Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Sleepy Stories. I'm your host, Lucy,
Speaker 1: and my friends and I will be reading you a
Speaker 1: sleepy bedtime story every week to relax you and to
Speaker 1: help you to drift off into a RESTful sleep. From
Speaker 1: time to time, we will also read you a relaxing,
Speaker 1: peaceful meditation that will take you somewhere beautiful and calming.
Speaker 1: Once we have read the stories, we will then read
Speaker 1: them a second time, but this time they will be
Speaker 1: ready even slower. This will help you to relax even more.
Speaker 1: Before we begin, I would like you to close your
Speaker 1: eyes and breathe in and out nice and deeply. Take
Speaker 1: a few seconds to inhale, and then hold your breath
Speaker 1: for a few seconds more and then release and breathe out.
Speaker 1: Do this a few times if you need to. While
Speaker 1: you listen to the music and you listen to my voice,
Speaker 1: give yourself time to let your body relax and your
Speaker 1: mind settle. It's important that we allow time for us
Speaker 1: to feel safe, cozy, and completely at ease. And now
Speaker 1: it's time for this week's story.
Speaker 2: The Cat that walked by himself. Hear and attend and
Speaker 2: listen for this befell and behappened and became and was, oh,
Speaker 2: my best beloved, when the tame animals were wild. The
Speaker 2: dog was wild, and the horse was wild, and the
Speaker 2: cow was wild, and the sheep was wild, and the
Speaker 2: pig was wild, as wild as wild could be, and
Speaker 2: they walked in the wet wild woods by their wild loans.
Speaker 2: But the wildest of all the wild animals was the cat.
Speaker 2: He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.
Speaker 2: Of course, the man was wild too, He was dreadfully wild.
Speaker 2: He didn't even begin to be tame till he met
Speaker 2: the woman, and she told him that she did not
Speaker 2: like living in his wild ways. She picked out a
Speaker 2: nice dry cave instead of a heap of wet leaves
Speaker 2: to lie down in, and she strewed clean sand on
Speaker 2: the floor, and she lit a nice fire of wood
Speaker 2: at the back of the cave, and she hung a
Speaker 2: dried wild horse skin tail down across the opening of
Speaker 2: the cave, and she said, wipe you feet, dear when
Speaker 2: you come in, And now we'll keep house that night,
Speaker 2: best beloved, they ate wild sheep roasted on the hot
Speaker 2: stones and flavored with wild garlic and wild pepper, and
Speaker 2: wild duck stuffed with wild rice, and wild fennygreek, and
Speaker 2: wild coriander, and marrow bones of wild oxen, and wild
Speaker 2: cherries and wild grenadillas. Then the man went to sleep
Speaker 2: in front of the fire, ever so happy. But the
Speaker 2: woman sat up, combing her hair. She took the bone
Speaker 2: of the shoulder of mutton, the big fat blade bone,
Speaker 2: and she looked at the wonderful marks on it. And
Speaker 2: she threw more wood on the fire, and she made
Speaker 2: a magic. She made the first singing magic in the world.
Speaker 2: Out in the wet wild woods, all the wild animals
Speaker 2: gathered together where they could see the light of the
Speaker 2: fire a long way off, and they wondered what it meant.
Speaker 2: Then wild horse stamped with his wild foot and said, oh,
Speaker 2: my friends, and O my enemies. Why have the man
Speaker 2: and the woman made that great light in that great cave?
Speaker 2: And what harm will it do us? Wild dog lifted
Speaker 2: up his wild nose and smelled the smell of roast mutton,
Speaker 2: and said, I will go up and see and look
Speaker 2: and say, for I think it is good. Cat, come
Speaker 2: with me, nenny, said the cat. I am the cat
Speaker 2: who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me.
Speaker 2: I will not come. Then we can never be friends again,
Speaker 2: said wild dog, and he trotted off to the cave.
Speaker 2: But when he had gone a little way, the cat
Speaker 2: said to himself, all places are alike to me, why
Speaker 2: should I not go too and see and look and
Speaker 2: come away at my own liking. So he slipped after
Speaker 2: wild dog softly, very softly, and hid himself where he
Speaker 2: could hear everything. When wild Dog reached the mouth of
Speaker 2: the cave, he lifted up the dried horse skin with
Speaker 2: his nose and sniffed the beautiful smell of the roast mutton.
Speaker 2: And the woman, looking at the blade bone, heard him
Speaker 2: and laughed and said, here comes the first wild thing
Speaker 2: out of the wild woods. What do you want? Wild
Speaker 2: dog said, oh, my enemy, and wife of my enemy,
Speaker 2: what is this that smells so good in the wild woods?
Speaker 2: Then the woman picked up a roasted mutton bone and
Speaker 2: threw it to wild Dog and said, wild thing out
Speaker 2: of the wild woods, taste and try. Wild Dog gnawed
Speaker 2: the bone, and it was more delicious than anything he
Speaker 2: had ever tasted. And he said, oh, my enemy, and
Speaker 2: why of my enemy give me another? The woman said,
Speaker 2: wild thing out of the wild woods, help my man
Speaker 2: to hunt through the day and guard this cave at night,
Speaker 2: and I will give you as many roast bones as
Speaker 2: you need. Ah, said the cat listening. This is a
Speaker 2: very wise woman, but she is not so wise as
Speaker 2: I am. Wild Dog crawled into the cave and laid
Speaker 2: his head on the woman's lap and said, oh, my
Speaker 2: friend and wife of my friend. I will help your
Speaker 2: man to hunt through the day, and at night I
Speaker 2: will guard your cave. Ah said the cat listening. That
Speaker 2: is a very foolish dog. And he went back through
Speaker 2: the wet wild woods, waving his wild tail and walking
Speaker 2: by his wild lone. But he never told anybody. The
Speaker 2: man waked up. He said, what is wild dog doing here?
