=HarryHyena, =BennyBaboon, and =WolfgangWolf - the Three Beggars - are fishing for something to eat.
"I'm SO hungry," says =Harry! "All we have caught today is an old boot and a tire," adds =Benny.
"We never catch anything to eat," says =Wolfgang with a groan!
Meanwhile, in =Busytown, there is much excitement.
Everyone has come to watch =RudolfvonFlugel take off in a balloon.
=Huckle and =Lowly think the balloon is very interesting.
"Would you boys like to climb aboard for a minute?" asks =Rudolf.
The boys climb in and look at all of =Rudolf's equipment.
There is a compass, a map, and some bags of sand.
"=Rudolf," =Lowly asks, "don't you want to take a picnic with you?"
"How silly I am," =Rudolf replies! "I knew I had forgotten something. I will be right back!" =Rudolf jumps out of the basket.
Without =Rudolf, the basket is lighter. Suddenly the balloon begins to rise.
"Mr =vonFlugel! Help," shouts =Huckle!
=FatherCat tries to grab the basket, but it is too late. Soon the balloon is high in the sky above Busytown!
"This is terrible," says =Huckle! "How will we ever get down?"
"Don't worry," says =Lowly. "We will manage somehow."
The balloon flies over the countryside. There is Farmer =Beanstalk's farm. There are the woods.
Soon they are over =Busytown Beach. Below they can see everyone running after them.
The balloon sails out over the water.
It seems to be getting tired of flying. It starts to come down.
"=Lowly, we're going to crash into the water!" =Huckle says.
"Throw out a bag of sand," =Lowly orders!
Just before it touches the waves, the balloon climbs into the air again. Oooof!
The wind pushes the balloon to the opposite shore, just where the Three Beggars are fishing.
=HarryHyena raises his fishing pole to cast his line. "This is my last try to catch something to eat," he says with a sigh!
But instead of coming down, =Harry's pole begins to rise. His line has caught the the balloon. "Help! Help," he cries!
=Benny and =Wolfgang grab =Harry. They hold him with all their might. The balloon stops traveling.
"Don't let go!" shouts =Lowly.
=Lowly pulls the rip cord, opening the top of the balloon. The balloon deflates, and the basket bounces softly onto the beach.
SPLASH! The Three Beggars tumble backward into the water. Sergeant =Murphy, =Rudolf, and =FatherCat speed across the water in a motorboat.
"Thank goodness you boys aren't hurt," says =FatherCat.
"You are the best balloonists ever," praises =Rudolf!
"And you are the best fishermen," Sergeant =Murphy tells the Three Beggars!
"I suppose so," replies =HarryHyena, "but we are also the hungriest! We never catch anything to EAT!"
=Rudolf reaches into the motorboat and pulls out a picnic basket. "This time I remembered to bring the picnic!" he says, handing the basket to =Harry, =Benny, and =Wolfgang.
The Three Beggars all agree that this is their best - and their biggest - catch ever!