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How Freddy Tinder and his brother
playanother prank on Dodgy Dieter 1812
(Wie der Zundelfrieder und sein Bruder dem roten Dieter abermal einen
Streich spielen)
When Henry Tinder and Freddy Tinder came out of the tower again, Henry
said to Freddy: “Brother, let’s go and visit Dodgy Dieter; otherwise
he’ll think we’re stuck forever in that cold doghouse at Father’s inn.”
- “Let’s play a trick on him,” said Freddy to Henry, “and see if he
realises it’s us.” So Dieter received a little unsigned note: “Dodgy
Dieter, be on your guard tonight, for two thieves have made a bet: one
wants to steal the sheet from under your wife’s body, and you won’t be
able to stop him." Dieter said: "They’re a pair of proper scoundrels.
One bets he’ll take the sheet, and the other makes a report so his mate
doesn’t win the bet. If I didn’t know for certain that Henry and Frieder
are in prison, I’d believe it was them.” That night, the rogues crept up
through the hemp field. Henry placed a ladder against the window, so
that Dodgy Dieter could hear it clearly, and climbed up, pushing a straw
dummy in front of him that looked like a person. When Dodgy Dieter heard
the ladder being placed from inside, he rose quietly and stood next to
the window with a thick stick, “for these are the best pistols,” he said
to his wife, “they’re always loaded”; and when he saw the straw man’s
head bobbing up and thought it was him, he quickly flung open the window
and struck him on the head with all his might, so that “They’re always
loaded”; and when he saw the straw man’s head bobbing up and thought it
was him, he quickly flung open the window and struck him on the head
with all his might, so that Henry dropped the straw man and let out a
loud scream. dropped the straw man and let out a loud scream.
Meanwhile, Freddy stood as quiet as a mouse behind a post by the front
door. But when Dodgy Dieter heard the scream, and everything suddenly
fell silent, he said: “Wife, I have a feeling something’s not right; I’d
better go downstairs and see what’s going on.” As he steps out of the
front door, Freddy, who had been behind the post, slips inside, makes
his way to the bed, and, just as in the previous tale when they stole
the little pillar, mimics Dodgy Dieter’s voice — and it sounds just as
real. “Wife,” he said in a fearful voice, “the lad is dead as a doornail,
and just think, it’s the mayor’s son. Now give me the linen sheet
quickly, so I can carry him off to the forest in it and bury him there,
or else it’ll lead to trouble.” The woman was startled, sat up, and gave
him the linen sheet. No sooner had he gone than the real Dieter returned
and said, quite relieved: “Wife, it was just a silly boyish prank, and
the thief is made of straw.” But when the woman asked him, “Where did
you get the linen cloth?”, and saw it lying on the bare sack of chaff,
only then did Dieter’s eyes open, and he said: “Oh, you accursed
scoundrels! So it was Freddy and Henry after all, and no one else.”
But on the way home, Freddy said to Henry: “But now, brother, let’s
leave it at that. Because in prison, everything you get is rubbish,
apart from the beatings, and when you look out of the little window onto
the country road, what you see doesn’t exactly make you want to hang
yourself.”
So Freddy went straight again too.
But Henry said: “I’m not giving up yet.”
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