Speaker 2: And the woman said, his name is not wild Dog anymore,
Speaker 2: but the first Friend, because he will be our friend
Speaker 2: for always and always and always take him with you
Speaker 2: when you go hunting. Next night, the woman cut great
Speaker 2: green armfuls of fresh grass from the water meadows and
Speaker 2: dried it before the fire, so that it smelt like
Speaker 2: new mown hay. And she sat at the mouth of
Speaker 2: the cave and plaited a halter out of horse hide,
Speaker 2: And she looked at the shoulder of mutton bone, at
Speaker 2: the big broad blade bone, and she made a magic.
Speaker 2: She made the second singing magic in the world. Out
Speaker 2: in the wild woods, all the wild animals wondered what
Speaker 2: had happened to wild dog. And at last wild horse
Speaker 2: stamped with his foot and said, I will go and
Speaker 2: see and say why wild dog has not returned. Cat,
Speaker 2: come with me, nanny, said the cat. I am the
Speaker 2: cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike
Speaker 2: to me. I will not come, but all the same.
Speaker 2: He followed wild horse softly, very softly, and hid himself
Speaker 2: where he could hear everything. When the woman heard wild
Speaker 2: horse tripping and stumbling on his long mane, she laughed
Speaker 2: and said, here comes the second wild thing out of
Speaker 2: the wild woods. What do you want? Wild horse said, O,
Speaker 2: my enemy and wife of my enemy. Where is wild dog?
Speaker 2: The woman laughed and picked up the blade bone and
Speaker 2: looked at it and said, wild thing out of the
Speaker 2: wild woods. You did not come here for wild dog,
Speaker 2: but for the sake of this good grass. And wild horse,
Speaker 2: tripping and stumbling on his long mane, said that is true.
Speaker 2: Give it me to eat. The woman said, wild thing
Speaker 2: out of the wild woods, bend your wild head and
Speaker 2: wear would I give you? And you shall eat the
Speaker 2: wonderful grass three times a day, ah, said the cat listening.
Speaker 2: This is a clever woman, but she is not so
Speaker 2: clever as I am. Wild horse bent his wild head
Speaker 2: and the woman slipped the platted hide halter over it,
Speaker 2: and wild horse breathed on the woman's feet and said, O,
Speaker 2: my mistress and wife of my master, I will be
Speaker 2: your servant for the sake of the wonderful grass. Ah
Speaker 2: said the cat listening. That is a very foolish horse.
Speaker 2: And he went back through the wet wild woods, waving
Speaker 2: his wild tail and walking by his wild lone. But
Speaker 2: he never told anybody. When the man and the dog
Speaker 2: came back from hunting, the man said, what is wild
Speaker 2: horse doing here? And the woman said, his name is
Speaker 2: not wild horse any more, but the first servant, because
Speaker 2: he will carry us from place to place for always
Speaker 2: and always, and always ride on his back when you
Speaker 2: go hunting. Next day, holding her wild head high that
Speaker 2: her wild horns should not catch in the wild trees,
Speaker 2: wild cow came up to the cave, and the cat
Speaker 2: followed and hid himself just the same as before, And
Speaker 2: everything happened just the same as before, and the cat
Speaker 2: said the same things as before, and when wild cow
Speaker 2: had promised to give her milk to the woman every
Speaker 2: day in exchange for the wonderful grass. The cat went
Speaker 2: back through the wet wild woods, waving his wild tail
Speaker 2: and walking by his wild lone, just the same as before.
Speaker 2: But he never told anybody. And when the man and
Speaker 2: the horse and the dog came home from hunting and
Speaker 2: asked the same questions, same as before, the woman said,
Speaker 2: her name is not wild cow any more, but the
Speaker 2: giver of good food. She will give us the warm
Speaker 2: white milk for always and always and always, and I
Speaker 2: will take care of her while you and the first
Speaker 2: friend and the first servant go hunting. Next day, the
Speaker 2: cat waited to see if any other wild thing would
Speaker 2: go up to the cave, but no one moved in
Speaker 2: the wet wild woods. So the cat walked there by himself,
Speaker 2: and he saw the woman milking the cow, and he
Speaker 2: saw the light of the fire in the cave, and
Speaker 2: he smelt the smell of the warm white milk. Cat said, O,
Speaker 2: my enemy, and wife of my enemy, where did wild
Speaker 2: cow go? The woman laughed and said, wild thing out
Speaker 2: of the wild woods, go back to the woods again,
Speaker 2: for I have braided up my hair, and I have
Speaker 2: put away the magic blade bone, and we have no
Speaker 2: more need of either friends or servants in our cave.
Speaker 2: Cat said, I am not a friend, and I am
Speaker 2: not a servant. I am the cat who walks by himself,
Speaker 2: and I wished to come into your cave. Woman said, then,
Speaker 2: why did you not come with first friend on the
Speaker 2: first night. Cat grew very angry and said, as wild
Speaker 2: dog told tales of me. Then the woman laughed and said,
Speaker 2: you are the cat who walks by himself, and all
Speaker 2: places are alike to you. You are neither a friend
Speaker 2: nor a servant. You have said it yourself. Go away
Speaker 2: and walk by yourself in all places alike. Then Cat
Speaker 2: pretended to be sorry and said, must I never come
Speaker 2: into the cave? Must I never sit by the warm fire?
Speaker 2: Must I never drink the warm white milk? You are
Speaker 2: very wise and very beautiful. You should not be cruel
Speaker 2: even to a cat. Never shall, said the woman. But
Speaker 2: if I say three words in your praise, you may
Speaker 2: drink the warm white milk three times a day, for always,
Speaker 2: and always and always. Then the cat arched his back
Speaker 2: and said, now let the curtain at the mouth of
Speaker 2: the cave and the fire at the back of the cave,
Speaker 2: and the milk pots that stand beside the fire. Remember
Speaker 2: what my enemy and the wife of my enemy has said.
