But his Mate said:
"The peasants are cutting the grass, and with the grass they are cutting everything which is in their way,—the snakes, and the Corn-crake's nest, and the Corn-crake's head. My heart forebodes nothing good: but I cannot carry away the eggs, nor fly from the nest, for fear of chilling them."
When the mowers came to the nest of the Corn-crake, one of the peasants swung his scythe and cut off the head of the Corn-crake's Mate, and put the eggs in his bosom and gave them to his children to play with.
THE COW AND THE BILLY GOAT
An old woman had a Cow and a Billy Goat. The two pastured together. At milking the Cow was restless. The old woman brought out some bread and salt, and gave it to the Cow, and said:
"Stand still, motherkin; take it, take it! I will bring you some more, only stand still."
On the next evening the Goat came home from the field before the Cow, and spread his legs, and stood in front of the old woman. The old woman wanted to strike him with the towel, but he stood still, and did not stir. He remembered that the woman had promised the Cow some bread if she would stand still. When the woman saw that he would not budge, she picked up a stick, and beat him with it.
When the Goat went away, the woman began once more to feed the Cow with bread, and to talk to her.
"There is no honesty in men," thought the Goat. "I stood still better than the Cow, and was beaten for it."
He stepped aside, took a run, hit against the milk-pail, spilled the milk, and hurt the old woman.