling to part with the creature, as
no amount of money would make up to him for its loss; still, if they
were quite set on it, he would let them have the goat for fifty gold
pieces.

The knaves, who thought they were doing a capital piece of business,
paid down the fifty gold pieces at once, and left the house quite
happily, leading the goat with them. When they got home they said to
their wives, 'You needn't begin to cook the dinner to-morrow till we
send the provisions home.'

The following day they went to the market and bought chickens and other
eatables, and after they had packed them on the back of the goat (which
they had brought with them), they told it all the dishes they wished
their wives to prepare. As soon as the goat felt itself free, it ran as
quickly as it could, and was very soon lost to sight, and, as far as I
know, was never heard of again.

When the dinner hour approached all three went home and asked their
wives if the goat had returned with the necessary provisions, and had
told them what they wished prepared for their meal.

'Oh, you fools and blockheads!' cried their wives, 'how could you ever
believe for a moment that a goat would do the work of a servant-maid?
You have been finely deceived for once in a way. Of course, if you are
always taking in other people, your turn to be taken in comes too, and
this time you've been made to look pretty foolish.'

When the three comrades saw that Mr. Simon had got the better of them,
and done them out of fifty gold pieces, they flew into such a rage that
they made up their minds to kill him, and, seizing their weapons for
this purpose, went to his house.

But the sly old man, who was terrified for his life that the three
rogues might do him some harm, was on his guard, and said to his
housekeeper, 'Nina, take this bladder, which is filled with blood, and
hide it under your cloak; then when these thieves come I'll lay all the
blame on you, and will pretend to be so angry with you that I will run
at you with my knife, and pierce the bladder with it; then you must fall
on the ground as if you were dead, and leave the rest to me.'

Hardly had Simon said these words when the three rogues appeared and
fell on him to kill him.

'My friends,' called out Simon to then, 'what do you accuse me of? I am
in no way to blame; perhaps my housekeeper has done you some injury of
which I know nothing.' And with these words, he turned on Nina with
his knife, and