Speaker 2: And he went away through the wet wild woods, waving
Speaker 2: his wild tail and walking by his wild lone. That night,
Speaker 2: when the man and the horse and the dog came
Speaker 2: home from hunting, the woman did not tell them of
Speaker 2: the bargain that she had made with the cat, because
Speaker 2: she was afraid that they might not like it. Cat
Speaker 2: went far and far away and hid himself in the
Speaker 2: wet wild woods by his wild lone for a long time,
Speaker 2: till the woman forgot all about him. Only the bat,
Speaker 2: the little upside down bat that hung inside the cave,
Speaker 2: knew where cat hid, and every evening bat would fly
Speaker 2: to cat with news of what was happening. One evening
Speaker 2: bat said, there is a baby in the cave. He
Speaker 2: is new and pink and fat and small, and the
Speaker 2: woman is very fond of him. Ah, said the cat, listening.
Speaker 2: But what is the baby fond of? He is fond
Speaker 2: of things that are soft and tickle, said the bat.
Speaker 2: He is fond of warm things to hold in his
Speaker 2: arms when he goes to sleep. He is fond of
Speaker 2: being played with. He is fond of all those things.
Speaker 2: Ah ah, said the cat, listening. Then my time has come.
Speaker 2: Next night cat walked through the wet wild woods and
Speaker 2: hid very near the cave till morning time, and man
Speaker 2: and dog and horse went hunting. The woman was busy
Speaker 2: cooking that morning, and the baby cried and interrupted, so
Speaker 2: she carried him outside the cave and gave him a
Speaker 2: handful of pebbles to play with. But still the baby cried.
Speaker 2: Then the cat put out his patty paw and patted
Speaker 2: the baby on the cheek, and it cooed. And the
Speaker 2: cat rubbed against its fat knees and tickled it under
Speaker 2: its fat chin with his tail, and the baby laughed,
Speaker 2: and the woman heard him and smiled. Then the bat,
Speaker 2: the little upside down bat that hung in the mouth
Speaker 2: of the cave, said, Oh, my hostess, and wife of
Speaker 2: my host and mother of my host's son, a wild
Speaker 2: thing from the wild woods is most beautifully playing with
Speaker 2: your baby. A blessing on that wild thing, whoever he
Speaker 2: may be, said the woman, straightening her back, For I
Speaker 2: was a busy woman this morning, and he has done
Speaker 2: me a service that very minute. And second best beloved
Speaker 2: the dried horse skin curtain that was stretched tail down
Speaker 2: at the mouth of the cave fell down whoosh, because
Speaker 2: it remembered the bargain she had made with the cat.
Speaker 2: And when the woman went to pick it up, lo
Speaker 2: and behold the cat was sitting quite comfy inside the cave. O,
Speaker 2: my enemy, and wife of my enemy, and mother of
Speaker 2: my enemy, said the cat. It is I, for you
Speaker 2: have spoken a word in my praise, and now I
Speaker 2: can sit within the cave for always and always and always.
Speaker 2: But still I am the cat who walks by himself,
Speaker 2: and all places are alike to me. The woman was
Speaker 2: very angry and shut her lips tight, and took up
Speaker 2: her spinning wheel and began to spin. But the baby
Speaker 2: cried because the cat had gone away, and the woman
Speaker 2: could not hush it, for it struggled and kicked and
Speaker 2: grew black in the face. O, my enemy, and wife
Speaker 2: of my enemy, and mother of my enemy, said the cat.
Speaker 2: Take a strand of the wire that you are spinning,
Speaker 2: and tie it to your spinning whirl, and drag it
Speaker 2: along the floor, and I will show you a magic
Speaker 2: that shall make your baby laugh as loudly as he
Speaker 2: is now crying. I will do so, said the woman,
Speaker 2: because I am at my wits end, but I will
Speaker 2: not thank you for it. She tied the thread to
Speaker 2: the little clay spindle whirl and drew it across the floor,
Speaker 2: and the cat ran after it and patted it with
Speaker 2: his paws and rolled head over heels, and tossed it
Speaker 2: backward over his shoulder and chased it between his hind
Speaker 2: legs and pretended to lose it, and pounced down upon
Speaker 2: it again till the baby laughed as loudly as it
Speaker 2: had been crying, and scrambled after the cat and frolicked
Speaker 2: all over the cave till it grew tired and settled
Speaker 2: down to sleep with the cat in its arms. Now,
Speaker 2: said the cat, I will sing the baby a song
Speaker 2: that shall keep him asleep for an hour. And he
Speaker 2: began to purr loud and low, low and loud, till
Speaker 2: the baby fell fast asleep. The woman smiled as she
Speaker 2: looked down upon the two of them, and said, that
Speaker 2: was wonderfully done, no question, But you are very clever,
Speaker 2: o cat, that very minute and second best beloved. The
Speaker 2: smoke of the fire at the back of the cave
Speaker 2: came down in clouds from the roof puff because it
Speaker 2: remembered the bargain she had made with the cat. And
Speaker 2: when it had cleared away, low and behold the cat
Speaker 2: was sitting quite comfy close to the fire. Oh, my enemy,
Speaker 2: and wife of my enemy, and mother of my enemy,
Speaker 2: said the cat. It is I, for you have spoken
Speaker 2: a second word in my praise. And now I can
Speaker 2: sit by the warm fire at the back of the
Speaker 2: cave for all, always and always and always, but still
Speaker 2: I am the cat who walks by himself, and all
Speaker 2: places are alike to me. Then the woman was very
Speaker 2: very angry, and let down her hair and put more
Speaker 2: wood on the fire, and brought out the broad blade
Speaker 2: bone of the shoulder of mutton, and began to make
Speaker 2: a magic that should prevent her from saying a third
Speaker 2: word in praise of the cat. It was not a
Speaker 2: singing magic, best beloved, It was a still magic. And
Speaker 2: by and by the cave grew so still that a
Speaker 2: little wee wee mouse crept out of a corner and
Speaker 2: ran across the floor. O, my enemy, and wife of
Speaker 2: my enemy and mother of my enemy, said the cat.
