The cat heard all of it and said, "do not trouble yourself master. You don't have to give me anything but a bag and a pair of boots so that I can scamper through the dirt and brambles, and you will see I'm not as bad as you imagine."
The son was perplexed by what the cat said. He had seen the cat pull off cunning tricks to catch rats and mice. He was not opposed to having the cat help him through the misery. Once the cat got the bag and boots, he went into a warren with a great abundance of rabbits. He put bait into his bag and waited until naive rabbits to come and rummage through it.
He got some rabbits although not as many as he expected. A young a foolish rabbit hopped into his bag and the cat killed him instantly and without pity. He was very proud of his prey and went to the castle and asked to speak with his majesty.
He was shown up to the King's apartment and presented him with the rabbit he caught on his master's behalf. "Tell thy master that I thank him and that he does me a great deal of pleasure," replied the King.
Some time later, the cat hid himself in a cornfield and waited for a flock of partridges to fly in his bag. Once they did, he drew the strings to catch them in. He went and presented them to the King as he did with the rabbit. The king received the partridges with great pleasure. This carried on for a couple of months and one day, the master and his daughter went out for a walk by the river and the cat said to his master, "if you follow my advice, your fortune is made. You have nothing else to do but go and wash yourself in the river in that part I shall show you, and leave the rest to me." He did what the cat advised him to do what he was told and went washing in the river. The King walked by and the cat screamed, "Help! Help! My master is going to be drowned!" The King ordered his guards to immediately rush and help the master for he thought he had been the one catching his game. The guards pulled the master out of the water. The master turned to the King and said, "thank you your majesty. You saved my life. Although, I have to ask? Why did you think my live was worth saving? The King thanked him for catching game and having his cat bring him to share. The master obviously had no idea what the King was talking about, but as soon as they both turned to the cat, he had fled into the woods and was never seen again.
Author's Note: In the original story, the son is left with the cat and is mad but the cat shows him he is worthy to be saved. The cat catches lots of game in his bag and takes it with him to the King but says that his master caught it and wanted him to have it. One day when they were walking by the river, the son went to wash himself in the river and the cat called out that he was drowning. The King ordered his guards to save him. In the original story, the cat calls for the son to get a new wardrobe because thieves had taken his. I changed it to where the King finds out about the cat bringing him the game that the son didn't actually catch and the cat ends up fleeing in the woods.
The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots by Andrew Lang.
Puss in Boots. Source: Pixabay
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