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Once on a time there was a boy named Jack,[23] and one morning he decided to go and seek his fortune.

He did not go very far and he met a cat.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the cat.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.[24]”

So on they went.[25]

They went a little further and they met a dog.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the dog.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went.

They went a little further and they met a goat.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the goat.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went.

They went a little further and they met a bull.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the bull.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went.

They went a little further and they met a rooster.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the rooster.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went.

The day was over, and they began to think of some place where they could spend the night. They found a house, and Jack told his friends to keep still[26] while he went up and looked in through the window.[27] There were some robbers, they were counting their money. Then Jack went back and told his friends to wait till he gave the word,[28] and then to make all the noise they could. So when they were all ready, Jack gave the word, and the cat mewed, and the dog barked, and the goat bleated, and the bull bellowed, and the rooster crowed, and all together they made such a dreadful noise that it frightened the robbers and they ran away.

And then our friends came in. Jack was afraid that the robbers could come back in the night. So when it came time to go to bed he put the cat in the chair, and he put the dog under the table, and he put the goat upstairs, and he put the bull down cellar, and the rooster flew up on to the roof,[29] and Jack went to bed.

The robbers saw that it was all dark and they sent one man back to the house to look after[30] the money. But he came back in a great fright and told them his story.

“I went back to the house,” said he, “and went in and tried to sit down in the chair, and there was an old woman, she was knitting, and she stuck her knitting-needles into me.” That was the cat, you know.

“Then I went to the table to look after the money and there was a shoemaker under the table, and he stuck his awl into me.” That was the dog, you know.

“Then I started to go upstairs, and there was a man up there, he was threshing, and he knocked me down with his flail.” That was the goat, you know.

“Then I started to go down cellar, and there was a man down there, he was chopping wood, and he knocked me up with his axe.” That was the bull, you know.

“But the most dreadful thing was that little boy on top of the house. He was crying, ‘Chuck him up[31] to me-e! Chuck him up to me-e!’” Of course[32] that was the cock-a-doodle-do.[33]