But no one asked him in nor opened the door. So he peeped in between the osiers, and when he saw nothing in the stall but the colt’s head and tail he knew all that had happened and had not the least doubt as to who had brought this great misfortune upon him. He tore the door open and set up a long, woe-begone howl. Then he went out quite heart-broken and laid himself down in the road for dead.
After a while a man came by in a wagon, and finding Reinecke in the road he picked him up and threw him into the wagon, intending to strip off his skin as soon as he reached home. Now this man had three cheeses in a knapsack in his wagon, and presently Reinecke roused himself from his feigned death, arose softly, stole the three cheeses out of the knapsack, and made off. As soon as he had reached a safe distance he devoured two of the cheeses and went on his way, holding the third under his chin.
In the course of his travels he met friend Isegrim, who had eaten his beloved colt. Isegrim no sooner saw Reinecke with the cheese than his mouth began to water, and he asked him how he had come by it. Then Reinecke, truthful as usual, replied that he had sucked it up out of a brook.
“And where may that brook be found?” asked Isegrim hastily.
“Follow me,” answered Reinecke; “I will lead you to it.”
Now it happened that this meeting took place at the full of the moon, about midnight, and a beautiful, star-bestrewn sky shed a magical half-darkness over everything. Reinecke led Isegrim to a brook and, showing him the reflection of the moon mirrored in the flowing water, said:
“Do you see that great cheese there in the water? Now suck up the water in great gulps and you will suck up the cheese at last, just as I did.”
So simple Isegrim sucked up the water in great gulps, until it began to run out at his ears. Reinecke very kindly plugged up his ears and cried to him:
“Keep on sucking, dear Isegrim; you’ll soon have it!”
Simple Isegrim went at it again, and sucked until the water ran out of his eyes. At once Reinecke stopped up his eyes, crying again: