him 'towards' the farmer and the chicken coop.
Sleezy knew that it would take the farmer precisely half-a-minute to reload his shotgun, and before he could do so, Sleezy would have travelled the distance from woodland edge to chicken coop; knocking the farmer to the ground as he raced by him, proudly proclaiming, "Gotcha, Buster! Gotcha!"
Before the stunned farmer had recovered his senses and had managed to pick himself up off the ground, Sleezy would have entered the coop, snatched the fattest chicken in sight and have started his run back towards the cover of the surrounding woodland. If Sleezy timed it right, and was fast enough, he could usually manage to knock the poor, unsuspecting farmer down again on his return journey as he announced gleefully," Gotcha again, Buster! Sleezy's gotcha again!"
The farmer would be wild with rage as he hit the ground for the second time. He'd be furious at the lightning speed and sheer bravado of this wild fox. By the time he'd fire his gun at the chicken-stealing fox, Sleezy would be well out of firing range once more. Shaking his fist at Sleezy in the distance, the angry farmer would yell murderously, "I'll get you, you thieving fox! Just you wait. I'll get you next time!"
Sleezy would usually add insult to injury by howling back, "Oh, no you won't, slowcoach! You'll never get me, Buster! I'm Sleezy! The fastest and cleverest fox in the whole wide world! Thank you for my chicken dinner, Plonker! See you again soon!"
Sleezy's chicken-stealing and sheep-killing exploits carried on for years. The farmers sensed that this clever fox was laughing at them, but they found themselves powerless in their efforts to stop him. Eventually, the angry farmers became so enraged that they offered a huge reward for Sleezy's capture, dead or alive.
After a meeting had been held in the Village Hall, at which the reward was agreed, notices were placed on every post and tree around the country. The notice read:
'500 crowns for the capture of 'Sleezy the Fox', dead or alive!'
500 crowns was a huge amount of money, and before very long, every farmer and hunter in the surrounding villages were out looking for Sleezy; hoping to catch him and make their fortune.
The reward notice was read by Farmer Hans, a newcomer to the village. Farmer Hans was a poor but kindly man who'd recently come to Transylvania with his wife and seven children. Farmer Hans had arrived in Transylvania with just enough money to buy a small farmhouse, a few chickens and seven sheep. As he read the reward notice Farmer Hans thought, "If only I could catch this fox, I could ease my situation considerably. I could claim the reward and have enough money to buy some more chickens and increase the size of my small flock of sheep."
While having few possessions, Farmer Hans was a very wise man who knew a great deal about foxes. In the country where he'd been born, there were many foxes and he'd discovered many clever ways of catching them.
Having heard all about the exploits of Sleezy the Fox from some of his neighbours, Farmer Hans realised that Sleezy was no ordinary fox and that no ordinary trap would ever be capable of catching him. "I shall need to prepare my plans well if I'm to catch this clever fox," the gentle farmer told his wife." If what I've heard is true, this fox is probably the cleverest fox in the whole wide world!"
The next day, Farmer Hans went into the village and announced his intention of catching 'Sleezy the Fox' and claiming the 500 crowns reward. After Farmer Hans had told them he would catch the fox, all the villagers and farmers laughed at him. "What chance has a stranger of catching this sly fox, when none of us locals, who knows the surrounding woods and land like the back of our hands, have been able to do so?" they jeered.
"You've got more chance of catching a fat pig down a rabbit hole!" sneered an overweight farmer called Gilbert Grim. Gilbert had lived in the village all his life and he invariably acted as self-appointed guardian to all of the village's concern. He also believed himself to be the best fox catcher for miles around and he couldn't possibly believe that any stranger would succeed where he and others had failed.
The more they laughed at Farmer Hans, the more determined the gentle farmer became to catch Sleezy. In a quiet, but confident voice he replied, "Have the reward ready one week from today, when I'll return with 'Sleezy the Fox'."
"Ha...Ha!" yelled Gilbert Grim. "You'll not catch the vermin, stranger. You'll have more chance of catching a fat pig down a rabbit hole!"
For the next four days, Farmer Hans thought about many different ways of catching this clever fox alive. Eventually, he decided upon his best plan. Two days later, he moved the chicken coop away from the farmhouse and placed it in the middle of the field where his sheep grazed.
