Speaker 1: Section one of cat tails. This is a LibriVox recording.
Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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Speaker 1: by Bologna Times Cats by main read section one. The
Speaker 1: lion is the king of cats, though there are some
Speaker 1: who think that the tiger has a better claim to
Speaker 1: the throne. In point of size and strength, there is
Speaker 1: not much difference between these two animals. The lion appears
Speaker 1: larger on account of his shaggy mane, but specimens of
Speaker 1: the tiger have been taken whose measurement was equal to
Speaker 1: that of the largest lion. Otherwise, the tiger is decidedly
Speaker 1: superior in courage, in address, end in beauty. In fact,
Speaker 1: the Royal Tiger is one of the most beautiful of animals,
Speaker 1: while the lion, notwithstanding the great fame he enjoys, is
Speaker 1: among the very ugliest of brutes. These two powerful creatures
Speaker 1: often meet in the jungles of India and try their
Speaker 1: strength in single combat. It is not decided which is
Speaker 1: superior in prowess, since victory is sometimes on one side
Speaker 1: and sometimes on the other. No doubt, this depends on
Speaker 1: the individuals who may engage. For lions are not all alike,
Speaker 1: nor tigers neither. Both differ in strength and courage, just
Speaker 1: as men do, and this difference is caused by a
Speaker 1: variety of circumstances, such as age, size, season of the year,
Speaker 1: nature of the country and climate, and many like contingencies.
Speaker 1: Remember that the lion is found both in Asia and
Speaker 1: Africa and nowhere else. He inhabits the whole of Africa,
Speaker 1: from the cape to the shores of the Mediterranean, and
Speaker 1: there are three well marked varieties on that continent. In
Speaker 1: Asia he is only found in its southern part, that is,
Speaker 1: in the tropical and subtropical regions, and there are also
Speaker 1: two or three varieties of the Asiatic lion. With regard
Speaker 1: to the tiger, he is altogether an Asiatic. There are
Speaker 1: no tigers in Europe, Africa, and America, of course, we
Speaker 1: mean in their wild state, and the stories of tiger
Speaker 1: hunts in Africa and America, frequently to be met with
Speaker 1: in books and newspapers are the narratives of mere ignorant
Speaker 1: travelers who confound the royal tiger. With several species of
Speaker 1: spotted cats, of which we shall presently speak. We may
Speaker 1: add that the tiger, although exclusively Asiatic, is not exclusively
Speaker 1: tropical in his haunts. Tigers are more abundant in the
Speaker 1: hot jungles of India and some of the larger islands
Speaker 1: of the Indian Ocean than elsewhere, but they have also
Speaker 1: been observed far to the north of the Himalayan Chain,
Speaker 1: on the great steps that extend almost to the confines
Speaker 1: of Siberia. To continue the monarchical analogy, there are four
Speaker 1: cats that may be called the princes of the family.
Speaker 1: These are the jaguar, the leopard, the panther, and the
Speaker 1: hunting leopard or cheetah. The first of these is exclusively American,
Speaker 1: the other three African and Asiatic. They are all for
Speaker 1: what are termed spot to cats, that is, having black
Speaker 1: markings on a buff or yellowish ground. I need not
Speaker 1: add that they are all beautiful creatures. A superficial observer
Speaker 1: would easily mistake the one for the other, and in
Speaker 1: common phrase, they are indifferently termed leopards, panthers, and even tigers.
Speaker 1: But the naturalists and even the furrier knows that they
Speaker 1: are four distinct species. I shall endeavor to point out
Speaker 1: as briefly as possible, some marks that will enable you
Speaker 1: to distinguish them. In the spots we find a tolerably
Speaker 1: good criterion of the species. Those upon the body of
Speaker 1: the jaguar are not spots, but rather what may be
Speaker 1: termed rosettes. So too, the black markings of the leopard
Speaker 1: and panther are rosettes, that is, irregular black rings enclosing
Speaker 1: and open space of the yellow ground. On the contrary,
Speaker 1: the spots upon the hunting leopard are real spots of
Speaker 1: a uniform black, and consequently this animal is easily distinguished
Speaker 1: from the other three. He differs from them also in shape.
Speaker 1: He is longer in the legs, stands more upright upon them,
Speaker 1: and can run more swiftly than any of the cat tribe.
Speaker 1: In fact, he has a tendency towards the nature and
Speaker 1: habits of the dog, and might be appropriately termed the
Speaker 1: cat dog or the dog cat, whichever you please. It
Speaker 1: is on account of his canine qualities that he is
Speaker 1: sometimes trained to the chase, hence his specific name of
Speaker 1: the hunting leopard. He inhabits both Asia and Africa. But
Speaker 1: how are the jaguar, leopard, and panther to be distinguished
Speaker 1: from one another? The jaguar easily enough from the other two.
Speaker 1: His rosettes have a black point in the center, which
Speaker 1: is wanting in the rings of the panther and leopard. Besides,
Speaker 1: the jaguar is a larger and more powerful animal. Humboldt
Speaker 1: and others have observed specimens of the jaguar nearly equal
Speaker 1: in dimensions to that of the royal tiger himself, and
Speaker 1: his feats of fierce prowess in the forests of Spanish
Speaker 1: America are scarcely eclipsed by those of his congener In
Speaker 1: the jungles of India, human beings are frequently his victims,
Speaker 1: and settlements have been abandoned on account of the dangerous
Speaker 1: proximity of the jaguars. His range in America is pretty
Speaker 1: nearly co terminal with the Spanish territories, including of course
Speaker 1: Brazil and Guiana, and excluding the country of Patagonia, where
Speaker 1: a smaller species takes his place. In all these countries
Speaker 1: he is misnamed tiger tigre, hence the anomalous stories to
Speaker 1: which we have alluded. We may add that there is
Speaker 1: a black jaguar in tropical America, just as there is
Speaker 1: a black panther in Asia. In neither case is it
Speaker 1: a different species, only a variety as regards color. In
Speaker 1: all other respects, the black and yellow kinds are alike.
Speaker 1: Even on the black ones, the spots are observable in
Speaker 1: a certain light, being of a deeper hue than the
Speaker 1: general ground color of the skin. Thus, then it is
Speaker 1: easy to distinguish a schida from a jaguar, or either
Speaker 1: from a leopard or panther. But with regard to these
Speaker 1: last two, the distinction is more difficult. In fact, so
Speaker 1: much are they alike that the two species are confounded
Speaker 1: even by naturalists, and it is yet an undecided point
Speaker 1: which is the leopard and which is the panther. That
Speaker 1: there are two distinct species is certain. The London furrier
Speaker 1: knows that there are two kinds of skins, which he
Speaker 1: distinguishes mainly by the feel. But the learned zoologist Temink
Speaker 1: has pointed out a difference in the anatomical structure. Both
Speaker 1: animals are natives of Africa, and both were supposed to
Speaker 1: exist in Asia, but it is doubtful whether that known
Speaker 1: as the leopard extends beyond the limits of the African continent.
Speaker 1: The panther is that one which is a little heavier
Speaker 1: in the body. More cat like in shape and of
Speaker 1: a deeper yellow in the ground color. But perhaps the
Speaker 1: truest distinction is found in the tail, which is longer
Speaker 1: in the panther than in the leopard and consists of
Speaker 1: a great greater number of vertebrae. The panther is a
Speaker 1: well known animal in India and the Asiatic Islands, and
Speaker 1: as already stated, there is a dark skinned variety commonly
Speaker 1: known as the black panther of Java. Taking the cat
Speaker 1: family according to size, the next that deserves mention is
Speaker 1: the cougar or puma. This is the panther of the
Speaker 1: Anglo Americans and the lion leon of the Mexicans and
Speaker 1: South Americans. His color is a uniform tawny red or
Speaker 1: calf color, and he is inferior to the jaguar in size,
Speaker 1: strength and courage. Notwithstanding, he is a formidable animal and
Speaker 1: has been known to attack and destroy the larger mammalia
Speaker 1: when wounded or at bay. He will also defend himself
Speaker 1: against a human enemy, and there have been instances of
Speaker 1: hunters white and Indian, having succumbed to his strength. His
Speaker 1: range extends over nearly the whole continent of America, but
Speaker 1: he more particularly affects the deep shadow of the forests,
Speaker 1: and like the jaguar, he is a tree climber. He
Speaker 1: has no claim to the title of lion, except from
Speaker 1: some resemblance and color, and no doubt it was this
Speaker 1: that led to his misnomer. Among the early settlers of
Speaker 1: Spanish America, the aunce comes next. Of all the large cats.
Speaker 1: This is the least known either to naturalists or hunters.
Speaker 1: We only know that such species exists, that it is
Speaker 1: a native of Western Asia, Persia, and perhaps Arabia. That
Speaker 1: it is an animal nearly as large as a leopard
Speaker 1: or panther, but of stouter billed and clumsier shape. That
Speaker 1: it is covered with long, wooly hair, of a pale
Speaker 1: yellow color, and spotted, not so distinctly as the true leopards,
Speaker 1: from which it is easily distinguished both by its form
Speaker 1: and color. The name ounce is from Buffon, but this
Speaker 1: specific appellation is also applied to the jaguar of America,
Speaker 1: the jaguar rundi, or a lesser jaguar of Paraguay, and
Speaker 1: even to the ocelot. The Rima dahan is one of
Speaker 1: the most beautiful species of cats. It is of a
Speaker 1: yellowish ground color, not spotted like the leopard, but marked
Speaker 1: with broad black bands and patches, in other words, clouded.
Speaker 1: It is not so large as either of the species described.
Speaker 1: It is a tree climber and lies in weight for
Speaker 1: its prey in the forks of the lower limbs, where
Speaker 1: it also goes to sleep. From this habit it derives
Speaker 1: its name glion, which in the Sumatran language signifies the
Speaker 1: fork of a tree. Not unlike the Riman Dahan, both
Speaker 1: in size and markings is the Nepal cat, a species
Speaker 1: as its name imports, found in Nepal in the mountain forests.
Speaker 1: The servol is a spotted cat, black upon a pale
Speaker 1: yellowish ground, and considerably larger than the domestic species. It
Speaker 1: is a native of South Africa, and its skin is
Speaker 1: prized among the caffirs for making their fur cloaks or carrosses.
Speaker 1: The ocelot is about equal in size to the last named,
Speaker 1: and equally prized for its beautiful skin, which is clouded
Speaker 1: with an admixture of spots and stripes upon a ground
Speaker 1: of yellowish gray. It belongs to Spanish America, more especially Mexico,
Speaker 1: and it is said to have been the animal that
Speaker 1: is represented on the hieroglyphical paintings of the ancient Aztecs.
Speaker 1: More probably its nobler congener. The jaguar, which is also
Speaker 1: found in Mexico, is the animal that held this distinction
Speaker 1: in the land of Anahuac. In Central and South America,
Speaker 1: there are a great many species of striped and spotted cats,
Speaker 1: known generally as tiger cats. The oslat is one of these,
Speaker 1: but there are also the Pampas cats, the chattai, the jaguar, rundi,
Speaker 1: the margai, the falsemorga, and many others. Numerous species too
Speaker 1: exist in the forests of India, as also in the
Speaker 1: great tropical islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines.
Speaker 1: There is yet a section of the cat family to
Speaker 1: be described. These are the lynxes, or cats with short
Speaker 1: tails and long ears, the latter erect and at the
Speaker 1: tips pointing inward or towards each other. Of the lynxes,
Speaker 1: three species are found in North America. The largest of
Speaker 1: these is the Canada lynx, which in point of size
Speaker 1: approaches the smaller species of leopards. The color of this
Speaker 1: animal is of a reddish gray with spots veried indistinctly marked.
Speaker 1: Its fur is long and Its skins form one of
Speaker 1: the principal articles of the Hudson's Bay trade. The Canada
Speaker 1: lynx is not found so far south as the United States,
Speaker 1: but its place is there occupied by the Bay lynx,
Speaker 1: a smaller species and one very similarly marked, except that
Speaker 1: the rufous tent on the back and sides of the
Speaker 1: latter is deeper and the spots more pronounced. Still further
Speaker 1: south is a third species, only made known to naturalists
Speaker 1: within the last few years. It inhabits Texas and is
Speaker 1: hence called the Texan lynx. It is of a darker
Speaker 1: red than either of the preceding, but in other respects, size,
Speaker 1: shape and habits it is almost identical with the Bay lynx.