Speaker 2: Is that little mouse part of your magic? Ohch no, indeed,
Speaker 2: said the woman, and she dropped the blade bone and
Speaker 2: jumped upon the footstool in front of the fire, and
Speaker 2: braided up her hair very quick for fear that the
Speaker 2: mouse should run up it. Ah, said the cat watching.
Speaker 2: Then the mouse will do me no harm if I
Speaker 2: eat it. No, said the woman, braiding up her hair.
Speaker 2: Eat it quickly, and I will ever be grateful to you.
Speaker 2: Cat made one jump and caught the little mouse, and
Speaker 2: the woman said, a hundred thanks. Even the first friend
Speaker 2: is not quick enough to catch little mice as you
Speaker 2: have done. You must be very wise that very moment,
Speaker 2: and second, O best beloved. The milk pot that stood
Speaker 2: by the fire cracked in two pieces fift because it
Speaker 2: remembered the bargain she had made with the cat. And
Speaker 2: when the woman jumped down from the footstool, lo and
Speaker 2: behold the cat was lapping up the warm white milk
Speaker 2: that lay in one of the broken pieces. Oh, my enemy,
Speaker 2: and wife of my enemy, and mother of my enemy,
Speaker 2: said the cat. It is I, for you have spoken
Speaker 2: three words in my praise, and now I can drink
Speaker 2: the warm white milk three times a day for always
Speaker 2: and always and always. But still I am the cat
Speaker 2: who walks by himself and all places are alike to me.
Speaker 2: Then the woman laughed and set the cat a bowl
Speaker 2: of the warm white milk, and said, O cat, you
Speaker 2: are as clever as a man. But remember that your
Speaker 2: bargain was not made with the man or the dog.
Speaker 2: And I do not know what they will do when
Speaker 2: they come home. What is that to me, said the cat.
Speaker 2: If I have my place in the cave by the
Speaker 2: fire and my warm white milk three times a day,
Speaker 2: I do not care what the man or the dog
Speaker 2: can do. That evening, when the man and the dog
Speaker 2: came into the cave, the woman told them all the
Speaker 2: story of the bargain, while the cat sat by the
Speaker 2: fire and smiled. Then the man said, yes, but he
Speaker 2: has not made a bargain with me or with all
Speaker 2: proper men after me. Then he took off his two
Speaker 2: leather boots, and he took up his little stone axe
Speaker 2: that makes three, and he fetched a piece of wood
Speaker 2: and a hatchet that is five altogether, and he set
Speaker 2: them out in a row, and he said, now we
Speaker 2: will make our bargain. If you do not catch mice
Speaker 2: when you are in the cave for always, and always
Speaker 2: and always, I will throw these five things at you.
Speaker 2: Whenever I see you, and so shall all proper men
Speaker 2: do after me, ah, said the woman listening. This is
Speaker 2: a very clever cat, But he is not so clever
Speaker 2: as my man. The cat counted the five things, and
Speaker 2: they looked very knobby, and he said, I will catch
Speaker 2: mice when I am in the cave for always and
Speaker 2: always and always. But still I am the cat who
Speaker 2: walks by himself, and all places are alike to me,
Speaker 2: not when I am near, said the man. If you
Speaker 2: had not said that last, I would have put all
Speaker 2: these things away for always and always and always. But
Speaker 2: I am now going to throw my two boots and
Speaker 2: my little stone axe that makes three at you whenever
Speaker 2: I meet you, and so shall all proper men do
Speaker 2: after me. Then the dog said, wait a minute. He
Speaker 2: has not made a bargain with me or with all
Speaker 2: proper dogs after me. And he showed his teeth and said,
Speaker 2: if you are not kind to the baby, while I
Speaker 2: am in the cave for always and always and always,
Speaker 2: I will hunt you till I catch you. And when
Speaker 2: I catch you, I will bite you. And so shall
Speaker 2: all proper dogs do after me. Ah, said the woman listening.
Speaker 2: This is a very clever cat. But he is not
Speaker 2: so clever as the dog. Cat counted the dog's teeth,
Speaker 2: and they looked very pointed, and he said, I will
Speaker 2: be kind to the baby while I am in the cave,
Speaker 2: as long as he does not pull my tail too hard,
Speaker 2: For always and always and always, but still, I am
Speaker 2: the cat that walks by himself, and all places are
Speaker 2: alike to me. Cat counted the dog's teeth, and they
Speaker 2: looked very pointed, and he said, I will be kind
Speaker 2: to the baby while I am in the cave, as
Speaker 2: long as he does not pull my tail too hard,
Speaker 2: For always and always and always, but still, I am
Speaker 2: the cat that walks by himself, and all places are
Speaker 2: alike to me. Not when I am near, said the dog.
Speaker 2: If you had not said that last, I would have
Speaker 2: shut my mouth for always and always and always. But
Speaker 2: now I am going to hunt you up a tree
Speaker 2: whenever I meet you, and so shall all proper dogs
Speaker 2: do after me. Then the man threw his two boots
Speaker 2: and his little stone axe that makes three at the cat,
Speaker 2: and the cat ran out of the cave, and the
Speaker 2: dog chased him up a tree. And from that day
Speaker 2: to this best beloved three proper men out of five
Speaker 2: will always throw things at a cat whenever they meet him,
Speaker 2: and all proper dogs will chase him up a tree.
Speaker 2: But the cat keeps his side of the bargain too.
