Page:Researches respecting the Book of Sindibad and Portuguese Folk-Tales.djvu/145

state, and that one you must take with you." The youth walked along and soon saw a quantity of fine-looking cats, but he left them alone; but after a while he saw one very thin and in a wretched condition. He took it up by the neck and went away with it. He walked on further along the beach and he saw a ship and went on board. The man who had stolen the apple, seeing the youth in the ship, had him apprehended and shut up in a tower. The youth took the cat with him to the tower. The man who provided him with food only gave him a bean each day, and the boy eat half and gave the other half to the cat; whilst the cat hunted for mice and rats, of which it caught many, laid them down before the youth, eat half of them up, and gave him the other half. One day, as the cat was peeping slyly through a chink watching for game, she saw a piece of paper folded. She commenced to mew desperately, calling the youth. He went to see what ailed her, and found a letter there from the king of the rats, asking him what he could do for him, so that the cat in recompense for his services should leave the rats in peace, and not catch any more. The youth sent to say that the only way that the king could serve him would be by trying to get the apple for him which had been stolen from him. The king of the rats formed his subjects into an army, and went to the place where the golden apple was to be found. The man had the apple hanging from his neck. The rats set to work with much prudence and caution, and waited until the man was asleep, and arranged themselves each side of the sleeping man, ready to act. One of the rats then began to tickle the man's nose, and to stop his breath with its tail; and the man awoke, feeling stifled, and he then raised his head. The rats, who were ready to take advantage of the first occasion, on seeing the man raise his head, took off the chain with the apple from his neek, and carried it off in triumph to their king, who himself took it to the youth in the tower. The moment the cat saw the apple coming she began to