Speaker 1: Both range to the Pacific. Of the lynxes of the
Speaker 1: Old World, there is the common or European lynx, which
Speaker 1: is still found in several European countries, the Caracal, a
Speaker 1: native of Africa and part of Asia. The booted lynx,
Speaker 1: also indigenous to both continents, the Shaus belonging to the
Speaker 1: country of the Marathas, the Catalo a large species of
Speaker 1: northern Europe, the Nubian lynx of North Africa, and the
Speaker 1: Southern lynx a native of It may be added that
Speaker 1: there is scarce one of these species, of which there
Speaker 1: are not two or more varieties, known only to those
Speaker 1: who have made a study of the Kingdom of nature.
Speaker 1: End of section one, Section two of cat tails. This
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Bologna Times.
Speaker 1: Kittens will Be Kittens by Mabel Humphrey, Section two. The
Speaker 1: kittens were playing a sort of follow the leader in
Speaker 1: and out of their comfortable box of straw, while Missus
Speaker 1: Tabbycat sat patiently by, only occasionally glancing at them to
Speaker 1: make sure that all three were safe. Things were very
Speaker 1: comfortably arranged for the little family of pussies out in
Speaker 1: the barn, and the only possible danger to the cat
Speaker 1: babies was the Saint Bernard's dog's drinking dish, which was
Speaker 1: set down into the barn floor very near the wall
Speaker 1: and kept filled with water. One of the grooms had
Speaker 1: arranged it when idle afternoon, more for his own amusement
Speaker 1: than for any real need, so to place it by,
Speaker 1: trilled Mother Cat, as Frisker wobbled over toward her greatest
Speaker 1: dread that dreadful water. Do stay near me, kittens, then
Speaker 1: you won't tumble in and get drowned. Mule answered, the
Speaker 1: three kittens and three different keys, don't worry about us,
Speaker 1: We are all right. Folly. The white nose kitty rose
Speaker 1: gaily on her tottery hind legs for an instant and
Speaker 1: cuffed playfully at her mother's ear. Then started across the
Speaker 1: barn floor as fast as a fat three weeks old
Speaker 1: kitten can tumble, followed at once by frisker. Kaliko saw
Speaker 1: them go, and, anticipating a frolic, at once, made up
Speaker 1: her mind to be in it. She lifted her heavy
Speaker 1: little head and started eagerly toward her stronger sisters. But
Speaker 1: the progress was slow, for Kaliko was feeble, and the
Speaker 1: weak little legs would slide apart, while her tail waved
Speaker 1: wildly from side to side in the effort to keep
Speaker 1: her balance. She was a strong minded, small pussy, though
Speaker 1: weak in body, and she kept steadily on As she
Speaker 1: drew near her goal. She felt very strong and proud.
Speaker 1: One or two so prising sit downs and a very
Speaker 1: hard bump on the pink nose in no way dampened
Speaker 1: her enthusiasm, but alas the fall that always follows pride,
Speaker 1: dampened both enthusiasm and her whole wee self for a time.
Speaker 1: Just as she was becoming quite reckless, almost prancing with
Speaker 1: feet stepping at least half an inch from the floor,
Speaker 1: there suddenly yawned, directly in front of the astounded kitten
Speaker 1: the six inch chasm of the drinking dish. She toppled
Speaker 1: her tail, gave a single wild twirl, and she splashed
Speaker 1: heels over head in two inches of water. Missus Tappy,
Speaker 1: who had been anxiously watching the unsteady promenade, sprang to
Speaker 1: the basin at once, and leaning down, tried to pull
Speaker 1: Calico out by the nape of the neck. To the
Speaker 1: frightened and shivering kitten that had, upon touching bo at
Speaker 1: once gained its feet. This would have been quite as
Speaker 1: unpleasant as the cold water that was now chilling her
Speaker 1: through and through, so she protested in shrill wails, though
Speaker 1: she was too heavy for the little mother to lift. Still,
Speaker 1: Missus Tabby would not give up and tried to claw
Speaker 1: her kitten out with sudden dabs as she took the
Speaker 1: fish from the brook. This was more than any kitten
Speaker 1: could stand, and Kaliko rebelled openly. She spat at her
Speaker 1: worried mamma. Of course, she did not know any better,
Speaker 1: for she was only a kiddy. The water might be cold,
Speaker 1: but at least it did not hurt, while her nose
Speaker 1: and ears smarted sharply from her mother's well meant scratches.
Speaker 1: Then mother Cat grew desperate and lost her head completely,
Speaker 1: circling round and round her baby, now coaxing Kaliko to
Speaker 1: jump out, as if I wouldn't if I could, thought
Speaker 1: the kitten, now crying piteously after what seemed to tabby
Speaker 1: an age but was really less than five minutes, The groom,
Speaker 1: who had really been the innocent cause of all this trouble,
Speaker 1: sauntered in and put an end to it by lifting
Speaker 1: Kalico tenderly out Gently, he dried the little trembling thing
Speaker 1: and sat her down in her comfortable box once more,
Speaker 1: where missus kat At once cuddled down close beside her.
Speaker 1: Suddenly spying her sisters again, she made a fresh start,
Speaker 1: only to be stopped by a well directed slap from
Speaker 1: her mother's swift paw. Mil Mill snapped, missus kat you
Speaker 1: just sit still for a while. I've had worry enough
Speaker 1: for one day, and I will not help you out again.
Speaker 1: I don't want you too, sniffed Kaliko, rubbing her still
Speaker 1: smarting nose thoughtfully tappy as the kitten made yet another
Speaker 1: start for her sisters, but wisely let her go, did
Speaker 1: you Eva, she groaned, But then kittens will be kittens?
Speaker 1: End of section two Section three of Cat Tails. This
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Bologna Times,
Speaker 1: Great Panjandrum by Mabel Humphrey. Section three. The cats had
Speaker 1: just been punished for trying to catch the canary and
Speaker 1: were cross because of it. On their way downstairs, Topsy,
Speaker 1: without meaning to, brushed against Pan, properly named Great Pandandrum
Speaker 1: because of his superior manner, who promptly bat at her
Speaker 1: as a return compliment. Topsy boxed his ears, then scuttled
Speaker 1: off to the living room. Pan stalked into the library, and,
Speaker 1: choosing catlike the one spot he should have kept away from,
Speaker 1: curled up on a handsome book that was lying open
Speaker 1: on the table, and forgot his troubles In sleep. For
Speaker 1: some time, Topsy wandered aimlessly from room to room, then
Speaker 1: preferring Pan society to no society at all. She did
Speaker 1: not feel kindly towards human beings since her late whipping.
Speaker 1: She leapt lightly on to the table and curled up
Speaker 1: near him. For fully half an hour, she sat idly
Speaker 1: with half closed eyes while Pan slept on a perfect
Speaker 1: picture of innocent slumber. Then his paws began to jerk excitedly.
Speaker 1: His mouth twitched, and the tip of his tail waved
Speaker 1: like a pennant and a stiff breeze. Topsy eyed him coldly.
Speaker 1: Now now now, he gasped. His pause, slipped from the
Speaker 1: book to the table, and he awoke with a start,
Speaker 1: pretty face, as you've been making, snap, Topsy, and such talk.
Speaker 1: Pan seemed surprised. Then he remembered that Topsy had had
Speaker 1: the worst of the punishment and suddenly felt very forbearing.
Speaker 1: He'd had a delightful cat nap, and we all know
Speaker 1: how refreshing those are, I dreamed, he began, then paused
Speaker 1: impassively for questions. Guess you did sniff, Topsy? You acted
Speaker 1: like it. Pan looked grieved, but remembered it was such
Speaker 1: a good nap. He had that when cats have trouble,
Speaker 1: they are apt to be dreamed. He went on, calmly
Speaker 1: that I had that yellow squalling thing on the floor,
Speaker 1: and I was just going to put my paw on
Speaker 1: its soft feathers when I awoke. He licked his chops
Speaker 1: dreamily at the thought, my sympathized Topsy at last interested.
Speaker 1: Come to think of it, Tops, I'm hungry and er er.
Speaker 1: Well you know, mistress doesn't always feed us heartily after
Speaker 1: well after, you know. Topsy bobbed the end of her
Speaker 1: tail understandingly, and Pan grew confidential. I no wheres a
Speaker 1: dish of cream, It's down. The rest of the sentence
Speaker 1: was whispered so low that I really couldn't tell you
Speaker 1: what it was. But Topsy understood, and the two hurried
Speaker 1: away as noiselessly and gracefully yes, and as dignifiedly as
Speaker 1: only cats can hurry The desired cream they found on
Speaker 1: a high shelf in the shed. They were supposed never
Speaker 1: to enter this place, so Cook had thought it a
Speaker 1: safe spot in which to set the cream. A strong
Speaker 1: jump was needed to reach the shelf, but after several attempts,
Speaker 1: they managed it and lapped, lapped, lapped to their full content.
Speaker 1: As they sat blissfully purring after this unusual treat, they
Speaker 1: heard a plaintive mule from the ground close by and
Speaker 1: peering down saw a strange cat that had evidently entered
Speaker 1: through the open window as they had done. He looked
Speaker 1: hungry and wistful, while they had just had a delicious
Speaker 1: meal and were correspondingly pleasant. Maw, come on up, it's good,
Speaker 1: called Pan. Possibly hunger made the leap easier for this
Speaker 1: newcomer than for the well fed cats. Possibly he was
Speaker 1: more agile than they, for with one spring he landed
Speaker 1: by the saucer, and, dipping his head eagerly lapped long
Speaker 1: and fast before he once raised his eyes. When he finished,
Speaker 1: the pink tongue was run out over his lips and
Speaker 1: whiskers so that no delicious drop should escape, and he
Speaker 1: heaved a satisfied sigh. Do you ah always have such dinners?
Speaker 1: As this? Asked? He Pan turned his head away and
Speaker 1: pretended to be interested in a black ant that was
Speaker 1: crawling rapidly up the wall below him. He was a
Speaker 1: truthful pussy and preferred to change the subject. The stranger
Speaker 1: was comfortable and sat lazily waiting for the answer. At
Speaker 1: that moment, Cook went for the cream, and, seeing the cats,
Speaker 1: started angrily forward, showing and scatting with great vigor. When
Speaker 1: after a wild exit. The cats at last seated themselves
Speaker 1: up on a high fence. They paused a moment to
Speaker 1: get their breath again. Then the stranger smiled. He actually grinned.
Speaker 1: I should judge you don't always have such a dinner
Speaker 1: as that, He spoke pleasantly, But pan looked sheepish by whiskers.
Speaker 1: He muttered, his mind's eyes, still seeing cook's vulgar flapping
Speaker 1: apron strings. I should think not. Thanks, just the same, more,
Speaker 1: said the visitor, jumping down. Don't mention it, politely answered
Speaker 1: the host and hostess. Come again. End of section three,
Speaker 1: Section four of Cat Tales. This LibriVox recording is in
Speaker 1: the public domain recording by Ballogna Times. The Kitten who
Speaker 1: Lost Herself by Clara Dillingham Pearson, Section four. I think,
Speaker 1: said the blind horse that something is the matter with
Speaker 1: my ears. He and the dappled gray had been doing
Speaker 1: field work all the morning and were now eating a
Speaker 1: hearty dinner in their stalls. They were the only people
Speaker 1: on the first floor the barn. Even the stray doves
Speaker 1: who had wandered in the open door were out in
Speaker 1: the sunshine once more. Once in a while, the whir
Speaker 1: of wings told that some swallow darted through the window
Speaker 1: into the loft above and flew to her nest under
Speaker 1: the roof. There was a deep and rustful quiet in
Speaker 1: the sun warmed air, and yet the blind horse had
Speaker 1: seemed to be listening to something which the other did
Speaker 1: not hear. The dappled gray stopped eating at once. Your ears,
Speaker 1: said he what is wrong with them? I thought your
Speaker 1: hearing was very good. It always has been, was the answer,
Speaker 1: and finer than ever since I lost my sight. You
Speaker 1: know it is always so with us blind people. We
Speaker 1: learned to hear better than we could before losing our sight.
