A miller1 bequeathed to his three sons all he possessed2 of worldly goods, which consisted only of his Mill, his Ass3, and his Cat. It did not take long to divide the property, and neither notary4 nor attorney was called in; they would soon have eaten up the poor little patrimony5. The eldest6 son had the Mill; the second son, the Ass; and the youngest had nothing but the Cat.

 

The latter was very disconsolate7 at having such a poor share of the inheritance. "My brothers," said he, "may be able to earn an honest livelihood8 by entering into partnership9; but, as for me, when I have eaten my Cat and made a muff of his skin, I must die of hunger." The Cat, who had heard this speech, although he had not appeared to do so, said to him with a sedate10 and serious air, "Do not be troubled, master; you have only to give me a bag, and get a pair of boots made for me in which I can go among the bushes, and you will see that you are not left so badly off as you believe." Though his master did not place much reliance on the Cat's words, he had seen him play such cunning tricks in catching11 rats and mice, when he would hang himself up by the heels, or hide in the flour pretending to be dead, that he was not altogether without hope of being helped by him out of his distress12.

 

As soon as the Cat had what he asked for, he boldly pulled on his boots, and, hanging his bag round his neck, he took the strings13 of it in his fore-paws, and started off for a warren where there were a great number of rabbits. He put some bran and sow-thistles in his bag, and then, stretching himself out as if he were dead, he waited till some young rabbit, little versed14 in the wiles15 of the world, should come and poke16 his way into the bag, in order to eat what was inside it.

 

 

 

He had hardly laid himself down before he had the pleasure of seeing a young scatterbrain of a rabbit get into the bag, whereupon Master Cat pulled the strings, caught it, and killed it without mercy. Proud of his prey17, he went to the palace, and asked to speak to the King. He was ushered18 upstairs and into the state apartment, and, after making a low bow to the King, he said, "Sire, here is a wild rabbit, which my Lord the Marquis of Carabas—for such was the title he had taken a fancy to give to his master—has ordered me to present, with his duty, to your Majesty19."

 

"Tell your master," replied the King, "that I thank him and am pleased with his gift."

 

Another day he went and hid himself in the wheat, keeping the mouth of his bag open as before, and as soon as he saw that a brace20 of partridges had run inside, he pulled the strings, and so took them both. He went immediately and presented them to the King, as he had the rabbits. The King was equally grateful at receiving the brace of partridges, and ordered drink to be given him.

 

 

 

For the next two or three months, the Cat continued in this manner, taking presents of game at intervals21 to the King, as if from his master. One day, when he knew the King was going to drive on the banks of the river, with his daughter, the most beautiful Princess in the world, he said to his master, "If you will follow my advice, your fortune is made; you have only to go and bathe in a part of the river I will point out to you, and then leave the rest to me."