Speaker 2: He will kill mice, and he will be kind to
Speaker 2: babies when he is in the house, just as long
Speaker 2: as they do not pull his tail too hard. But
Speaker 2: when he has done that, and between times, and when
Speaker 2: the moon gets up and night comes, he is the
Speaker 2: cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike
Speaker 2: to him. Then he goes out to the wet wad
Speaker 2: wild woods, or up the wet wild trees, or on
Speaker 2: the wet wild roofs, waving his wild tail and walking
Speaker 2: by his wild lone. The cat that walked by himself,
Speaker 2: hear and attend and listened. For this befell and behappened
Speaker 2: and became and was o my best beloved. When the
Speaker 2: tame animals were wild, the dog was wild, and the
Speaker 2: horse was wild, and the cow was wild, and the
Speaker 2: sheep was wild, and the pig was wild, as wild
Speaker 2: as wild could be, and they walked in the wet
Speaker 2: wild woods by their wild loans. But the wildest of
Speaker 2: all the wild animals was the cat. He walked by himself,
Speaker 2: and all places were alike to him. Of course, the
Speaker 2: man was wild too, He was dreadfully wild. He didn't
Speaker 2: even begin to be tame till he met the woman,
Speaker 2: and she told him that she did not like living
Speaker 2: in his wild ways. She picked out a nice dry
Speaker 2: cave instead of a heap of wet leaves to lie
Speaker 2: down in, and she strewed clean sand on the floor,
Speaker 2: and she lit a nice fire of wood at the
Speaker 2: back of the cave. And she hung a dried wild
Speaker 2: horse skin tail down across the opening of the cave,
Speaker 2: and she said, wipe you feet, dear when you come in.
Speaker 2: And now we'll keep house that night, best beloved, they
Speaker 2: ate wild sheep roasted on the hot stones and flavored
Speaker 2: with wild garlic and wild pepper, and wild duck, stuffed
Speaker 2: with wild rice and wild fennygreek and wild coriander, and
Speaker 2: marrow bones of wild oxen, and wild cherries and wild grenadillas.
Speaker 2: Then the man went to sleep in front of the fire,
Speaker 2: ever so happy. But the woman sat up, combing her hair.
Speaker 2: She took the bone of the shoulder of mutton, the
Speaker 2: big fat blade bone, and she looked at the wonderful
Speaker 2: marks on it, and she threw more wood on the fire,
Speaker 2: and she made a magic. She made the first singing
Speaker 2: magic in the world. Out in the wet wild woods,
Speaker 2: all the wild animals gathered together where they could see
Speaker 2: the light of the fire a long way off, and
Speaker 2: they wondered what it meant. Then wild horse stamped with
Speaker 2: his wild foot and said, oh, my friends, and O
Speaker 2: my enemies, why have the man and the woman made
Speaker 2: that great light in that great cave? And what harm
Speaker 2: will it do us? Wild Dog lifted up his wild
Speaker 2: nose and smelled the smell of roast mutton, and said,
Speaker 2: I will go up and see and look, and say,
Speaker 2: for I think it is good. Cat, come with me, nenny,
Speaker 2: said the cat. I am the cat who walks by himself,
Speaker 2: and all places are alike to me. I will not come.
Speaker 2: Then we can never be friends again, said wild dog,
Speaker 2: and he trotted off to the cave. But when he
Speaker 2: had gone a little way, the cat said to himself,
Speaker 2: all places are alike to me, Why should I not
Speaker 2: go too and see and look and come away at
Speaker 2: my own liking. So he slipped after wild dog softly,
Speaker 2: very softly, and hid himself where he could hear everything.
Speaker 2: When wild Dog reached the mouth of the cave. He
Speaker 2: lifted up the dried horse skin with his nose and
Speaker 2: sniffed the beautiful smell of the roast mutton. And the woman,
Speaker 2: looking at the blaze bone, heard him and laughed and said,
Speaker 2: here comes the first wild thing out of the wild woods.
Speaker 2: What do you want? Wild dog said, oh, my enemy
Speaker 2: and wife of my enemy, what is this that smells
Speaker 2: so good in the wild woods. Then the woman picked
Speaker 2: up a roasted mutton bone and threw it to wild
Speaker 2: dog and said, wild thing out of the wild woods,
Speaker 2: taste and try. Wild dog gnawed the bone, and it
Speaker 2: was more delicious than anything he had ever tasted, and
Speaker 2: he said, oh, my enemy and wife of my enemy,
Speaker 2: give me another. The woman said, wild thing out of
Speaker 2: the wild woods. Help my man to hunt through the
Speaker 2: day and guard this cave at night, and I will
Speaker 2: give you as many roast bones as you need. Ah,
Speaker 2: said the cat listening. This is a very wise woman,
Speaker 2: But she is not so wise as I am. Wild
Speaker 2: Dog crawled into the cave and laid his head on
Speaker 2: the woman's lap and said, O, my friend and wife
Speaker 2: of my friend, I will help your man to hunt
Speaker 2: through the day and at night I will guard your cave, ah,
Speaker 2: said the cat listening. That is a very foolish dog.
Speaker 2: And he went back through the wet wild woods, waving
Speaker 2: his wild tail and walking by his wild lone. But
Speaker 2: he never told anybody. When the man waked up, he said,
Speaker 2: what is wild dog doing here? And the woman said,
Speaker 2: his name is not wild dog any more, but the
Speaker 2: first friend, because he will be our friend for always
Speaker 2: and always, and always take him with you when you
Speaker 2: go hunting. Next night, the woman cut great green armfuls
Speaker 2: of fresh grass from the water meadows and dried it
Speaker 2: before the fire, so that it smelt like new mown hay.