Speaker 1: But ever since we came in from the field, I
Speaker 1: have had a queer sound in my ears, and I
Speaker 1: think there is something the matter with them. The dappled
Speaker 1: gray stopped eating and stood perfectly still to listen. He
Speaker 1: did not even switch his tail, although at that minute
Speaker 1: there were three flies on his left side and one
Speaker 1: on his neck. He was trying as hard as he
Speaker 1: could to hear the queer sound, also, for if he did,
Speaker 1: it would prove that the noise was real and that
Speaker 1: the blind horse's hearing was all right. He could not
Speaker 1: hear a thing. What is it like? He asked, like
Speaker 1: the loud purring of a cat, was the answer. But
Speaker 1: every one knows that the cat is not purring anywhere
Speaker 1: round here she might be, said the dappled gray. Where
Speaker 1: does the sound seem to be above my head? Said
Speaker 1: the blind horse, And she certainly would not be purring
Speaker 1: up there at this time. She would either be sound asleep,
Speaker 1: or off hunting, or else out in the sunshine where
Speaker 1: she loves to sit. The dappled gray felt that this
Speaker 1: was so, and he could not say a word. He
Speaker 1: was very sorry for his friend. He thought, how dreadful
Speaker 1: it would seem to be both blind and deaf, and
Speaker 1: he choked on the oats he was swallowing. Now, don't worry,
Speaker 1: said the blind horse. If I should be deaf, I
Speaker 1: could still feel the soft touch of the breeze on
Speaker 1: my skin, and could taste my good food and rob
Speaker 1: noses with my friends, I wouldn't have spoken of it.
Speaker 1: Only I hoped that you could hear the noise also,
Speaker 1: and then I would know that it was real. That
Speaker 1: was just like him. He was always patient and sweet tempered.
Speaker 1: In all the years he had been blind, he had
Speaker 1: never once complained of it, and many times when the
Speaker 1: other horses were about to say or do some ill
Speaker 1: natured thing, they thought of him and stopped. They were
Speaker 1: ashamed to be impatient when they were so much better
Speaker 1: off than he. The horses kept on eating their oats
Speaker 1: and resting from their hard work in the hayloft above
Speaker 1: their heads. The cat lay and purred and purred and prd,
Speaker 1: never dreaming that her doing so made trouble for her
Speaker 1: friends downstairs. She had been hunting all the night before,
Speaker 1: creeping softly through the barn and hiding behind back and
Speaker 1: boxes to watch for careless mice and young rats. They
Speaker 1: were night runners as well as she, and many things
Speaker 1: happened in the barn and farm yard while the larger
Speaker 1: four legged people were sound asleep and the fowls were
Speaker 1: dreaming with their heads tucked under their wings. Sometimes there
Speaker 1: were not so many mice in the morning as there
Speaker 1: had been the evening before, and when this was so,
Speaker 1: the cat would walk slowly through the barn and look
Speaker 1: for a comfortable resting place. When she found it, she
Speaker 1: would turn around three times, as her great great great
Speaker 1: great great great grandmother used to do, to trample a
Speaker 1: bed in the jungle, and then lie down for a
Speaker 1: long nap, she said. She always slept better when her
Speaker 1: stomach was full, and that was the habit of all cats.
Speaker 1: Sometimes she hunted in the fields, and many a morning
Speaker 1: at sunrise the cows had seen her walking toward the
Speaker 1: barn on the top of the fences. She did not
Speaker 1: like to wet her feet on the dewy grass when
Speaker 1: it could be helped, so as soon as she was
Speaker 1: through hunting, she jumped onto the nearest fence and went
Speaker 1: home in that way. Yes, last night she had been hunting,
Speaker 1: yet she was not thinking of it now, neither was
Speaker 1: she asleep. A rat gnawed at the boards near her,
Speaker 1: and she hardly turned her head. A mouse ran across
Speaker 1: the floor in plain sight, and she watched him without moving.
Speaker 1: What did she care about them? Now? Her first kittens
Speaker 1: lay on the hay beside her, and she would not
Speaker 1: leave them on this first day of their lives unless
Speaker 1: she really had to. Of course, she had seen little
Speaker 1: kittens before, kittens that belonged to other cats, but she
Speaker 1: was certain that none of them had looked at all
Speaker 1: like her three charming babies. She could not decide which
Speaker 1: one of them was the most beautiful. She was a
Speaker 1: tortoiseshell cat herself, and her fur was spotted with white,
Speaker 1: black and yellow. The babies had the same colors on
Speaker 1: their soft coats, but not in just the same way
Speaker 1: as hers. At first, she thought her largest daughter was
Speaker 1: the beauty of the family. She was such a clear yellow,
Speaker 1: with not a hair of any other color on her
Speaker 1: I always did like yellow cats, said the young mother,
Speaker 1: and they are said to be very strong. Then she
Speaker 1: looked at her smaller daughter, who was white with tiny
Speaker 1: yellow and black spots on neck and head. Such a
Speaker 1: clean looking baby, she exclaimed, and I am sure that
Speaker 1: when her eyes are open, I shall find them blue
Speaker 1: like my own. Just at this moment, the warm, dark
Speaker 1: little bunch of fur between her fore paws moved, and
Speaker 1: she looked lovingly down upon him, her only son. He
Speaker 1: is certainly a very markable one, she said. I never
Speaker 1: before saw such a fine mixture of yellow and black.
Speaker 1: First a hair of one, and then a hair of
Speaker 1: the other, so that unless one is very close to him,
Speaker 1: it looks like a rich brown. And then his feet.
Speaker 1: She gave him a loving little poke with one forefoot
Speaker 1: and turned him on to his back. This made him
Speaker 1: wave his tiny paws in the air. The thick cushions
Speaker 1: of skin on each were as black as black could be,
Speaker 1: and that is very uncommon. They are usually pink, like
Speaker 1: those of his sisters. The little fellow lay there, wriggling
Speaker 1: very feebly until his mother gave him another poke that
Speaker 1: turned him over. Then he stretched and crawled toward her,
Speaker 1: reaching his head first one way then another. He was
Speaker 1: so weak that he could not raise his body from
Speaker 1: the hay, but dragged it along by taking short and
Speaker 1: uncertain steps with his four shaking legs. It was only
Speaker 1: a short time since he had found that he had legs,
Speaker 1: and he hadn't any idea how to use them. He
Speaker 1: just moved whichever one seemed most in his way. He
Speaker 1: didn't know where he was going or what he was
Speaker 1: going for, but his little stomach was empty and he
Speaker 1: was cold. Something he didn't know what made him drag
Speaker 1: himself toward the big, warm creature near by. When his
Speaker 1: black nose touched the fur of her body, he stopped
Speaker 1: pushing ahead and began to feel from side to side.
Speaker 1: He did not know now for what he was feeling.
Speaker 1: Yet when he found something, his tiny mouth closed round it,
Speaker 1: and a stream of sweet, warm milk began to flow
Speaker 1: down his throat and into his empty stomach. He did
Speaker 1: not know that it was milk. He did not know
Speaker 1: anything except that it was good. And then he fell asleep.
Speaker 1: His sisters did in the same way. And soon the
Speaker 1: happy mother could look down and see her three babies
Speaker 1: in a row beside her, all sound asleep. Their pointed
Speaker 1: little tails lay straight out behind them, and their soft
Speaker 1: ears were bent forward close to their heads. I wonder,
Speaker 1: said she, if I was ever as small as they are,
Speaker 1: and if my mother loved me as much as I
Speaker 1: love them. She stretched out one of her fore paws
Speaker 1: and looked at it. It was so much larger, so
Speaker 1: very much larger than the paws of the kittens. Such
Speaker 1: a soft and dainty paw as it was, and so
Speaker 1: perfectly clean. She stretched it even more and saw five long, curved,
Speaker 1: sharp claws slide out of their sheaths or cases. She
Speaker 1: quickly slid them back into their sheaths, for fear that
Speaker 1: in some way they might happen to touch and hurt her babies.
Speaker 1: A swallow flew down from his nest and passed over
Speaker 1: her head. Then out of the open window, kittens, said
Speaker 1: he kittens. He flew over the fields, and saw two
Speaker 1: horses standing by the fence while the farmer was oiling
Speaker 1: his machine. We have new neighbors in the barn, said he,
Speaker 1: And the cat is purring louder than ever. Who are
Speaker 1: the neighbors, asked the dapple gray kittens, sang the swallow, Oh,
Speaker 1: ditt it it e. The blind horse drew a long breath.
Speaker 1: Then I did hear her purr? Said he. I am
Speaker 1: so glad he never made a fuss about his troubles,
Speaker 1: for he was brave and unselfish. Yet the dappled gray
Speaker 1: knew without being told, how much lighter his heart was
Speaker 1: since he heard that the cat had really been purring
Speaker 1: above his head. The days passed, and the kittens grew finely.
Speaker 1: They got their eyes open, first in narrow cracks, and
Speaker 1: then wider and wider, until they were round and staring.
Speaker 1: The white kitten had blue eyes, the others brown. In
Speaker 1: the daytime, they had long, narrow spots in the middle
Speaker 1: of their eyes, and as the bright light faded, these
Speaker 1: black spots spread out sideways until they were quite round.
Speaker 1: When it was very dark, these spots glowed like great
Speaker 1: fireflies in the night. Then the mice, who often scampered
Speaker 1: through the loft. When the cat was away, would see
Speaker 1: three pairs of eyes glowing in the hay, and they
Speaker 1: would squeak to each other, see the kittens are watching us.
Speaker 1: And the kittens, who were not yet old enough to
Speaker 1: go hunting and who were afraid of everything that stirred,
Speaker 1: would crowd up against each other, arch their little backs,
Speaker 1: raise their pointed tails, stand their fur on end, and
Speaker 1: say ps ha ha. Sometimes they did this when there
Speaker 1: was not a person in sight, and what frightened them
Speaker 1: was nothing but a wisp of hair blown down by
Speaker 1: the wind. Afterward, when anything moved, they sprang at it,
Speaker 1: held it down with their sharp little claws, and chewed
Speaker 1: on it with their pointed white teeth. When they were
Speaker 1: tired of this game, they played hide and seek, And
Speaker 1: when they were tired of that, they chased their tails.
Speaker 1: It was so nice always to have playthings with them. Sometimes, too,
Speaker 1: they chased each other's tails and caught them and bit
Speaker 1: them hard until the kitten who owned the tail cried
Speaker 1: mew and tumbled the biter over. They were allowed to
Speaker 1: play all through the loft, except over the mangers. Their
Speaker 1: mother was afraid that if they went there they would
Speaker 1: fall through the holes which had been left in the
Speaker 1: floor during the winter. The farmer used to throw hay
Speaker 1: down through these to the hungry horses. When the cat
Speaker 1: saw her children going toward these places, she called them
Speaker 1: back and scolded them. Sometimes she struck them lightly on
Speaker 1: the ears with her forepaw. I don't like to, said she,
Speaker 1: but they must learn to keep away. It is not
Speaker 1: safe for them to go there. One morning, when she
Speaker 1: was away, they were playing hide and seek, and the
Speaker 1: white kitten was hunting for a good hiding place. I'll
Speaker 1: hide near one of these holes, she said, and they
Speaker 1: won't dare come there to look. Then, after they have
Speaker 1: hunted a long long time, I'll get another place and
Speaker 1: let them find me. She did hide there, and after
Speaker 1: a long long time, when her brother and sister were
Speaker 1: on the farther end of the loft, she tried to
Speaker 1: run over to another dark corner. Instead of that, the
Speaker 1: hay began to slip and slide under her, and she
Speaker 1: went down, down, down through a long dark box and
Speaker 1: hit with a hard thud at the bottom. She was
Speaker 1: so scared that she couldn't have told how many toes
Speaker 1: she had on her fore feet. Of course, she had
Speaker 1: five on each like all kittens, and four on each
Speaker 1: hind foot. But if anybody had asked her then she
Speaker 1: would have been quite likely to say three. She was
Speaker 1: sore too, and when she felt a warm breath on
Speaker 1: her and opened her eyes, she saw that some great
Speaker 1: creature had thrust his nose through a hole in the
Speaker 1: side of the dark box. It must be a horse,
Speaker 1: she thought, And my mother says that they are kind
Speaker 1: to cats. I think i'd better tell him who I am.
