The Cat counted the five things (and they looked very knobby[323]
) and he said, ‘I will catch mice when I am in the Cave for always and always and always; but still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me.’‘Not when I am near,’ said the Man. ‘If you had not said that last I would have put all these things away for always and always and always; but now I am going to throw my two boots and my little stone axe (that makes three) at you whenever I meet you. And so shall all proper Men do after me!’
Then the Dog said, ‘Wait a minute. He has not made a bargain with me or with all proper Dogs after me.’ And he showed his teeth and said, ‘If you are not kind to the Baby while I am in the Cave for always and always and always, I will hunt you till I catch you, and when I catch you I will bite you. And so shall all proper Dogs do after me.’
‘Ah!’ said the Woman, listening. ‘This is a very clever Cat, but he is not so clever as the Dog.’
Cat counted the Dog’s teeth (and they looked very pointed) and he said, ‘I will be kind to the Baby while I am in the Cave, as long as he does not pull my tail too hard, for always and always and always. But still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me.’
‘Not when I am near,’ said the Dog. ‘If you had not said that last I would have shut my mouth for always and always and always; but now I am going to hunt you up a tree whenever I meet you. And so shall all proper Dogs do after me.’
Then the Man threw his two boots and his little stone axe (that makes three) at the Cat, and the Cat ran out of the Cave and the Dog chased him up the tree; and from that day to this, Best Beloved, three proper Men out of five will always throw things at a Cat whenever they meet him, and all proper Dogs will chase him up a tree. But the Cat keeps his side of the bargain too. He will kill mice, and he will be kind to Babies when he is in the house, just as long as they do not pull his tail too hard. But when he has done that, and between times, and when the moon gets up and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him. Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods or up the Wet Wild Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs, waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone.
Questions and tasks
1. Why did the animals decide to go to people?
2. Did all the animals stay with the Man and the Woman? Why did they stay with them or why didn’t they?
3. First Friend. Who is he? Who named him like that?
4. What bargain did the Woman and the Cow strike?
5. Why did the Cat come to the Woman? What did he say to her?
6. What bargain did the Woman and the Cat make?
7. How did the Cat manage to make Baby laugh? 8. Did the Woman say three words in the Cat’s praise?
9. Did the Cat make the bargain with the Man and the Dog? What were the consequences of this ‘mistake’?
10. Retell the story.
The Butterfly tat Stamped
This, O my Best Beloved, is a story – a new and a wonderful story – a store quite different from the other stories – a story about The Most Wise Sovereign Suleiman-bin-Daoud-Solomon the Son of David.