Then they were again in difficulty, and a coal came and said, “I am
large enough, I will lay myself across and you shall drive over me.” So
the coal also laid itself across the water, but unhappily just touched
it, on which the coal hissed, was extinguished and died. When a stone
saw that, it took pity on the little cock, wished to help him, and laid
itself over the water. Then the cock drew the carriage himself, but
when he got it over and reached the other shore with the dead hen, and
was about to draw over the others who were sitting behind as well,
there were too many of them, the carriage ran back, and they all fell
into the water together, and were drowned. Then the little cock was
left alone with the dead hen, and dug a grave for her and laid her in
it, and made a mound above it, on which he sat down and fretted until
he died too, and then every one was dead. 81 Brother Lustig

There was one on a time a great war, and when it came to an end, many
soldiers were discharged. Then Brother Lustig also received his
dismissal, and besides that, nothing but a small loaf of
contract-bread, and four kreuzers in money, with which he departed. St.
Peter had, however, placed himself in his way in the shape of a poor
beggar, and when Brother Lustig came up, he begged alms of him. Brother
Lustig replied, “Dear beggar-man, what am I to give you? I have been a
soldier, and have received my dismissal, and have nothing but this
little loaf of contract-bread, and four kreuzers of money; when that is
gone, I shall have to beg as well as you. Still I will give you
something.” Thereupon he divided the loaf into four parts, and gave the
apostle one of them, and a kreuzer likewise. St. Peter thanked him,
went onwards, and threw himself again in the soldier’s way as a beggar,
but in another shape; and when he came up begged a gift of him as
before. Brother Lustig spoke as he had done before, and again gave him
a quarter of the loaf and one kreuzer. St. Peter thanked him, and went
onwards, but for the third time placed himself in another shape as a
beggar on the road, and spoke to Brother Lustig. Brother Lustig gave
him also the third quarter of bread and the third kreuzer. St. Peter
thanked him, and Brother Lustig went onwards, and had but a quarter of
the loaf, and one kreuzer. With that he went into an inn, ate the
bread, and ordered one kreuzer’s worth of beer. When he had had it, he
journeyed onwards, and then St. Peter, who had assumed the appearance
of a discharged soldier, met and spoke to him thus: “Good day, comrade,
canst thou not give me a bit of bread, and a kreuzer to get a drink?”
“Where am I to procure it?” answered Brother Lustig; “I have been
discharged, and I got nothing but a loaf of ammunition-bread and four
kreuzers in money. I met three beggars on the road, and I gave each of
them a quarter of my bread, and one kreuzer. The last quarter I ate in
the inn, and had a drink with the last kreuzer. Now my pockets are
empty, and if thou also hast nothing we can go a-begging together.”
“No,” answered St. Peter, “we need not quite do that. I know a little
about medicine, and I will soon earn as much as I require by that.”
“Indeed,” said Brother Lustig, “I know nothing of that, so I must go
and beg alone.” “Just come with me,” said St. Peter, “and if I earn
anything, thou shalt have half of it.” “All right,” said Brother
Lustig, so they went away together. Then they came to a peasant’s house inside which they heard loud
lamentations and cries; so they went in, and there the husband was
lying sick unto death, and very near his end, and his wife was crying
and weeping quite loudly. “Stop that howling and crying,” said St.
Peter, “I will make the man well again,” and he took a salve out of his
pocket, and healed the sick man in a moment, so that he could get up,
and was in perfect health. In great delight the man and his wife said,
“How can we reward you? What shall we give you?” But St. Peter would
take nothing, and the more the peasant folks offered him, the more he
refused. Brother Lustig, however, nudged St. Peter, and said, “Take
something; sure enough we are in need of it.” At length the woman
brought a lamb and said to St. Peter that he really must take that, but
he would not. Then Brother Lustig gave him a poke in the side, and
said, “Do take it, you stupid fool; we are in great want of it!” Then
St. Peter said at last, “Well, I will take the lamb, but I won’t carry
it; if thou wilt insist on having it, thou must carry it.” “That is
nothing,” said Brother Lustig. “I will easily carry it,” and took it on
his shoulder. Then they departed and came to a wood, but Brother Lustig
had begun to feel the lamb heavy, and he was hungry, so he said to St.
Peter, “Look, that’s a good place, we might cook the lamb there, and
eat it.” “As you like,” answered St. Peter, “but I can’t have anything
to do with the cooking; if thou wilt cook, there is a kettle for thee,
and in the meantime I will walk about a little until it is ready. Thou
must, however, not begin to eat until I have come back, I will come at
the right time.” “Well, go, then,” said Brother Lustig, “I understand
cookery, I will manage it.” Then St. Peter went away, and Brother
Lustig killed the lamb, lighted a fire, threw the meat into the kettle,
and boiled it. The lamb was, however, quite ready, and the apostle
Peter had not come back, so Brother Lustig took it out of the kettle,
cut it up, and found the heart. “That is said to be the best part,”
said he, and tasted it, but at last he ate it all up. At length St.
Peter returned and said, “Thou mayst eat the whole of the lamb thyself,
I will only have the heart, give me that.” Then Brother Lustig took a
knife and fork, and pretended to look anxiously about amongst the
lamb’s flesh, but not to be able to find the heart, and at last he said
abruptly, “There is none here.” “But where can it be?” said the
apostle. “I don’t know,” replied Brother Lustig, “but look, what fools
we both are, to seek for the lamb’s heart, and neither of us to
remember that a lamb has no heart!” “Oh,” said St. Peter, “that is
something quite new! Every animal has a heart, why is a lamb to have
none?” “No, be assured, my brother,” said Brother Lustig, “that a lamb
has no heart; just consider it seriously, and then you will see that it
really has none.” “Well, it is all right,” said St. Peter, “if there is
no heart, then I want none of the lamb; thou mayst eat it alone.” “What
I can’t eat now, I will carry away in my knapsack,” said Brother
Lustig, and he ate half the lamb, and put the rest in his knapsack. They went farther, and then St. Peter caused a great stream of water to
flow right across their path, and they were obliged to pass through it. Said St. Peter, “Do thou go first.” “No,” answered Brother Lustig,
“thou must go first,” and he thought, “if the water is too deep I will
stay behind.” Then St. Peter strode through it, and the water just
reached to his knee.