When I saw in the case of my fellow-traveller the outcome of the plans I had formed I made up my mind to bear my present plight bravely and plod on with spirit, for I was in hopes that I might chance on my roses at any turn, and by their means be restored to myself. And I heard the robbers saying our journey was almost done, and that they would stay at their next haltingplace. Accordingly, we carried all that burden at a quick pace, and before evening we came to their house. An old woman was sitting inside, where a great fire was burning. The robbers took all the things we had been carrying and set them inside. Then they asked the old woman, “Why in Heaven's name are you sitting like this instead of getting our supper ready?" "Why, everything is ready for you," said the hag. "Plenty of bread, jars of old wine, and some game that I have cooked for you.” Then they fell to praising her, and, taking off their clothes, anointed themselves before the fire. There was a jar in the house full of warm water, from which they drew and poured over themselves, thus taking a hasty bath.

A little later a number of young men arrived, bringing as much gold and silver and clothing as they could carry, and a great deal of jewelry, women's and men's. These were accomplices of the others, and when they had bestowed their booty within they, too, bathed in the same manner. After this they had a bountiful supper, and there was a great deal of conversation among the cutthroats over their wine. The old woman put barley before me and the horse, and he set to and gulped it down in a hurry, fearing, probably, that I would share it. But for my part, whenever I saw the old woman go off I devoured the masters' bread. The next day one young man was left behind with the old woman, and all the others went off on professional business. I bewailed my fate and this strict guard, for I could despise the old woman and run away under her very eyes, but the young man was tall, and had a dangerous look, moreover, and he always carried a sword and fastened the door every time he went out.

Three days after this, almost at midnight, the robbers came back, bringing no gold or silver or anything else except a very beautiful young girl. She was in tears, and her clothes were torn and her hair dishevelled. They deposited her in the house on the mattresses, bade her cheer up, and told the old woman to stay inside all the time, and keep watch over her. The girl would neither eat nor drink; she did nothing but weep and tear her hair, so that I myself, standing near by at the manger, wept in sympathy with the beautiful maiden. In the mean time the robbers were supping in the vestibule. Towards morning one of the spies, who had been chosen by lot to watch the roads, came and reported that a stranger was going to pass that way carrying a great deal of treasure. The robbers rose up just as they were, armed themselves, saddled both me and the horse, and drove us off. I, poor wretch, knew that we were marching out to battle and murder, and I advanced reluctantly, whereupon they beat me with a stick to urge me on. When we came to the road by which the stranger was to drive, the robbers fell upon his carriages with one accord, killed his servants, selected the most valuable articles, and placed them on the horse and me, and hid the rest of the things there in the wood. Then they drove us homeward thus laden, and I, being urged on and beaten with a stick, struck my foot on a sharp stone, and received a painful wound from the blow, which made me limp as I paced the rest of the journey. The robbers said. to each other, "Why do we keep this ass who stumbles on everything? Let us throw him over the precipice, he brings us bad luck." "Yes," said another, "let us throw him over to be a scapegoat for the gang." And they formed to attack me. But I, hearing their talk, walked the rest of the way on my wounded foot as though it belonged to somebody else, for the fear of death made me insensible to the pain of it.

When we came to our abiding place they took the booty from our shoulders and put it carefully away. Then they fell to and dined, and when night came they went off to secure the rest of the things. "Why do we take this wretched ass?" said one of them. "He is useless with his wounded hoof. We will carry some of the things and the horse the rest." So they went off, leading the horse. It was a bright moonlit night. Then I said to myself: "You poor wretch, why do you stay here any longer? Vultures and the children of vultures will dine off you. Don't you hear what they are plotting against you? Do you want to be thrown over a precipice? It is night now and there is a bright moon. The robbers are off on the road. Fly, and save yourself from these cutthroat masters." While I was thus thinking to myself I perceived that I was not even tied to anything, but that the halter by which they led me on the road was hanging alongside. This added circumstance spurred me to the greatest eagerness for flight, and I emerged at a run and was making off; but when the old woman saw me on the point of escaping she seized me by the tail and held on. However, I said to myself that if I were caught by an old woman I should deserve the precipice and any other death, and I dragged her. But she shrieked with all her might to the captive maiden to come out. She ran forward, and when she saw the old woman hanging on to the ass like a second Dirke she found courage for a brave deed and worthy of desperate youth. She sprang onto my back, seated herself there, and urged me on. I, fired with love of freedom and the girl, fled with all my might and ran like a horse, leaving the old woman behind. The girl prayed to the gods to grant her a safe escape, and to me she said: "If you bring me to my father, my pretty ass, I will free you from all labor, and you shall have a bushel of barley every day for breakfast." I ran on, quite forgetting my wound in my eagerness to escape my murderers, and the hope of getting plenty of assistance and attention if I should save the maiden.

But when we came to where the road split into three the enemy met us on their homeward way. They recognized their unhappy prisoners in the moonlight while we were still at a distance, ran up to us, and laid hold of me, saying: "Oho, my fine madam, where are you going at this unseasonable hour, you poor, suffering thing? Aren't you even afraid of ghosts? Come home with us and we will hand you over to your friends." This they said with a sardonic laugh, and they turned me about and dragged me back. Then I remembered my lame foot and fell to limping. "What," said they, "are you lame now because you were caught running away? When your mind was set on flight you were sound and flew on wings, swifter than a horse." These words were followed by the stick, and I got a wound on my thigh at once as a warning. When we turned into our lodging again we found the old woman hanging from a stone by a cord. Apparently she had been so afraid of her masters when they should discover the girl's flight that she had hanged herself. They spoke admiringly of her courage, cut her down, and threw her over the precipice with the cord round her neck. The girl they tied up inside the house, and then they supped and drank heavily.