Speaker 1: I don't want him to take me for a pig,
Speaker 1: because he may not like pigs. You see, she forgot
Speaker 1: that horses had been living in the great world and
Speaker 1: could tell to what family a person belonged the very
Speaker 1: first time they saw him. The only people she had
Speaker 1: ever seen were swallows and mice. I if you please, sir,
Speaker 1: she said, I am the white kitten, and I just
Speaker 1: tumbled down from the hay loft. But I didn't mean
Speaker 1: to I am, the blind horse, answered a strong and
Speaker 1: gentle voice outside. And I hope you are not hurt.
Speaker 1: Not very much, answered the kitten. I just feel achy
Speaker 1: in my back and scared all over. Come out into
Speaker 1: the major, white kitten, said the blind horse, and perhaps
Speaker 1: you won't be so scared. I won't touch you, although
Speaker 1: I should like to. You know, I am blind, and
Speaker 1: so unless I can touch people, I don't know how
Speaker 1: they look. The white kitten crawled out and saw him,
Speaker 1: and then she wasn't afraid at all. She was so
Speaker 1: sorry for him that she couldn't be afraid. She remembered
Speaker 1: the time before her eyes opened, when she had to
Speaker 1: feel for everything she wanted. It was not so hard
Speaker 1: then because she did not know anything different, But now
Speaker 1: she could not bear to think of not being able
Speaker 1: to see all that was around her. If you will
Speaker 1: put your nose down in the other end of the manger,
Speaker 1: she said, I will rub up against it, and he
Speaker 1: will know more how I look. The blind horse did this,
Speaker 1: and who can tell how happy it made him when
Speaker 1: her warm and furry back rubbed up against his nose.
Speaker 1: Thank you, he winnied, you are very good. Would you
Speaker 1: know I was a kitten if I hadn't told you,
Speaker 1: she said, Indeed I would, he answered, And you wouldn't
Speaker 1: have thought me a pig, she asked, never said he.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't even have believed you if you had told
Speaker 1: me that you were one. The blind horse and the
Speaker 1: white kitten became firm friends, and when she tried to
Speaker 1: wash off the dirt that got into her fur, she
Speaker 1: sat in the very middle of the manger and told
Speaker 1: him all about it. My mother always has washed me,
Speaker 1: she said, But my tongue is getting big enough to
Speaker 1: wash with now it is getting rougher, too, and that
Speaker 1: is a good thing. My mother says that the reason
Speaker 1: why all the prickles on cat's tongues point backward is
Speaker 1: because then we can lick all the meat off from
Speaker 1: bones with them. I'm most old enough to eat meat now.
Speaker 1: I can't wash the top of my head, though. You
Speaker 1: have to wet your paw and scrub it with that.
Speaker 1: Can you wash the top of your head? Then the
Speaker 1: blind horse told her how the men kept him clean,
Speaker 1: and while he was telling this, the cat came into
Speaker 1: his stall, crying and looking for her child. Oh, mother,
Speaker 1: cried the white kitten. I tumbled down, but I didn't
Speaker 1: mean to, and I'm sorry. I didn't mind you. And
Speaker 1: the blind horse can't wash the top of his head,
Speaker 1: and he knew that I wasn't a pig. The cat
Speaker 1: was so glad to find the white kitten that she
Speaker 1: didn't scold at all, but jumped into the manger and
Speaker 1: washed her clean, and then caught the loose skin of
Speaker 1: the kitten's neck between her teeth and carried her through
Speaker 1: the stalls, across the barn floor, and up the stairs
Speaker 1: to their home. That made the kitten much ashamed, for
Speaker 1: she thought that she was old enough to go alone.
Speaker 1: For two whole days after this, the white kitten was
Speaker 1: so lame from her fall that she could only lie
Speaker 1: still on the hay, and she could see that her
Speaker 1: mother did not treat her as before. I won't ever
Speaker 1: go near those places again, she said, I never will.
Speaker 1: You promised me before that you would stay away, said
Speaker 1: her mother, And you broke your promise. She did not
Speaker 1: punish the white kitten, but she felt very sad, and
Speaker 1: she could not help showing it. There was a dreadful
Speaker 1: ache in her child's little kitten heart that was a
Speaker 1: great deal worse than the lameness in her back, or
Speaker 1: in her neck, or in her legs. At last, there
Speaker 1: came a day when the whole family walked downstairs, and
Speaker 1: the cat showed her three children to the farm yard
Speaker 1: people and spoke a few words about each. The yellow kitten,
Speaker 1: my big daughter said, she promises to be the best hunter.
Speaker 1: She is a wonderful jumper, and her claws are already
Speaker 1: nearly as long as mine. My son, the brown one,
Speaker 1: has a remarkable voice. And this white kitten, my little daughter,
Speaker 1: is the most obedient of all. She has never disobeyed
Speaker 1: me since the day she fell into the manger, and
Speaker 1: I can trust her perfectly. Then the white kitten knew
Speaker 1: that she was quite forgiven, and she was the happiest
Speaker 1: person on the farm. And of section four Section five
Speaker 1: of Cat Tails. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
Speaker 1: Recording by balloona times. Pussy Cat Mew by L. Frank Baum,
Speaker 1: Section five pussy Cat, Pussycat, Where do you go to
Speaker 1: London to visit the palace? You know? Pussy Cat Mew?
Speaker 1: Will you come back again? Oh yes, I'll scamper with
Speaker 1: might and with maine. Pussy Cat Mew set off on
Speaker 1: her way, stepping quite softly and feeling quite gay. Smooth
Speaker 1: was the road, so she traveled at ease, warmed by
Speaker 1: the sunshine and fan by the breeze, over the hills
Speaker 1: to the valleys below, through the deep woods where the
Speaker 1: soft mosses grow, skirting the fields with buttercups dotted. Swiftly,
Speaker 1: our venturesome pussy cat trotted sharp watch she kept when
Speaker 1: a village she neared for the boys and their mischief,
Speaker 1: our pussy cat feared. Often she crept through the grasses
Speaker 1: so deep to pass by a dog that was lying asleep. Once,
Speaker 1: as she walked through a sweet clover field, something beside
Speaker 1: her affrightedly squealed, and swift from her path. There darted
Speaker 1: away a tiny field mouse with a coat of soft gray. Nowhere,
Speaker 1: thought our pussy is chance for a dinner. The one
Speaker 1: that runs fastest must surely be winter. So quickly she
Speaker 1: started the mouse to give chase, and over the clover
Speaker 1: they ran a great race. But just when it seemed
Speaker 1: that pussy would win, the mouse spied a hole and
Speaker 1: quickly popped in, And so he escaped. For the hole
Speaker 1: was so small that pussy Cat couldn't squeeze in it
Speaker 1: at all. So softly she crouched, and with eyes big
Speaker 1: and round, quite steadily watched that small hole in the ground.
Speaker 1: This mouse really thinks he's escaped me, she said. But
Speaker 1: I'll catch him sure if he sticks out his head.
Speaker 1: But while she was watching the poor mouse's plight a
Speaker 1: deep growl behind made her jump with affright. She gave
Speaker 1: a great cry and then started to run, as swift
Speaker 1: as a bullet that's shot from a Gunnow, O meow, our,
Speaker 1: poor Puss did say bow wow, cried the dog, who
Speaker 1: was not far away. Or meadows and ditches. They scampered
Speaker 1: a pace or fences and hedges. They kept up the race.
Speaker 1: Then pussy cat Mew sobbed before her a tree and
Speaker 1: knew that a safe place of refuge twould be so
Speaker 1: far up the tree with a bound, she did go
Speaker 1: and left the big dog to growl down below. But
Speaker 1: now by good fortune, a man came that way and
Speaker 1: called to the dog, who was forced to obey. But
Speaker 1: Puss did not come down the tree till she knew
Speaker 1: that the man and the dog were far out of view.
Speaker 1: Pursuing her way at nightfall, she came to London, a
Speaker 1: town you know well by name, and wandering round in
Speaker 1: by way and street a strange pussy cat she happened
Speaker 1: to meet good evening, said pussy cat Mew, can you
Speaker 1: tell in which of these houses the queen may now dwell?
Speaker 1: I'm a stranger in town, and I'm anxious to see
Speaker 1: what sort of a person, a real queen may be,
Speaker 1: my friend, said the other. You really must know. It
Speaker 1: isn't permitted that strangers should go inside of the palace
Speaker 1: unless they are invited, and stray pussy cats are apt
Speaker 1: to be slighted by good luck. However, I'm quite well
Speaker 1: aware of a way to the palace by means of
Speaker 1: a stair that never is guarded. So just come with me,
Speaker 1: and a glimpse of the queen you shall certainly see.
Speaker 1: Puss thanked her new friend, and together they stole to
Speaker 1: the back of the palace and crept through a hole
Speaker 1: in the fence and quietly came to the stair which
Speaker 1: the stranger pussy cat promised was there. Now Here, I
Speaker 1: must leave you, the strange pussy said, So don't be afraid, cat,
Speaker 1: but go straight ahead, and don't be alarmed if by
Speaker 1: chance you are seen, for people will think you belong
Speaker 1: to the queen. So pussy cat mew did as she
Speaker 1: had been told and walked through the palace with manners
Speaker 1: so bold. She soon reached the room where the queen
Speaker 1: sat in state, surrounded by lords and by ladies so great,
Speaker 1: and there in the corner our pussy sat down and
Speaker 1: gazed at the scepter, and blinked at the crown, and
Speaker 1: eyed the queen's dress, all purple and gold, which was
Speaker 1: surely a beautiful sight to behold. But all was sudden.
Speaker 1: She started, for there was a little gray mouse right
Speaker 1: under the chair where her majesty sat. And Pussy well
Speaker 1: knew she'd scream with alarm if the mouse met her view.
Speaker 1: So up toward the chair, our pussycat stole. But the
Speaker 1: mouse saw her coming and ran for its hole. But
Speaker 1: pussy ran after, and during the race a wonderful, terrible
Speaker 1: panic took place. The ladies all jumped on their chairs
Speaker 1: in alarm, the lords drew their swords to protect them
Speaker 1: from harm, and the Queen gave a scream and fainted away,
Speaker 1: a very undignified act, i must say. And someone cried burglars,
Speaker 1: and someone cried treason, and someone cried murder, but none
Speaker 1: knew the reason. And someone cried fire there burning the house,
Speaker 1: and someone cried silence. It's only a mouse. But pussy
Speaker 1: Cat mew was so awfully scared by the shouting and
Speaker 1: screaming no longer she dared to stay in the room,
Speaker 1: So without more delay, she rushed from the palace and
Speaker 1: scampered away, so bristling her fur, and with hearty beating fast,
Speaker 1: she came to the road, leading homeward at last, What
Speaker 1: business she thought, has a poor country cat to visit
Speaker 1: a city of madmen like that? Straight homeward. I'll go
Speaker 1: where I'm well fed, where mistress is kind, and soft
Speaker 1: is my bed. Let other cats travel if they wished
Speaker 1: to roam, But as for myself, I shall now stay
Speaker 1: at home. And now over hills and valleys she ran
Speaker 1: and journeyed as fast as a pussy cat can, till
Speaker 1: just as the day of the dawn did begin, she
Speaker 1: safely at home, still quietly in And there was the
Speaker 1: fire with the pot boiling on it, and there was
Speaker 1: the maid in the blue checkered bonnet, and there was
Speaker 1: the corner where pussy off basked, and there was the
Speaker 1: mistress who eagerly pussy Cat, pussy Cat, where have you been?
Speaker 1: I've been to London to visit the Queen. Pussy Cat, Pussycat,
Speaker 1: what did you there? I frightened a little mouse under
Speaker 1: her chair. End of section five, Section six of Cat Tales.
Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by
Speaker 1: Bologna Times Cats by Missus R. Lee, Section six. Cats
Speaker 1: are diminished examples of the feline race, but their fur
Speaker 1: is longer than that of others, and they bear a
Speaker 1: greater resemblance to leopards than to lions. The idea of
Speaker 1: majesty is not connected with them, but they are celebrated
Speaker 1: for grace, elegance, suppleness and insidiousness. There is yet a
Speaker 1: wild species in existence which inhabits the mountainous and wooded
Speaker 1: districts of the northern part of England, and also Scotland,
Speaker 1: where it used formerly to be very abundant. It is
Speaker 1: scarcely necessary to give a description even of the untamed species.
