Page 65 - Arrow Publications Pvt. Ltd.

They fought the dogs and killed the cats. They even bit
little babies in their cradles.

One day, the people went to their Mayor and
asked him to do something about the rats.

The Mayor called a meeting of the Town

Council. They talked for a long time
but they could not think of a solution.

As they were about to leave, they
heard a knock on the door. “Come in!”

said the Mayor.

The door opened and a stranger came in. He was a tall, thin man. He wore a long coat

which was half red and half yellow. He
was carrying a pipe. The Mayor

asked him who he was.

The man said to the Mayor,

“People call me the Pied

Piper. If you pay me a
thousand pieces of gold,

I can rid your town of all

the rats.”

“Just a thousand pieces
of gold!” said the Mayor.

“We’ll give you much

more than that.”

The Pied Piper stepped

into the street and raised the pipe to his
lips. He played a strange tune. At once, all the rats came out
Why did the Mayor call the
intothe streets and ran after the Pied Piper. There were big meeting of the town council?
rats, small rats, old rats, young rats, black rats, brown rats,

white and grey rats. The Pied Piper walked down the street and across the field with

the rats following him.

64 Arrow-English Plus-3