The Thieves and the Cock
Story by: Aesop
Source: Aesop's Fables
A band of thieves broke into a house one night, planning to steal everything of value before dawn broke and the household awakened.
As they quietly gathered their stolen goods, they heard the cock in the yard begin to crow, announcing the approach of morning.
“Oh no!” whispered one thief. “If that bird keeps crowing, he’ll wake the whole household and we’ll be caught!”
The thieves crept out to the yard where the proud rooster stood on his perch, preparing to crow again.
“Listen, cock,” said the first thief in a persuasive voice. “We have a proposition for you. If you promise to keep quiet until we finish our work, we’ll make it worth your while.”
“Yes,” added the second thief, pulling out a handful of grain. “Look at this fine corn we’ll give you if you just stop that awful crowing.”
The cock looked down at them with bright, intelligent eyes.
“And why,” asked the rooster, “would you want me to stop doing what I was born to do? My duty is to announce the dawn and wake the household at the proper time.”
“Well,” said the first thief, trying to sound reasonable, “you see, your crowing causes the people to wake up, and when they wake up, they catch thieves like us. Surely you don’t want to be responsible for harm coming to fellow creatures?”
The cock ruffled his feathers indignantly.
“You ask me to neglect my duty to help you commit crimes?” he crowed loudly. “My calling is to announce the truth of each new day and to wake honest people so they can protect their homes and property. If my doing my duty causes trouble for thieves, then that is exactly as it should be!”
With that, the cock crowed even louder than before, waking the entire household. The thieves were forced to flee empty-handed as the family came running with lanterns and sticks.
Moral: We should never abandon our principles or neglect our duties to help wrongdoers. Those who do right need not fear justice.
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