Speaker 1: So well known are the general characters of these animals.
Speaker 1: It will be quite sufficient to say that the head
Speaker 1: of the latter is triangular, the soles of the feet
Speaker 1: of the male are always black, Their tails are bushy.
Speaker 1: They spring furiously upon whoever approaches, and utter unearthly cries.
Speaker 1: Mister Saint John, when walking up to his knees in
Speaker 1: heather over broken ground, came suddenly upon a wild cat.
Speaker 1: She rushed out between his legs, every hair standing up.
Speaker 1: He cut a good sized stick, and three sky terriers
Speaker 1: gave chase till she took rectfuge and a corner, spitting
Speaker 1: and growling on trying to dislodge her. She flew at
Speaker 1: mister Saint John's face over the dog's heads, but he
Speaker 1: struck her while in the air, and she fell among
Speaker 1: the dogs, who soon despatched her. Even though they say
Speaker 1: that a wild cat has twelve instead of nine lives,
Speaker 1: if one be taken, those in the neighborhood are sure
Speaker 1: to be also secured, as they will all in the
Speaker 1: manner of foxes, assemble round the body of their relation.
Speaker 1: Domestic cats often run away to the woods and subsist
Speaker 1: on their own hunting, but these are not to be
Speaker 1: taken for the real wild cat. The female of the
Speaker 1: latter is the smaller of the two, and retires into
Speaker 1: the fissures of rocks, or takes possession of some large
Speaker 1: birds nest when she is about to have young ones.
Speaker 1: They are found all through Germany, Russia, Hungary and the
Speaker 1: north of Asia, where their fur is much more valued
Speaker 1: than it is here, probably on account of the length
Speaker 1: and quality of the hair. Our house cats are by
Speaker 1: most naturalists supposed not to have descended from the above
Speaker 1: wild species. Professor Temmick ascribes their origin to the Nubian
Speaker 1: cat found in that country by mister Repel, but mister
Speaker 1: Bell differs from him. Cats were numerous in Egypt, where
Speaker 1: they were much prized and honored, with being embalmed. In
Speaker 1: Abyssinia they form part of a marriage dowry, for fear
Speaker 1: the mice should eat up the other portions. Nevertheless, it
Speaker 1: will be perhaps more like the truth if we give
Speaker 1: our cats an Asiatic origin. When they run wild, mister
Speaker 1: Saint John says, they are often irreclaimable and do incredible mischief.
Speaker 1: There are instances, however, of their returning to their homes
Speaker 1: bringing game with them. One known to the above gentlemen
Speaker 1: used every winter evening to bring in a woodcock. Another
Speaker 1: brought back rabbits and hares. The latter was constantly caught
Speaker 1: in traps, which accident did not cure him of his wanderings,
Speaker 1: and he never struggled, but sat quietly till some one
Speaker 1: came and effected his release. All cats sleep slightly, raise
Speaker 1: their back, bristle up their hair, and swell up their
Speaker 1: tail when angry. Those which have been domesticated are very inquisitive,
Speaker 1: concerning things rather than persons. Smell and inspect a new
Speaker 1: piece of furniture. Several times are attached to houses, and
Speaker 1: are extremely fond of scents, especially certain kinds emanating from plants.
Speaker 1: They seldom eat the rats which they kill, although they
Speaker 1: devour mice. If they should swallow a shrew, which is
Speaker 1: very rare, they almost immediately reject it. They will sit
Speaker 1: hour after hour watching at the mouth of a hole,
Speaker 1: and after seizing their prey, bring it to their favorites
Speaker 1: in the house to show their prowess, and strut about
Speaker 1: with a great air of self satisfaction. They generally have
Speaker 1: a great dislike to water, but they have been known
Speaker 1: to surmount this when they could catch a fish, for
Speaker 1: which species of food they have a great preference. The
Speaker 1: accusation that they play with you one minute and scratch
Speaker 1: you the next is too true. The change is not
Speaker 1: an act of treachery, but arises from excitement. I know
Speaker 1: not whence it is derived, but for centuries cats have
Speaker 1: been connected with superstition and sorcery. They have always been
Speaker 1: regarded as attendants upon witches, and witches themselves have been
Speaker 1: said to borrow their shapes when on their mysterious expeditions.
Speaker 1: I was once told that Lord Cochrane was accompanied by
Speaker 1: a favorite black cat and a cruise through the northern seas.
Speaker 1: The weather had been most unpropitious. No day had passed
Speaker 1: without some untoward circumstance, and the sailors were not slow
Speaker 1: in attributing the whole to the influence of the black
Speaker 1: cat on board. This came to Lord Cochrane's ears, and,
Speaker 1: knowing that any attempt to reason his men out of
Speaker 1: so absurd a notion was perfectly useless, he offered to
Speaker 1: sacrifice this object of his regard and have her thrown overboard. This, however,
Speaker 1: far from creating any satisfaction, only alarmed the men still more.
Speaker 1: They were sure that the tempests she would then raise
Speaker 1: would be much worse than any they had yet encountered,
Speaker 1: and they implored his Lordship to let her remain unmolested.
Speaker 1: There was no help, and they could only hope if
Speaker 1: she were not affronted, they might, at the end of
Speaker 1: their time, reached England in safety. Black cats were always
Speaker 1: more especially connected with superstitious feelings, and I was once
Speaker 1: accosted by a peasant's wife, who, with a file in
Speaker 1: her hand to contain it, requested I would give her
Speaker 1: a few drops of blood from the tail of my
Speaker 1: black kitten, not only to bring luck to her hearth,
Speaker 1: but to keep pestilence from her doors. Even lately, a
Speaker 1: working woman told me not to turn a stray black
Speaker 1: cat from my house, for if I did, I should
Speaker 1: never have any prosperity afterwards. Captain Brown tells us that
Speaker 1: on Halloween it was usual in Scotland for families to
Speaker 1: tie up their cat in order to preserve it from
Speaker 1: being used as a pony by the witches that night.
Speaker 1: Those who neglected this precaution ran the risk of seeing
Speaker 1: their cat scampering through the fields with a witch on
Speaker 1: its back on the high road to Norway. A black
Speaker 1: cat was commonly sacrificed by the ancients to Hacheti, or
Speaker 1: among the Scandinavians, to frea the northern Hechetae. A black
Speaker 1: cat sent with a prayer book and a bag of
Speaker 1: sand into a new house so as to precede the
Speaker 1: proprietor in possession was formerly deemed as central to ensure
Speaker 1: prosperity to the person changing his abode. To steal a
Speaker 1: black cat and bury it alive is in the Irish
Speaker 1: Highlands considered as a specific for a disorder in cattle
Speaker 1: termed black legs, which otherwise proves fatal. There is yet
Speaker 1: another peculiar feeling respecting cats, namely the strange antipathy which
Speaker 1: some persons entertained towards them, and is equally unassailable with
Speaker 1: that of superstition. Of course, in many instances, illness and
Speaker 1: weak indulgence have greatly inc preaed it. But in some
Speaker 1: cases it has been unconsciously harbored, and in others unconquerable.
Speaker 1: A friend of mine told me that through life this
Speaker 1: feeling had accompanied him, in spite of every endeavor made
Speaker 1: to eradicate it. When a little boy, he awoke one
Speaker 1: night with that trembling and cold perspiration which always assailed
Speaker 1: him when a cat was in his vicinity and screaming
Speaker 1: for help. He entreated the servant, who entered to take
Speaker 1: away the cat, which was in the room. The man searched,
Speaker 1: but found no traces of puss. His young master still
Speaker 1: persisted she was there, but a renewed search proved equally unavailing.
Speaker 1: Nor could he compose himself to rest unless the servant
Speaker 1: remained in the room till he was asleep. This accomplished
Speaker 1: the man left him, and a second time my friend
Speaker 1: awoke in the same manner with the same appeals for assistance.
Speaker 1: Thearo obeyed. He himself joined in the search, and he
Speaker 1: dragged out a case from the close stove, for it
Speaker 1: was in Germany, which had taken refuge there and been
Speaker 1: wholly unperceived by the manservant. This gentleman's daughter inherited the
Speaker 1: same antipathy, and neither the tenderest feelings towards other dumb
Speaker 1: creatures or the strongest efforts of a mind of unusual strength,
Speaker 1: could subdue the uncomfortable and distressing sensation which thrilled through
Speaker 1: her when a cat was in her presence. Where every
Speaker 1: house has a cat, many too, where every female cat
Speaker 1: at least twice and each year brings forth a litter
Speaker 1: of from three to five kittens, which are not all drowned.
Speaker 1: Some idea may be formed of the untellable number of
Speaker 1: cats in London, but it is only the dwellers in
Speaker 1: what is called a quiet out of the way street
Speaker 1: in the metropolis who can form any notion of the
Speaker 1: noise and caterwaulings of this part of the population. All cats,
Speaker 1: on first taking possession with their owners of a house
Speaker 1: are obliged to enter into an alliance offensive and defensive
Speaker 1: with the older inhabitants of the neighborhood. In some instances
Speaker 1: the amicable arrangements, though less noisy, are the most troublesome,
Speaker 1: of which I was convinced. In one of my dwellings,
Speaker 1: the back overlooked a number of gardens, some of which
Speaker 1: were large, and to enjoy these sufficiently, a small leaded
Speaker 1: terrace was thrown out from the back drawing room window.
Speaker 1: Here all the cats of all the gardens, the street
Speaker 1: and the opposite square used to hold their conversation. And
Speaker 1: I presume that my cats were particularly amiable, for often,
Speaker 1: if the drawing room window had been left open during
Speaker 1: our absence, we found a select few, perhaps five or six,
Speaker 1: sitting within its precincts, as if in friendly talk. Every
Speaker 1: cat that comes to a new area in London appears
Speaker 1: to me to be obliged to fight till he gains
Speaker 1: undisturbed possession of it. At least so it has been
Speaker 1: the case with my cats. A very fine, bold, powerful
Speaker 1: tabby did this twice with perfect success, but after repeated combats,
Speaker 1: although victorious, the struggle made him fierce and occasionally sullen.
Speaker 1: Another who was a very beautiful creature but much weaker,
Speaker 1: used to come in with his handsome ears slit, his
Speaker 1: cheeks swollen, his fur torn off, his frolic and vivacity gone,
Speaker 1: and he sat crouching by the fire all day. At
Speaker 1: night he was roused by the fierce defiance of his enemies,
Speaker 1: and the contests continued till he died from his exertions.
Speaker 1: One cat belonging to me had a curious manner of
Speaker 1: showing her disappointment or anger, whichever it might be. For
Speaker 1: the instant she was affronted, she walked away and seated
Speaker 1: herself with her back to the offending parties. A child
Speaker 1: of hers was an instance of the effect of judicious education,
Speaker 1: for fair and gentle treatment transformed her from a violent,
Speaker 1: outrageous kitten to a well behaved cat, and it was
Speaker 1: curious to see the instantaneous effect which the voice of
Speaker 1: his preceptress produced. Cats will learn all sorts of antics
Speaker 1: and form all sorts of contradictory attachments, young birds, puppies, rats,
Speaker 1: and mice frequently being the objects. My mother in law
Speaker 1: had both a favorite canary and an equally beloved cat.
Speaker 1: The former lived in her bedroom, and when alone, she
Speaker 1: suffered him to fly about the room, for she could
Speaker 1: there exclude the latter. Chance, however, discovered that Puss was
Speaker 1: as fond of the canary as she was, and to
Speaker 1: her surprise, on raising her head from her work one morning,
Speaker 1: she saw the bird perched upon the cat's body without fear,
Speaker 1: and the cat evidently delighted. After that, there was no
Speaker 1: further restraint, and the two pets were daily companions. Their mistress, however,
Speaker 1: received another fright, for Puss gave a slight growl, and,
Speaker 1: seizing the bird in her mouth, leaped on to the bed.