When the other farmers and villagers heard of what he'd done, they couldn't believe their ears and came to see for themselves. A large crowd of them laughed at Farmer Hans; mocking his seeming naivety in the siting of his chicken coop. "Just look at what he's done!" yelled one farmer mockingly. "Fancy moving a chicken coop 'away' from the close protection of the farmhouse and putting it in the middle of an open field where any prowling thief can easily get to it!"
"Everyone knows that the best place for a chicken coop is next door to the farmhouse, not in the middle of an open field!" another villager laughed. "If he leaves his coop there overnight, all his chickens will be gone by morning!"
"It looks like I've got a fool for a neighbour instead of a farmer!" sneered Gilbert Grim.
Farmer Hans simply ignored their laughter and continued moving the chicken coop towards the middle of the field.
Later that night, after supper and when the children had gone to bed, Farmer Hans prepared to catch the clever fox. He opened a large, old trunk, which he stored in his bedroom. Next, he took out the hide of a sheep, which he had planned to turn into a fireside rug at some future date. Then, he carried the hide to the field where his seven sheep grazed and prepared to catch the fox. After unpenning the seven sheep, he placed the hide over his head and shoulders and lay down on the ground, disguised as one of the flock.
The night got darker and as the moon shone down on the field, the shadow of a fox appeared at the woodland's edge. Sleezy was out on another chicken raid. Sleezy stopped at the edge of the field and looked around. He spied the unpenned sheep and counted eight of them fast asleep in the open field. "I'm too tired to chase silly sheep tonight," he thought.
"Now, that's more like it!" he announced suddenly as he looked beyond the flock of sheep nearby. It was the unprotected chicken coop in the middle of the field. "A good helping of feathered chicken will do me nicely before I bed down for the night, "he said, licking his lips. "What a silly farmer. Fancy building his chicken coop so far away from the protection of the farmhouse. What a Plonker!"
Being somewhat tired this evening, Sleezy decided against announcing his presence. He decided to use his quiet skills to sneak past the eight sleeping sheep, enter the chicken coop, snatch a fat chicken and get back to the safety of the woodlands.
Sleezy began to make his way ever so quietly and ever so slowly across the field towards the chicken coop. As he approached the eighth sleeping sheep, he could smell his waiting supper in the chicken coop. He paused briefly, allowing his nostrils to savour the scent of feathered chicken before he pounced. Just then, Farmer Hans rose up ever so slowly and ever so quietly; and before Sleezy became aware of the danger, the farmer slipped a big sack over the fox's head and body and quickly pulled the cord tight.
"Gotcha, my clever friend! Gotcha!" Farmer Hans said with satisfaction. He had caught 'Sleezy the Fox' and had not lost one chicken in doing so. He was delighted and hurried back home to tell his wife the good news. Sleezy was left bagged and tied up in the barn overnight while Farmer Hans lay alongside his wife in bed, discussing how they'd spend the large reward. The very next day, Farmer Hans walked triumphantly into the village and rang the bell in the square. Whenever the villagers heard the bell, they hurriedly made their way to the Village Hall; knowing that someone had some very important news to tell them. The villagers and farmers were both surprised, yet delighte
d; to discover Farmer Hans waiting for them with a large bag slumped across his broad shoulders. As Farmer Hans held the wriggling sack up high for all to see, the crowd could sense that it contained a live creature.
Pulling the bag off Sleezy's head and body, Farmer Hans proudly announced to the assembled crowd, "Here's your fox! I give you 'Sleezy the Fox' as promised. I now claim the 500 crowns reward."
"Hurrah for Farmer Hans!" someone at the back of the hall cheered. "Three cheers for Farmer Hans, the cleverest fox catcher in the land!"
"Hip hip hurrah! Hip hip hurrah! Hip hip hurrah!" the villagers cheered, as they came forward one by one to pat their hero on the back for a job well done. There was much celebration in the village during the next three days. Farmer Hans quickly became accepted as though he'd always lived there. Even those farmers who'd previously laughed at him had to admit that he was cleverer than they had been.
Meanwhile, Sleezy was placed in an iron-barred cage, which was securely locked. As most of the villagers celebrated, Sleezy began to contemplate his fate. Each time someone passed his cage; they'd wave their fists angrily at the fox and call him, 'Chicken thief' and 'Sheep killer.' Sleezy had never seen so much hatred before and the fox soon began