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, 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 ypur 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 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 will not feed you for nothing any longer. ". 

    As soon as the rooster escaped from the old man's hands, it ran off down the highroad. 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 a carriage containing a gentleman. The gentleman looked at the rooster, sae 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, 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! Give me back my little purse. ".

    The enraged gentleman said to the coachman as they passed a well " Take that impudent rooster and throw it into that well. ". The driver got down 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! Give me back my little purse. ". When the gentleman saw

this, he was perfectly amazed and said " Hoho! This rooster is a perfect  imp of Satan! Never mind! I will wring your neck, you saucy cockerel! ". When he reached home he told the cook to take the rooster and throw it on the coals burning upon the hearth. The woman did what her master command her. When the rooster saw this new injustice, it began to spit 

out the water it had swallowed till it had poured all the water from the well upon the burning coals. This put out the fire and cooled the hearth. Then the rooster came out safe and sound, ran to the gentleman's window and began to knock on the panes with its bill, screaming " Kikeriki, sir,  Kikerikak! Give me back my little purse. ". 

" Heaven knows that I have got a torment in this monster of a rooster. " said the man. " Driver, rid me of it, toos it into the middle of the herds of cows and oxen; perhaps some bull will stick its horns through it and relieve us. " . The coachman seized the rooster and flung it among the herds. 

     You ought to have seen the rooster's delight. It swallowed bulls, oxen, cows and calves, till it had devoured the whole herd and its stomach had grown as big as a mountain. Then it went to the window again, spread out its wings before the sun so that it darkened the man's room and once more began " Kikeriki, sir,  Kikerikak! Give me back my 

little purse. ". 

   When the gentlman saw this he was ready to burst  with rage and did not know what to do to get rid of the rooster. He stood thinking till at last an idea entered his head " I will lock it up in the treasure-chamber. Perhaps if it tries to swallow the ducats one will stick in its throat and I shall get rid of the bird. " . No sooner said than done. He grasped the rooster and flung it into the treasure-chamber. The rooster swallowed all the money and left the chests empty. Then it escaped from the room, went to the gentleman's window and again began " Kikeriki, sir,  Kikerikak! Give me back my little purse. ". 

   As the man saw that there was nothing else to be done he tossed the purse out. The rooster picked it up, went about its own business and left the gentleman in peace. All the poultry ran after the rooster so that  it really looked like a wedding. The man turned green with rage as he watched and said sighing " Let them all run off to the last chick, I am glad to be rid of the torment. There was witchcraft in

that rooster! ". But the puffed-up rooster stalked proudly along, followed by all the fowls and went merrily on and on till he reached the old man's house and began to crow " Kikeriki !!! Kikerikak !!! " . When the old man heard the roosster's voice he ran out joyfully to meet the bird, but looking through the door what did he see? His rooster had become a terrible object. An elephant beside it would have

seemed like a flea and following behind came countless flocks of birds, each one more beautiful and brilliant than the other. When the old man saw the rooster so huge and fat, he opened the gate for it. " Master! " said the bird, " Spread a carpet here in the middle of the yard. " . The old man, as nimble as a top, laid down the carpet. The 

rooster took its stand upon it, spread its wings and instantly the whole yard was filled with birds and herds of cattle, but it shook out the carpet a pile of ducats that flashed in the sun till they dazzled the eyes. When the old man beheld this vast treasure he did not know wehat to do in his delight and hugged and kissed the rooster. The old woman has been seeing all of this, she is telling to the old man " Please, give me some pennies. " . 

" I am not going to give you some pennies. You remenber when I told you to give me some eggs, what 

have you told me? Now, beat your hen and then it will bring you too pennies, because I did the same. " . 

    The woman is going to her hen and to beat her. She beat so hard. The poor hen narrouly escaped and ran. How she went, find a bead and ran to home. The old woman was disappointed and beat her so much and so hard till the hen died. 

    The old man was very rich. He built great houses, laid out beautiful gardens and lived luxuriously. He made the old woman his poultry-maid, the rooster he took about with him everywhere, dressed in a gold collar and yellow boots. 

The end