Speaker 1: Her tail swelled out, her hair erect, and her eyes
Speaker 1: as big as four. The bird was of course given
Speaker 1: up for lost, but the door being accidentally left open,
Speaker 1: a strange cat had come in, and it was for
Speaker 1: the preservation of the bird that the cat had seized him,
Speaker 1: and as soon as the intruder was driven away, she
Speaker 1: set the prisoner at liberty. Cat have often been trained
Speaker 1: to act as game finders without offering the slightest damage
Speaker 1: to their capture. They have given the alarm when thieves
Speaker 1: have been breaking in, and manifested great proofs of reflection
Speaker 1: and thought which may be called reason without degrading the
Speaker 1: act of the intellect. One belonging to my sister invariably
Speaker 1: goes to her room when she rings her bell, but
Speaker 1: does not offer to stir when any other bell in
Speaker 1: the house is sounded. Another in the service of a friend,
Speaker 1: was in the habit of going into the garden, catching
Speaker 1: a bird and bringing it to the cook, appearing to
Speaker 1: ask her to dress it. And yet it was perfectly
Speaker 1: her own suggestion. A brother of mine had a favorite
Speaker 1: tortoiseshell cat named Monkey, who always sat on his shoulder
Speaker 1: when he was shaving, and evinced every sign of deep attachment.
Speaker 1: He left her under the care of some friends when
Speaker 1: he went abroad, and two years after these ladies were
Speaker 1: surprised the evening he was expected home. At the extreme
Speaker 1: restlessness of the animal. She heard the arrival of the
Speaker 1: carriage at the garden gate before they did, and ere
Speaker 1: the bell was rung. She was furious to be let
Speaker 1: out to meet him. Her joy was indescribable, and the
Speaker 1: next morning she took her place on his shoulder as
Speaker 1: usual when she saw him prepare his razor. Such attachments
Speaker 1: have been known to continue after death, and cats have
Speaker 1: died of grief on their master's grave. I have already
Speaker 1: noticed a great friendship between a pup dog and a cat,
Speaker 1: and the following proof of a similar strength of love
Speaker 1: is taken from the pages of m. Wenzel in his
Speaker 1: observations on the Language of Brutes. I had a cat
Speaker 1: and a dog, which became so attached to each other
Speaker 1: that they would never willingly be asunder. Whenever the dog
Speaker 1: got any choice morsel or food, he was sure to
Speaker 1: divide it with his whiskered friend. They always ate socially
Speaker 1: out of one plate, slept in the same bed, and
Speaker 1: daily walked out together. Wishing to put this apparently sincere
Speaker 1: friendship to the proof, I one day took the cat
Speaker 1: by herself into my room, while I had the dog
Speaker 1: kept in another apartment. I entertained the cat in a
Speaker 1: most sumptuous manner, being desirous to see what sort of
Speaker 1: meal she would make without her friend, who had been
Speaker 1: hitherto her constant table companion. The cat enjoyed the treat
Speaker 1: and seemed entirely to have forgotten the dog. I had
Speaker 1: had a partridge for dinner, half of which I intended
Speaker 1: to keep for supper. My wife covered it with a
Speaker 1: plate and put it into a cupboard, the door of
Speaker 1: which she did not walk. The cat left the room,
Speaker 1: and I walked out on business. My wife meanwhile sat
Speaker 1: at work in an adjoining apartment. When I returned home,
Speaker 1: she related to me the following circumstances. The cat, having
Speaker 1: hastily left the dining room, went to the dog and
Speaker 1: mewed unusually loudly and in different tones, which the dog,
Speaker 1: from time to time answered with a short bark. They
Speaker 1: went together to the door of the room where the
Speaker 1: cat had dined, and waited till it was opened. The
Speaker 1: two friends then immediately entered the apartment. My wife rose
Speaker 1: from her seat, went softly to the door, which stood
Speaker 1: ajar to observe what was going on. The cat led
Speaker 1: the dog to the cupboard which contained the partridge, pushed
Speaker 1: off the plate which covered it, and, taking out my
Speaker 1: intended supper, laid it before her canine friend, who devoured
Speaker 1: it quickly. The following anecdote almost places the cat on
Speaker 1: a level with the dog. A physician of Leon was
Speaker 1: requested to inquire into a murder that had been committed
Speaker 1: on a woman of that city. In consequence of this request,
Speaker 1: he went to the habitation of the deceased, where he
Speaker 1: found her extended, lifeless on the floor, weltering in her blood.
Speaker 1: A large white cat was mounted on the cornice of
Speaker 1: a cupboard at the far end of the apartment, where
Speaker 1: he seemed to have taken refuge. He sat motionless, with
Speaker 1: his eyes fixed on the corpse, and his attitude and
Speaker 1: looks expressing horror and affright. The following morning he was
Speaker 1: found in the same situation an attitude, and when the
Speaker 1: room was filled with officers of justice, neither the clattering
Speaker 1: of the soldier's arms nor the loud conversation of the
Speaker 1: company could in the least degree divert his attention. As soon, however,
Speaker 1: as the suspected persons were brought in, his eyes glared
Speaker 1: with increased fury, his hair bristles. He dared it into
Speaker 1: the middle of the apartment, where he stopped for a
Speaker 1: moment to gaze at them, and then precipitately retreated under
Speaker 1: the bed. The countenances of the assassins were disconcerted, and
Speaker 1: they were now for the first time abandoned by their
Speaker 1: audacious atrocity. There are several instances on record of cats
Speaker 1: finding their way back to their former abodes under circumstances
Speaker 1: of great difficulty, and the following appears to me to
Speaker 1: be one of the most striking of them. And quoted
Speaker 1: from a letter. While driving at Four Paths, Clarendon, Jamaica,
Speaker 1: I wanted a cat, and had one given to me
Speaker 1: which was nearly full grown. It was brought from Morgan's
Speaker 1: valley estate, where it was bred and had never been
Speaker 1: removed from that place before. The distance was five miles.
Speaker 1: It was put into a canvas bag and carried by
Speaker 1: a man on horseback. Between the two plays there are
Speaker 1: two rivers, one of them about eighty feet broad and
Speaker 1: two feet and a half deep, running strong. The other
Speaker 1: is wider and more rapid, but less deep. Over these
Speaker 1: rivers are no bridges. The cat was shut up at
Speaker 1: Four Paths for some days, and when considered to be
Speaker 1: reconciled to her new dwelling, she was allowed to go
Speaker 1: about the house. The day after obtaining her liberty, she
Speaker 1: was missing, and upon my next visiting the estate she
Speaker 1: was brought from, I was quite amazed to learn that
Speaker 1: the cat had come back again. Did she swim over
Speaker 1: the rivers at the fords where the horse came through
Speaker 1: with her? Or did she ascend the banks for considerable
Speaker 1: distance in search of a more shallow place, and where
Speaker 1: the stream was less powerful. At all events, she must
Speaker 1: have crossed the rivers in opposition to her natural habits.
Speaker 1: A singular malformation in the cat has been perpetuated till
Speaker 1: a race of talest cats is now in existence, and
Speaker 1: which is certainly no improvement on the original stock. For
Speaker 1: nothing can be more graceful than the attitudes of the
Speaker 1: cat's tail are more expressive of its feelings of joy
Speaker 1: or anger. End of section six Section seven of Cat Tails.
Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by
Speaker 1: balloonna Times, Puss and Boots by Robert Ford. Section seven.
Speaker 1: There was a miller who had three sons, and when
Speaker 1: he died, he divided what he possessed among them in
Speaker 1: the following manner. He gave his mill to the eldest,
Speaker 1: his ass to the second, and his cat to the youngest.
Speaker 1: Each of the brothers accordingly took what belonged to him
Speaker 1: without the help of an attorney, who would soon have
Speaker 1: brought their little fortune to nothing in law expenses. The
Speaker 1: poor young fellow, who had nothing but the cat, complained
Speaker 1: that he was hardly used my brothers, said he, by
Speaker 1: joining their stocks together, may do very well in the world.
Speaker 1: As for me, when I have eaten my cat and
Speaker 1: made a fur cap of his skin, I may soon
Speaker 1: die of hunger. The cat, which all this time sat
Speaker 1: listening just inside the door of a cupboard, now ventured
Speaker 1: to come out and addressed him as follows. Do not
Speaker 1: thus afflict yourself, my good master. You have only to
Speaker 1: give me a bag and get a pair of boots
Speaker 1: made for me, so that I may scamper through the
Speaker 1: dirt and the brambles. And you shall see that you
Speaker 1: are not so ill provided for as you imagine. Though
Speaker 1: the cat's master did not much depend upon these promises, yet,
Speaker 1: as he had often observed the cunning tricks puss use
Speaker 1: to catch rats and mice, such as hanging by the
Speaker 1: hind legs and hiding in the meal to make them
Speaker 1: believe that he was dead, he did not entirely despair
Speaker 1: of his being of some use to him in his
Speaker 1: unhappy condition. When the cat had obtained what he asked for,
Speaker 1: he gaily began to equip himself. He drew on the boots,
Speaker 1: and putting the bag about his neck, he took hold
Speaker 1: of the strings with his fore paws, and bidding his
Speaker 1: master take courage, immediately sallied forth. The first attempt Puss
Speaker 1: made was to go into a warren in which there
Speaker 1: was a great number of rabbits. He put some bran
Speaker 1: and parsley into his bag, and, then, stretching himself out
Speaker 1: at full length, as if he was dead, he waited
Speaker 1: for some young rabbits, which as yet knew nothing of
Speaker 1: the cunning tricks of the world, to cut come and
Speaker 1: get into the bag, the better to feast upon the
Speaker 1: dainties he had put into it. Scarcely had he laid
Speaker 1: down before he succeeded as well as could be wished.
Speaker 1: A giddy young rabbit crept into the bag, and the
Speaker 1: cat immediately drew the strings and killed him without mercy. Puss,
Speaker 1: proud of his prey, hastened directly to the palace, where
Speaker 1: he asked to speak to the King. On being shown
Speaker 1: into the apartment of his majesty, he made a low
Speaker 1: bow and said, I have brought you, Sire, this rabbit
Speaker 1: from the warn of my lord, the Marquis of Carabas,
Speaker 1: who commanded me to present it to your Majesty, with
Speaker 1: the assurance of his respect. This was the title the
Speaker 1: cat thought proper to bestow upon his master. Tell my
Speaker 1: Lord Marquis of Carabas, replied the king that I accept
Speaker 1: of his present with pleasure, and that I am greatly
Speaker 1: obliged to him. Soon after, the cat laid himself down
Speaker 1: in the same manner in a field of corn, and
Speaker 1: had as much good fortune as before, For two fine
Speaker 1: partridges got into his bag, which he immediately killed and
Speaker 1: carried to the palace. The king received them as he
Speaker 1: had done the rabbit, and ordered his servants to give
Speaker 1: the messengers something to drink. In this manner, he continued
Speaker 1: to carry presents of game to the King from my
Speaker 1: Lord Marquis Carabas once at least every week. One day,
Speaker 1: the cat, having heard that the king intended to take
Speaker 1: a ride that morning by the river side with his daughter,
Speaker 1: who was the most beautiful princess in the world, he
Speaker 1: said to his master, if you will but follow my advice,
Speaker 1: your fortune is made. Take off your clothes and bathe
Speaker 1: yourself in the river just in the place I shall
Speaker 1: show you, and lead the rest to me. The Marquis
Speaker 1: of Carabas did exactly as he was desired, without being
Speaker 1: able to guess with the cat intended. While he was bathing,
Speaker 1: the King passed by, and Puss directly called out as
Speaker 1: loud as he could bawl, help help. My Lord Marquis
Speaker 1: of Carabas is in danger of being drowned. The king,
Speaker 1: hearing the cries, put his head out at the window
Speaker 1: of his carriage to see what was the matter. When
Speaker 1: perceiving the very cat which had brought him so many presents,
Speaker 1: he ordered his attendants to go directly to the assistance
Speaker 1: of my Lord Marquis of Caribas. While they were employed
Speaker 1: in taking the Marquis out of the river, the cat
Speaker 1: ran to the King's carriage and told his majesty that
Speaker 1: while his master was bathing, some thieves had run off
Speaker 1: with his clothes as they lay by the river side,
Speaker 1: the cunning cat, all the time having hid them under
Speaker 1: a large stone. The King, hearing this, commanded the officers
Speaker 1: of his wardrobe to fetch one of the handsomest suits
Speaker 1: it contained and present it to my Lord Marquis of Carabas,
Speaker 1: at the same time loading him with eight thousand attentions,
Speaker 1: as the fine clothes they brought him made him look
Speaker 1: like a gentleman, and set off his person, which was
Speaker 1: very comely to the greatest advantage. The king's daughter was
Speaker 1: mightily taken with his appearance, and the Marquis of Carabbas
Speaker 1: had no sooner cast upon her two or three respectful
Speaker 1: glances than she became violently in love with him. The
Speaker 1: king insisted on his getting into the carriage and taking
Speaker 1: a ride with them. The cat, enchanted to see how
Speaker 1: well his scheme was likely to succeed, ran before to
Speaker 1: a meadow that was reaping, and said to the reapers,
Speaker 1: good people, if you do not tell the King, who
Speaker 1: will soon pass this way, that the meadow you are
Speaker 1: reaping belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas, you shall
Speaker 1: be chopped as small as minced meat. The king did
Speaker 1: not fail to ask the reapers to whom the meadow
Speaker 1: belonged to, my Lord Marquis of Carabas, said they all
Speaker 1: at once, for the threats of the cat had terribly
Speaker 1: frightened them. You have here a very fine piece of land,
Speaker 1: my Lord Marquis, said the king, truly sire, replied he
Speaker 1: it does not fail to bring me every year a
Speaker 1: plentiful harvest. The cat, which still went on before now
Speaker 1: came to a field where some other laborers were making
Speaker 1: sheaves of the corn they had reaped, to whom he said,
Speaker 1: as before, good people, if you do not tell the King,
Speaker 1: who will presently pass this way, that the corn you
Speaker 1: have reaped in this field belongs to my Lord Marquis
Speaker 1: of Carabas, you shall be chopped as small as minced meat.