Speaker 2: And she sat at the mouth of the cave and
Speaker 2: plaited a halter out of horse hide. And she looked
Speaker 2: at the shoulder of mutton bone, at the big broad
Speaker 2: blade bone, and she made a magic. She made the
Speaker 2: second singing magic in the world. Out in the wild woods,
Speaker 2: all the wild animals wondered what had happened to wild Dog.
Speaker 2: And at last wild horse stamped with his foot and said,
Speaker 2: I will go and see and say why wild dog
Speaker 2: has not returned. Cat, come with me, nenny, said the cat.
Speaker 2: I am the cat who walks by himself, and all
Speaker 2: places are alike to me, I will not come but
Speaker 2: all the same. He followed wild horse softly, very softly,
Speaker 2: and hid himself where he could hear everything. When the
Speaker 2: woman heard wild horse tripping and stumbling on his long mane,
Speaker 2: she laughed and said, here comes the second wild thing
Speaker 2: out of the wild woods. What do you want? Wild
Speaker 2: horse said, O, my enemy and wife of my enemy,
Speaker 2: where is wild dog? The woman laughed and picked up
Speaker 2: the blade bone and looked at it and said, wild
Speaker 2: thing out of the wild woods. You did not come
Speaker 2: here for wild dog, but for the sake of this
Speaker 2: good grass. And wild horse, tripping and stumbling on his
Speaker 2: long mane, said that is true. Give it me to eat.
Speaker 2: The woman said, wild thing out of the wild woods,
Speaker 2: bend your wild head and wear would I give you?
Speaker 2: And you shall eat the wonderful grass three times a day? Ah,
Speaker 2: said the cat listening. This is a clever woman, but
Speaker 2: she is not so clever as I am. Wild horse
Speaker 2: bent his wild head, and the woman slipped the platted
Speaker 2: hide halter over it, and wild horse breathed on the
Speaker 2: woman's feet and said, O, my mistress and wife of
Speaker 2: my master, I will be your servant for the sake
Speaker 2: of the wonderful grass, ah said the cat listening, that
Speaker 2: is a very foolish horse. And he went back through
Speaker 2: the wet wild woods, waving his wild tail and walking
Speaker 2: by his wild lone, But he never told anybody. When
Speaker 2: the man and the dog came back from hunting, the
Speaker 2: man said, what is wild horse doing here? And the
Speaker 2: woman said, his name is not wild horse any more,
Speaker 2: but the first servant, because he will carry us from
Speaker 2: place to place for always and always and always ride
Speaker 2: on his back when you go hunting. Next day, holding
Speaker 2: her wild head high that her wild horns should not
Speaker 2: catch in the wild trees, wild cow came up to
Speaker 2: the cave, and the cat followed and hid himself, just
Speaker 2: the same as before, And everything happened just the same
Speaker 2: as before, and the cat said the same things as before,
Speaker 2: And when wild cow had promised to give her milk
Speaker 2: to the woman every day in exchange for the wonderful grass,
Speaker 2: the cat went back through the wet wild woods, waving
Speaker 2: his wild tail and walking by his wild lone, just
Speaker 2: the same as before. But he never told anybody. And
Speaker 2: when the man and the horse and the dog came
Speaker 2: home from hunting, and asked the same questions, same as before.
Speaker 2: The woman said, her name is not wild cow any more,
Speaker 2: but the giver of good food. She will give us
Speaker 2: the warm white milk for always and always and always,
Speaker 2: and I will take care of her while you and
Speaker 2: the first friend and the first servant go hunting. Next day,
Speaker 2: the cat waited to see if any other wild thing
Speaker 2: would go up to the cave, but no one moved
Speaker 2: in the wet, wild woods. So the cat walked there
Speaker 2: by himself, and he saw the woman milking the cow,
Speaker 2: and he saw the light of the fire in the cave,
Speaker 2: and he smelt the smell of the warm white milk.
Speaker 2: Cat said, O, my enemy and wife of my enemy,
Speaker 2: where did wild cow go? The woman laughed and said,
Speaker 2: wild thing out of the wild woods, go back to
Speaker 2: the woods again, for I have braided up my hair,
Speaker 2: and I have put away the magic blade bone, and
Speaker 2: we have no more need of either friends or servants
Speaker 2: in our cave. Cat said, I am not a friend,
Speaker 2: and I am not a servant. I am the cat
Speaker 2: who walks by himself, and I wish to come into
Speaker 2: your cave. Woman said, then, why did you not come
Speaker 2: with first friend on the first night? Cat grew very
Speaker 2: angry and said, as wild dog told tales of me.
Speaker 2: Then the woman laughed and said, you are the cat
Speaker 2: who walks by himself, and all places are alike to you.
Speaker 2: You are neither a friend nor a servant. You have
Speaker 2: said it yourself. Go away and walk by yourself in
Speaker 2: all places alike. Then cat pretended to be sorry, and said,
Speaker 2: must I never come into the cave? Must I never
Speaker 2: sit by the warm fire? Must I never drink the
Speaker 2: warm white milk? You are very wise and very beautiful.
Speaker 2: You should not be cruel, even to a cat. I
Speaker 2: never shall, said the woman. But if I say three
Speaker 2: words in your praise, you may drink the warm white
Speaker 2: milk three times a day, for always, and always and always.
Speaker 2: Then the cat arched his back and said, now at
Speaker 2: the curtain at the mouth of the cave, and the
Speaker 2: fire at the back of the cave, and the milk
Speaker 2: pots that stand beside the fire, remember what my enemy
Speaker 2: and the wife of my enemy has said. And he
Speaker 2: went away through the wet wild woods, waving his wild
Speaker 2: tail and walking by his wild loan. That night, when
Speaker 2: the man and the horse and the dog came home
Speaker 2: from hunting, the woman did not tell them of the
Speaker 2: bargain that she had made with the cat, because she
Speaker 2: was afraid that they might not like it. Cat went
Speaker 2: far and far away and hid himself in the wet
Speaker 2: wild woods by his wild loan for a long time,
Speaker 2: till the woman forgot all about him. Only the bat,
Speaker 2: the little upside down bat that hung inside the cave,
Speaker 2: knew where cat hid, and every evening bat would fly
Speaker 2: to cat with news of what was happening. One evening
Speaker 2: bat said, there is a baby in the cave. He
Speaker 2: is new and pink and fat and small, and the
Speaker 2: woman is very fond of him, Ah, said the cat, listening.
