Section 1
A miller had three sons, and the only things he left them as an inheritance were his mill, his donkey, and his cat. The distribution was quickly completed. They decided not to employ a clerk or an attorney as they would have consumed a significant portion of their modest inheritance. The oldest son received the mill, the second son received the donkey, and the youngest son was left with only the cat.
The young man felt very unhappy about receiving so little from the inheritance. He expressed his thoughts saying, "My brothers can combine their shares and make a good living, but as for me, I will eat my cat and make a muff from his skin, and then I will die of starvation."
Although the cat had overheard everything, it pretended not to have heard and spoke to the young man in a solemn and serious tone, "Don't worry too much, my kind master. "If you provide me with a bag and get me a pair of boots so that I can run through the dirt and thorns, you will soon realize that you are not as unfortunate as you think," said the cat.
The young man didn't have much faith in the cat's words. However, he had witnessed the cat's clever tricks in catching rats and mice, such as hanging upside down or pretending to be dead while hiding in the meal. Therefore, he held some hope that the cat might be able to help him in his distressing situation.
Once he received the requested items, the cat bravely put on the boots and hung the bag around his neck. With the strings held in his forepaws, the cat proceeded to a place where he could find an abundance of rabbits. The cat placed some greens and bran in the bag, then lay down and pretended to be dead. In doing so, he waited for young rabbits who were not yet familiar with the ways of the world to come and peer into his bag.
The cat had barely settled down when he got what he wanted. A naive and foolish young rabbit hopped into his bag, and the cunning cat quickly pulled the strings tight, captured the rabbit, and killed it mercilessly.
Feeling proud of his accomplishment, the cat carried the rabbit and went to the palace. He requested to meet the king and was directed to the king's chamber. After bowing courteously, he addressed the king, "Your Majesty, I have brought a rabbit to you from my esteemed lord, the Master of Carabas" (this was the title the cat had given his master).
The king responded, "Please convey my gratitude to your master, and let him know that I am delighted with his present."
On another occasion, the cat concealed himself in a field of grains. He held his bag open and when two partridges ran into it, he pulled the strings and captured them both. The cat offered these partridges to the king, just as he had done with the rabbit. The king was similarly pleased with this gift and rewarded the cat. For the next two to three months, the cat regularly brought game to the king from his master.
On a certain day, the cat knew that the king would be going for a drive with his daughter, who was the most beautiful princess in the world, along the riverside. The cat then said to his master, "If you follow my advice, you will be able to improve your fortunes greatly." "All you have to do is go to the place I show you and bathe in the river, then leave the rest to me," advised the cat to his master.
While his master was bathing, the king happened to pass by, and the cat started to cry out, "Help! Help! My Lord Marquis of Carabas is about to drown!"
Upon hearing the commotion, the king peered out of his carriage window and recognized the cat who had previously presented him with game. He ordered his guards to rush to the aid of the Marquis of Carabas. While the guards were pulling the Marquis out of the river, the cat approached the king's coach and explained that while his master was bathing, some thieves had stolen his clothes despite his cries for help, "Thieves! Thieves!" several times, as loud as he could. Actually, the sly feline had concealed the garments beneath a sizable boulder.
Right away, the monarch ordered his wardrobe officers to hurry and retrieve a top-quality outfit for the Marquis of Carabas.