Speaker 1: The king accordingly passed a moment after and inquired to
Speaker 1: whom the corn he saw belonged to, my Lord Marquis
Speaker 1: of Caribas. Answered they very glibly, upon which the king
Speaker 1: again complimented the Marquis on his noble possessions. The cat
Speaker 1: still continued to go before and gave the same charge
Speaker 1: to all the people he met with, so that the
Speaker 1: King was greatly astonished at the splendid fortune of my
Speaker 1: Lord Marquis of Carabas. Puss at length arrived at a
Speaker 1: stately castle which belonged to an ogre, the richest ever known.
Speaker 1: For all the lands the king had passed through and
Speaker 1: admired were his. The cat took care to learn every
Speaker 1: particular about the ogre and what he could do, and
Speaker 1: then asked to speak with him, saying as he entered
Speaker 1: the room in which he was that he could not
Speaker 1: pass so near his castle without doing himself the honor
Speaker 1: to inquire for his health. The ogre received him as
Speaker 1: civilly as an ogre could do, and desired him to
Speaker 1: be seated. I have been informed, said the cat, that
Speaker 1: you have the gift of changing yourself into all sorts
Speaker 1: of animals, into a lion or an elephant, for example.
Speaker 1: It is very true, replied the ogre somewhat sternly, and
Speaker 1: to convince you, I will directly take the form of
Speaker 1: a lion. The cat was so much terrified at finding
Speaker 1: himself so near a lion that he sprang from him
Speaker 1: and climbed to the roof of the house, but not
Speaker 1: without much difficulty, as his boots were not very fit
Speaker 1: to walk upon the tiles. Some minutes after, the cat,
Speaker 1: perceiving that the ogre had quitted the form of a lion,
Speaker 1: ventured to come down from the tiles and owned that
Speaker 1: he had been a good deal frightened. I have been
Speaker 1: further informed, continued the cat, but I know not how
Speaker 1: to believe it. That you have the power of taking
Speaker 1: the form of the smallest animals, also, for example, of
Speaker 1: changing yourself to a rat or a mouse, I confess,
Speaker 1: I should think this must be impossible. Impossible, you shall see,
Speaker 1: And at the same instant he changed himself into a
Speaker 1: mouse and began to frisk about the room. The cat
Speaker 1: no sooner set his eyes upon the Ogre in this
Speaker 1: form than he sprang upon him and devoured him in
Speaker 1: an instant. In the meantime, the king, admiring as he
Speaker 1: came near it the magnificent castle of the Ogre, ordered
Speaker 1: his attendant to drive up to the gates, as he
Speaker 1: wished to take a nearer view of it. The cat,
Speaker 1: hearing the noise of the carriage on the drawbridge, immediately
Speaker 1: came out, saying, your Majesty is welcome to the castle
Speaker 1: of my Lord Marquis of Carabas. And is this splendid
Speaker 1: castle yours also, my Lord Marquis of Carabas, I never
Speaker 1: sought anything more stately than the building, and more beautiful
Speaker 1: than the park and pleasure grounds round it. No doubt,
Speaker 1: the castle is no less magnificent within than without pray,
Speaker 1: my Lord Marquis, indulge me with the sight of it.
Speaker 1: The Marquis gave his hand to the young princess as
Speaker 1: she alighted and followed the king, who went before they
Speaker 1: entered a spacious hall, where they found a splendid collation,
Speaker 1: which the Ogre had prepared for some friends he had
Speaker 1: expected that day to visit him, but who, hearing that
Speaker 1: the King, with the princess and a great gentleman of
Speaker 1: the court were within, had not dared to enter. The
Speaker 1: King was so much charmed with the amiable qualities and
Speaker 1: noble fortune of the Marquis of Carabas, and the young
Speaker 1: princess too, had fallen so violently in love with him,
Speaker 1: that when the King had partaken of the collation and
Speaker 1: drank a few glasses of wine, he said to the Marquis,
Speaker 1: it will be your own fault, my lord, Marquis of Carabas,
Speaker 1: if you do not soon become my son in law.
Speaker 1: The Marquis received the intelligence with eight thousand respectful acknowledgments,
Speaker 1: accepted the honor conferred upon him, and married the princess
Speaker 1: that very day. The cat became a great lord and
Speaker 1: never again ran after rats and mice but for his amusement.
Speaker 1: End of Section seven, Section eight of Cat Tails. This
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Balloonna Times.
Speaker 1: The Tiger, the Brahmin and the Jackal by Joseph Jacobs,
Speaker 1: Section eight. Once upon a time a tiger was caught
Speaker 1: in a trap. He tried in vain to get out
Speaker 1: through the bars, and rolled in bit with rage and grief.
Speaker 1: When he failed. By chance, a poor brahmin came by.
Speaker 1: Let me out of this cage. O pious one, cried
Speaker 1: the tiger. Nay, my friend, replied the bramin mildly. You
Speaker 1: would probably eat me if I did not at all
Speaker 1: swore the tiger with many oaths. On the contrary, I
Speaker 1: should be forever grateful and serve you as a slave. Now.
Speaker 1: When the tiger sobbed and sighed and wept and swore,
Speaker 1: the pious brahmin's heart softened, and at last he consented
Speaker 1: to open the door of the cage. Out pop the tiger,
Speaker 1: and seizing the poor man cried, what a fool you are.
Speaker 1: What is to prevent my eating you now? For after
Speaker 1: being cooped up so long, I am just terribly hungry.
Speaker 1: In vain, the bramin pleaded for his life. The most
Speaker 1: ticked gain was a promise to abide by the decision
Speaker 1: of the first three things. He chose to question as
Speaker 1: to the justice of the tiger's action. So the brahmin
Speaker 1: first asked a piple tree what it thought of the matter.
Speaker 1: But the piple tree replied coldly, what have you to
Speaker 1: complain about? Don't I give shade and shelter to every
Speaker 1: one who passes by? And don't they in return tear
Speaker 1: down my branches to feed their cattle. Don't whipper be
Speaker 1: a man? Then the brahmin, sat at heart, went further
Speaker 1: afield till he saw a buffalo turning a well wheel.
Speaker 1: But he fared no better from it, for it answered,
Speaker 1: you are a fool to expect gratitude. Look at me.
Speaker 1: Whilst I gave milk, they fed me on cottonseed and
Speaker 1: oil cake. But now I am dry. They yoke me
Speaker 1: here and give me refuse as fodder. The bramin, still
Speaker 1: more sad, asked the road to give him its opinion.
Speaker 1: My dear sir, said the road, how foolish you ought
Speaker 1: to expect anything else? Here? I am useful to everybody,
Speaker 1: Yet all rich and poor, great and small trample on
Speaker 1: me as they go past, giving me nothing but the
Speaker 1: ashes of their pipes and the husks of their grain.
Speaker 1: On this, the Bramin turned back sorrowfully, and on the
Speaker 1: way he met a jackal, who called out, why, what's
Speaker 1: the matter, mister Brammin, You look as miserable as a
Speaker 1: fish out of water. The Bramin told him all that
Speaker 1: had occurred. How very confusing, said the jackal, when the
Speaker 1: recital was ended. What you mind telling me over again?
Speaker 1: For everything has got so mixed up up. The Bramin
Speaker 1: told it all over again, but the jackal shook his
Speaker 1: head in a distracted sort of way and still could
Speaker 1: not understand. It's very odd, said he sadly, but it
Speaker 1: all seems to go in at one ear and out
Speaker 1: at the other. I will go to the place where
Speaker 1: it all happened, and then perhaps I shall be able
Speaker 1: to give a judgment. So they returned to the cage,
Speaker 1: by which the tiger was waiting for the Bramin and
Speaker 1: sharpening his teeth and claws. You've been away a long time,
Speaker 1: growled the savage beast. But now let us begin our dinner.
Speaker 1: Our dinner, thought the wretched Bramin, as his knees knocked
Speaker 1: together with fright. What a remarkably delicate way of putting it.
Speaker 1: Give me five minutes my lord, he pleaded, in order
Speaker 1: that I may explain matters to the jackal here, who
Speaker 1: is somewhat slow in his wits. The tiger consented, and
Speaker 1: the brahmin began the whole story over again, not missing
Speaker 1: a single detail, and spinning as long a yarn as possible.
Speaker 1: Oh my poor brain, Oh my poor brain, cried the jackal,
Speaker 1: wringing its paws. Let me see how did it all begin.
Speaker 1: You were in the cage and the tiger came walking by? Pooh,
Speaker 1: interrupted the tiger. What a fool you are? I was
Speaker 1: in the cage, of course, cried the jackal, pretending to
Speaker 1: tremble with fright. Yes, I was in the cage. No
Speaker 1: I wasn't. Dear, dear, where are my wits? Let me see?
Speaker 1: The tiger was in the bramin and the cage came
Speaker 1: walking by. No, that's not it either. Well don't mind me,
Speaker 1: but begin your dinner, for I shall never understand. Yes,
Speaker 1: you shall returned the tiger in a rage at the
Speaker 1: jackal's stupidity. I'll make you understand. Look here I am
Speaker 1: the tiger, yes, my lord. And that is the brahmin, Yes,
Speaker 1: my lord, and that is the cage. Yes, my lord,
Speaker 1: and I was in the cage. Do you understand? Yes? No, please,
Speaker 1: my lord, well, cried the tiger impatiently. Please, my lord,
Speaker 1: how did you get in? How? Why? In the usual way?
Speaker 1: Of course? Oh dear me, my head is beginning to
Speaker 1: whirl again. Please don't be angry, my lord, But what
Speaker 1: is the usual way? At this the tiger lost patience, and,
Speaker 1: jumping into the cage, cried, this way, Now do you
Speaker 1: understand how it was perfectly grinned the jackal as he
Speaker 1: dexterously shut the door. And if you will permit me
Speaker 1: to say so, I think matters will remain as they were.
Speaker 1: End of section eight Section nine of Cat Tails. This
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by balloona times.
Speaker 1: Androcles by Aesop, Section nine. A slave named Androcles once
Speaker 1: escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As
Speaker 1: he was wandering about there, he came upon a lion
Speaker 1: lying down, moaning and groaning. At first, he turned to flee,
Speaker 1: but finding that the lion did not pursue him, he
Speaker 1: turned back and went up to him. As he came near,
Speaker 1: the lion put out his paw, which was all swollen
Speaker 1: and bleeding. And Androcles found that a huge thorn had
Speaker 1: got into it and was causing all the pain. He
Speaker 1: pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of
Speaker 1: the lion, who was soon able to rise and lick
Speaker 1: the hand of Adrocles like a dog. Then the lion
Speaker 1: took Adrocles to his cave and every day used to
Speaker 1: bring him meat from which to live. But shortly afterwards
Speaker 1: both Adrocles and the lion were captured, and the slave
Speaker 1: was sentenced to be thrown to the lion. After the
Speaker 1: latter had been kept without food for several days, the
Speaker 1: emperor and all his court came to see the spectacle,
Speaker 1: and Adrocles was led out into the middle of the arena.