Speaker 2: But what is the baby fond of? He is fond
Speaker 2: of things that are soft and tickle, said the bat.
Speaker 2: He is fond of warm things to hold in his
Speaker 2: arms when he goes to sleep. He is fond of
Speaker 2: being played with. He is fond of all those things, Ah,
Speaker 2: said the cat, listening. Then my time has come. Next night,
Speaker 2: Cat walked through the wet wild woods and hid very
Speaker 2: near the cave till morning time, and man and dog
Speaker 2: and horse went hunting. The woman was busy cooking that morning,
Speaker 2: and the baby cried and interrupted, so she carried him
Speaker 2: outside the cave and gave him a handful of pebbles
Speaker 2: to play with, But still the baby cried. Then the
Speaker 2: cat put out his patty paw and patted the baby
Speaker 2: on the cheek, and it cooed. And the cat rubbed
Speaker 2: against its fat knees and tickled it under its fat
Speaker 2: chin with his tail, and the baby laughed, and the
Speaker 2: woman heard him and smiled. Then the bat, the little
Speaker 2: upside down bat that hung in the mouth of the cave, said, O,
Speaker 2: my hostess, and wife of my host, and mother of
Speaker 2: my host's son, a wild thing from the wild woods
Speaker 2: is most beautifully playing with your baby. A blessing on
Speaker 2: that wild thing, whoever he may be, said the woman,
Speaker 2: straightening her back, For I was a busy woman this morning,
Speaker 2: and he has done me a service that very minute,
Speaker 2: and second best, beloved, the dried horse skin curtain that
Speaker 2: was stretched tail down at the mouth of the cave
Speaker 2: fell down wush, because it remembered the bargain she had
Speaker 2: made with the cat. And when the woman went to
Speaker 2: pick it up, lo and behold, the cat was sitting
Speaker 2: quite comfy inside the cave. O, my enemy, and wife
Speaker 2: of my enemy, and mother of my enemy, said the cat,
Speaker 2: it is I, for you have spoken a word in
Speaker 2: my praise, and now I can sit within the cave
Speaker 2: for always and always and always. But still I am
Speaker 2: the cat who walks by himself, and all places are
Speaker 2: alike to me. The woman was very angry and shut
Speaker 2: her lips tight, and took up her spinning wheel and
Speaker 2: began to spin. But the baby cried because the cat
Speaker 2: had gone away, and the woman could not hush it,
Speaker 2: for it struggled and kicked and grew black in the face. Oh,
Speaker 2: my enemy, and wife of my enemy, and mother of
Speaker 2: my enemy, said the cat. Take a strand of the
Speaker 2: wire that you are spinning, and tie it to your
Speaker 2: spinning whirl, and drag it along the floor, and I
Speaker 2: will show you a magic that shall make your baby
Speaker 2: laugh as loudly as he is now crying. I will
Speaker 2: do so, said the woman, because I am at my
Speaker 2: wits end, but I will not thank you for it.
Speaker 2: She tied the thread to the little clay spindle whirl
Speaker 2: and drew it across the floor, and the cat ran
Speaker 2: after it and patted it with his paws and rolled
Speaker 2: head over heels and tossed it backward over his shoulder
Speaker 2: and chased it between his hind legs and pretended to
Speaker 2: lose it and pounced down upon it again, till the
Speaker 2: baby laughed as loudly as it had been crying, and
Speaker 2: scrambled after the cat and frolicked all over the cave
Speaker 2: till it grew tired and settled down to sleep with
Speaker 2: the cat in its arms. Now, said the cat, I
Speaker 2: will sing the baby a song that shall keep him
Speaker 2: asleep for an hour. And he began to purr loud
Speaker 2: and low, low and loud, till the baby fell fast asleep.
Speaker 2: The woman smiled as she looked down upon the two
Speaker 2: of them, and said, that was wonderfully done, no question,
Speaker 2: but you are very clever, o cat, that very minute
Speaker 2: and second best beloved. The smoke of the fire at
Speaker 2: the back of the cave came down in clouds from
Speaker 2: the roof puff because it remembered the bargain she had
Speaker 2: made with the cat, And when it had cleared away,
Speaker 2: Lo and behold the cat was sitting quite comfy close
Speaker 2: to the fire. O, my enemy, and wife of my enemy,
Speaker 2: and mother of my enemy, said the cat. It is I,
Speaker 2: for you have spoken a second word in my praise,
Speaker 2: and now I can sit by the warm fire at
Speaker 2: the back of the cave. For always and always and always,
Speaker 2: but still, I am the cat who walks by himself,
Speaker 2: and all places are alike to me. Then the woman
Speaker 2: was very very angry, and let down her hair and
Speaker 2: put more wood on the fire, and brought out the
Speaker 2: broad blade bone of the shoulder of mutton, and began
Speaker 2: to make a magic that should prevent her from saying
Speaker 2: a third word in praise of the cat. It was
Speaker 2: not a singing magic, best beloved, It was a still magic.
Speaker 2: And by and by the cave grew so still that
Speaker 2: a little wee wee mouse crept out of a corner
Speaker 2: and ran across the floor. Oh, my enemy, and wife
Speaker 2: of my enemy, and mother of my enemy, said the cat.
