What's up in Europe? | Page 89

Said and done. He snatched the rooster by the wing and threw it down the money vault, for he had so many gold coins that he couldn’t even count them! Then the rooster greedily swallowed all the money and left all the trunks empty. Then he got out of that place, God knows how and where, went to the boyar’s window and started once more: Cock-a-doodle-doo! Rich gentleman, you Give me the purse with coppers two! Now, after all these events, the boyar saw there was nothing more he could do, so he took the purse and threw it to the rooster. The rooster picked it up gladly, went to his business and left the boyar alone. And then something incredible happened: all the poultry in the boyar’s yard, seeing the rooster’s bravery, followed him as if they were going to a wedding, while the boyar, sad and disappointed, looked wistfully at his birds walking merrily away, and he said sighing: “Let them all leave and be gone, thank God I got rid of that nagging rooster, for that was not an ordinary thing that happened here!” As for the rooster, he marched proudly down the village road, all the army of birds following him. And he walked and walked until he reached the old man’s place and started singing in front of the gate: Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!