Speaker 2: Is that little mouse part of your magic? Oh? Che No, indeed,
Speaker 2: said the woman, And she dropped the blade bone and
Speaker 2: jumped upon the footstool in front of the fire, and
Speaker 2: braided up her hair very quick for fear that the
Speaker 2: mouse should run up it. Ah, said the cat watching.
Speaker 2: Then the mouse will do me no harm if I
Speaker 2: eat it. No, said the woman, braiding up her hair.
Speaker 2: Eat it quickly, and I will ever be grateful to you.
Speaker 2: Cat made one jump and caught the little mouse, And
Speaker 2: the woman said, a hundred thanks. Even the first friend
Speaker 2: is not quick enough to catch little mice as you
Speaker 2: have done. You must be very wise that very moment,
Speaker 2: and second, oh best beloved, the milk pot that stood
Speaker 2: by the fire cracked in two pieces fift because it
Speaker 2: remembered the bargain she had made with the cat. And
Speaker 2: when the woman jumped down from the footstool, lo and
Speaker 2: behold the cat was lapping up the warm white milk
Speaker 2: that lay in one of the broken pieces. Oh, my enemy,
Speaker 2: and wife of my enemy, and mother of my enemy,
Speaker 2: said the cat. It is I, for you have spoken
Speaker 2: three words in my praise, and now I can drink
Speaker 2: the warm white milk three times a day, for always
Speaker 2: and always and always. But still I am the cat
Speaker 2: who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me.
Speaker 2: Then the woman laughed and set the cat a bowl
Speaker 2: of the warm white milk, and said, O cat, you
Speaker 2: are as clever as a man. But remember that your
Speaker 2: bargain was not made with the man or the dog.
Speaker 2: And I do not know what they will do when
Speaker 2: they come home. What is that to me? Said the cat?
Speaker 2: If I have my place in the cave by the
Speaker 2: fire and my warm white milk three times a day.
Speaker 2: I do not care what the man or the dog
Speaker 2: can do. That evening, when the man and the dog
Speaker 2: came into the cave, the woman told them all the
Speaker 2: story of the bargain, while the cat sat by the
Speaker 2: fire and smiled. Then the man said, yes, but he
Speaker 2: has not made a bargain with me or with all
Speaker 2: proper men after me. Then he took off his two
Speaker 2: leather boots, and he took up his little stone axe
Speaker 2: that makes three, and he fetched a piece of wood
Speaker 2: and a hatchet that is five altogether, and he set
Speaker 2: them out in a row. And he said, now we
Speaker 2: will make our bargain if you do not catch mice
Speaker 2: when you are in the cave for always and always
Speaker 2: and always, I will throw these five things at you
Speaker 2: whenever I see you, and so shall all proper men
Speaker 2: do after me. Ah, said the woman listening. This is
Speaker 2: a very clever cat, but he is not so clever
Speaker 2: as my man. The cat counted the five things, and
Speaker 2: they looked very knobby, and he said, I will catch
Speaker 2: mice when I am in the cave for always and
Speaker 2: always and always. But still I am the cat who
Speaker 2: walks by himself, and all places are alike to me,
Speaker 2: not when I am near, said the man. If you
Speaker 2: had not said that last, I would have put all
Speaker 2: these things away for always and always and always. But
Speaker 2: I am now going to throw my two boots and
Speaker 2: my little stone axe that makes three at you whenever
Speaker 2: I meet you, and so shall all proper men do
Speaker 2: after me. Then the dog said, wait a minute. He
Speaker 2: has not made a bargain with me, or with all
Speaker 2: proper dogs after me me. And he showed his teeth
Speaker 2: and said, if you are not kind to the baby
Speaker 2: while I am in the cave, for always and always
Speaker 2: and always, I will hunt you till I catch you,
Speaker 2: And when I catch you, I will bite you, And
Speaker 2: so shall all proper dogs do after me. Ah, said
Speaker 2: the woman listening. This is a very clever cat. But
Speaker 2: he is not so clever as the dog. Kat counted
Speaker 2: the dog's teeth, and they looked very pointed, and he said,
Speaker 2: I will be kind to the baby while I am
Speaker 2: in the cave, as long as he does not pull
Speaker 2: my tail too hard, for always and always and always.
Speaker 2: But still I am the cat that walks by himself,
Speaker 2: and all places are alike to me. Kat counted the
Speaker 2: dog's teeth, and they looked very pointed, and he said,
Speaker 2: I will be kind to the baby while I am
Speaker 2: in the cave, as long as he does not pull
Speaker 2: my tail too hard, for always and always and always.
Speaker 2: But still I am the cat that walks by himself,
Speaker 2: and all places are alike to me, not when I
Speaker 2: am near, said the dog. If you had not said
Speaker 2: that last, I would have shut my mouth for always
Speaker 2: and always and always. But now I am going to
Speaker 2: hunt you up a tree whenever I meet you, and
Speaker 2: so shall all proper dogs do after me. Then the
Speaker 2: man threw his two boots and his little stone axe
Speaker 2: that makes three at the cat, and the cat ran
Speaker 2: out of the cave, and the dog chased him up
Speaker 2: a tree. And from that day to this best beloved,
Speaker 2: three proper men out of five will always throw things
Speaker 2: at a cat whenever they meet him, and all proper
Speaker 2: dogs will chase him up a tree. But the cat
Speaker 2: keeps his side of the bargain too. He will kill mice,
Speaker 2: and he will be kind to babies when he is
Speaker 2: in the house, just as long as they do not
Speaker 2: pull his tail too hard. But when he has done that,
Speaker 2: and between times and when the moon gets up and
Speaker 2: night comes. He is the cat that walks by himself,
Speaker 2: and all places are alike to him. Then he goes
Speaker 2: out to the wet wild woods, or up the wet
Speaker 2: wild trees, or on the wet wild roofs, waving his
Speaker 2: wild tail and walking by his wild lone. It yes,