Speaker 1: Soon the lion was let loose from his den and rushed,
Speaker 1: bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as soon as
Speaker 1: he came near to Atrocles, he recognized his friend and
Speaker 1: fawned upon him and licked his hands like a friendly dog.
Speaker 1: The Emperor, surprised at this, summoned Atrocles to him, who
Speaker 1: told him the whole story, whereupon the slave was pardoned
Speaker 1: and freed, and the lion let loose to his native forest.
Speaker 1: Gratitude is the sign of noble souls, end of section
Speaker 1: nine Section ten of Cat Tales The Lion and the
Speaker 1: Cat by Andrew Lang. This LibriVox recording is in the
Speaker 1: public domain reading by Bologna Times. The Lion and the
Speaker 1: Cat by Andrew Lang, Section ten. Far away on the
Speaker 1: other side of the world, there lived long ago a
Speaker 1: lion and his younger brother, the wild cat, who were
Speaker 1: so fond of each other that they shared the same hut.
Speaker 1: The Lion was much the bigger and strong younger of
Speaker 1: the two. Indeed, he was much bigger and stronger than
Speaker 1: any of the beasts that dwelt in the forest. And besides,
Speaker 1: he could jump farther and run faster than all the rest.
Speaker 1: If strength and swiftness could gain him a dinner, he
Speaker 1: was sure never to be without one. But when it
Speaker 1: came to cunning, both the grizzly bear and the serpent
Speaker 1: could get the better of him, and he was forced
Speaker 1: to call in the help of the wildcat. Now, the
Speaker 1: young wildcat had a lovely golden ball, so beautiful that
Speaker 1: you could hardly look at it except through a piece
Speaker 1: of smoked glass, and he kept it hidden in the
Speaker 1: thick fir muff that went round his neck. A very
Speaker 1: large old animal since dead, had given it to him
Speaker 1: when he was hardly more than a baby, and had
Speaker 1: told him never to part with it. For as long
Speaker 1: as he kept it, no harm could ever come near him.
Speaker 1: In general, the wild cat did not need to use
Speaker 1: his ball, for the lion was fond of hunting and
Speaker 1: could kill all the food that they needed. But now
Speaker 1: and then his life would have been in danger had
Speaker 1: it not been for the golden ball. One day, the
Speaker 1: two brothers started to hunt at daybreak, but as the
Speaker 1: cat could not run nearly as fast as the lion,
Speaker 1: he had quite a long start. At least he thought
Speaker 1: it was a long one. But in a very few
Speaker 1: bounds and springs, the lion reached his side. There is
Speaker 1: a bear sitting on that tree, he whispered softly. He
Speaker 1: is only waiting for us to pass, to drop down
Speaker 1: on my back. Ah, you are so big that he
Speaker 1: does not see I am behind you, answered the wild cat,
Speaker 1: and touching the ball, he just said, bear die, and
Speaker 1: the bear tumbled dead out of the tree and rolled
Speaker 1: over just in front of them. For some time, they
Speaker 1: trotted on without any adventures, till just as they were
Speaker 1: about to cross a strip of long grass on the
Speaker 1: edge of the forest. The lion's quick ears detected a faint,
Speaker 1: rustling noise. That is a snake, he cried, stopping short,
Speaker 1: for he was much more afraid of snakes than a bear's.
Speaker 1: Oh it is all right, answered the cat. Snake die.
Speaker 1: And the snake died, and the two brothers skinned it.
Speaker 1: They then folded the skin up into a very small parcel,
Speaker 1: and the cat tucked it into his mane, For snake's
Speaker 1: skins can do all sorts of wonderful things if you
Speaker 1: are lucky enough to have one of them. All this
Speaker 1: time they had had no dinner, for the snake's flesh
Speaker 1: was not nice, and the lion did not like eating bear,
Speaker 1: perhaps because he never felt sure that the bear was
Speaker 1: really dead and would not jump up alive when his
Speaker 1: enemy went near him. Most people are afraid of some thing,
Speaker 1: and bears and serpents were the only creatures that caused
Speaker 1: the lion's heart to tremble. So the two brothers set
Speaker 1: off again and soon reached the side of a hill
Speaker 1: where some fine deer were grazing. Kill one of those
Speaker 1: deer for your own dinner, said the boy brother. But
Speaker 1: catch me another alive. I want him. The lion at
Speaker 1: once sprang towards them with a loud roar, but the
Speaker 1: deer bounded away, and they were all three soon lost
Speaker 1: to sight. The cat waited for a long while, but,
Speaker 1: finding that the lion did not return, went back to
Speaker 1: the house where they lived. It was quite dark when
Speaker 1: the lion came home, where his brother was sitting curled
Speaker 1: up in one corner. Did you catch the deer for me,
Speaker 1: asked the boy brother, springing up. Well, No, replied the
Speaker 1: man brother. The fact is that I did not get
Speaker 1: up to them till we had run half way across
Speaker 1: the world and left the wind far behind us. Think
Speaker 1: what a trouble it would have been to drag it here.
Speaker 1: So I just ate them both. The cat said nothing,
Speaker 1: but he did not feel that he loved his big brother.
Speaker 1: He had thought a great deal about that deer, and
Speaker 1: had meant to get on his back, to ride him
Speaker 1: as a horse and go to see all the wonderful
Speaker 1: places the lion talked to him about when he was
Speaker 1: in a good temper. The more he thought of it,
Speaker 1: the more sulky he grew, And in the morning, when
Speaker 1: the lion said that it was time for them to
Speaker 1: start to hunt. The cat told him that he might
Speaker 1: kill the bear and snake by himself, as he had
Speaker 1: a headache and would rather s day at home. The
Speaker 1: little fellow knew quite well that the lion would not
Speaker 1: dare to go out without him and his ball, for
Speaker 1: fear of meeting a bear or a snake. The quarrel
Speaker 1: went on, and for many days neither of the brothers
Speaker 1: spoke to each other. And what made them still more
Speaker 1: cross was that they could get very little to eat,
Speaker 1: and we know that people are often cross when they
Speaker 1: are hungry. At last, it occurred to the lion that
Speaker 1: if he could only steal the magic ball, he could
Speaker 1: kill bears and snakes for himself, and then the cat
Speaker 1: might be as sulky as he liked. For anything that
Speaker 1: it would matter. But how was the stealing to be done.
Speaker 1: The cat had the ball hung round his neck day
Speaker 1: and night, and he was such a light sleeper that
Speaker 1: it was useless to think of taking it while he slept. No,
Speaker 1: the only thing was to get him to lend it
Speaker 1: of his own accord. And after some day the lion,
Speaker 1: who was not at all clever, hit upon a plan
Speaker 1: that he thought would do. Dear me, how dull it
Speaker 1: is here, said the lion one afternoon, when the rain
Speaker 1: was pouring down in such torrents, that, however sharp your
Speaker 1: eyes or your nose might be, you could not spy
Speaker 1: a single bird or beast among the bushes. Dear me,
Speaker 1: how dull, how dreadfully dull I am? Couldn't we have
Speaker 1: a game of catch with that golden ball of yours?
Speaker 1: I don't care about playing catch. It does not amuse me,
Speaker 1: answered the cat, who was as cross as ever, for
Speaker 1: no cat, even to this day ever forgets an injury
Speaker 1: done to him. Well, then lend me the ball for
Speaker 1: a little and I will play by myself, replied the lion,
Speaker 1: stretching out a paw as he spoke. You can't play
Speaker 1: in the rain, and if you did, you would only
Speaker 1: lose it in the bushes, said the cat. Oh no,
Speaker 1: I won't. I will play in here. Don't be so
Speaker 1: ill natured. And with a very bad grace, the cat
Speaker 1: untied the string and threw the golden ball into the
Speaker 1: lion's lap and composed himself to sleep again. For a
Speaker 1: long while, the lion tossed it up and down gaily,
Speaker 1: feeling that, however, sound asleep the boy brother might look.
Speaker 1: He was sure to have one eye open. But gradually
Speaker 1: he began to edge closer to the opening, and at
Speaker 1: last gave such a toss that the ball went up
Speaker 1: high into the air, and he could not see what
Speaker 1: became of it. Oh, how stupid of me, he cried,
Speaker 1: as the cat sprang up angrily. Let us go at
Speaker 1: once and search for it. It can't really have fallen
Speaker 1: very far. But though they searched that day and the
Speaker 1: next and the next after that, they never found it,
Speaker 1: because it never came down. After the loss of his ball,
Speaker 1: the cat refused to live with the lion any longer,
Speaker 1: but wandered away to the north, always hoping he might
Speaker 1: meet with his ball again. But months passed and years passed,
Speaker 1: and though he traveled over hundreds of miles, he never
Speaker 1: saw any traces of it. At length, when he was
Speaker 1: getting quite old, he came to a place unlike any
Speaker 1: that he had ever seen before, where a big river
Speaker 1: rolled right to the foot of some high mountains. The
Speaker 1: ground all about the river bank was damp and marshy,
Speaker 1: and as no cat likes to wet its feet, this
Speaker 1: one climbed a tree that rose high above the water,
Speaker 1: and thought sadly of his lost ball, which would have
Speaker 1: helped him out of this horrible place. Suddenly he saw
Speaker 1: a beautiful ball for all the world, like his own,
Speaker 1: dangling from a branch of the tree he was on.
Speaker 1: He longed to get it, but was the branch strong
Speaker 1: enough to bear his weight. It was no use, after
Speaker 1: all he had done getting drowned in the water. However,
Speaker 1: it could do no harm. If he was to go
Speaker 1: a little way, he could always manage to get back somehow,
Speaker 1: So he stretched himself at full length upon the branch
Speaker 1: and wriggle his body cautiously along. To his delight, it
Speaker 1: seemed thick and stout another movement, and by stretching out
Speaker 1: his paw he would be able to draw the string
Speaker 1: towards him. When the branch gave a loud crack, and
Speaker 1: the cat made haste to wriggle himself back the way
Speaker 1: he had come. But when cats make up their minds
Speaker 1: to do anything, they generally do it, And this cat
Speaker 1: began to look about to see if there was really
Speaker 1: no way of getting at his ball. Yes there was,
Speaker 1: and it was much surer than the other, though rather
Speaker 1: more difficult. Above the bow where the ball was hung
Speaker 1: was another bow, much thicker, which he knew could not
Speaker 1: break with his weight. And by holding on tight to
Speaker 1: this with all his fore paws, he could just manage
Speaker 1: to touch the ball with his tail. He would thus
Speaker 1: be able to whisk the ball to and fro till
Speaker 1: by and by the string would become quite loose, and
Speaker 1: it would fall to the ground. It might take some time,
Speaker 1: but the lion's little brother was patient. Like most cats. Well,
Speaker 1: it all happened just as the cat intended it should,
Speaker 1: And when the ball dropped on the ground, the cat
Speaker 1: ran down the tree like lightning, and picking it up,
Speaker 1: tucked it away in the snake's skin round his neck.
Speaker 1: Then he began jumping along the shore of the big
Speaker 1: water from one place to another, trying to find a
Speaker 1: boat or even a log of wood that would take
Speaker 1: him across. But there was nothing. Only on the other
Speaker 1: side he saw two girls cooking, and though he shouted
Speaker 1: to them at the top of his voice, they were
Speaker 1: too far off to hear what he said. And what
Speaker 1: was worse, the ball suddenly fell out of its snakeskin
Speaker 1: bag right into the river. Now it is not at
Speaker 1: all an uncommon thing for balls to tumble into rivers,
Speaker 1: but in that case they generally either fall to the
Speaker 1: bottom and stay there, or else bob about on the
Speaker 1: top of the water close to where they first touched it.
Speaker 1: But this ball, instead of doing either of these things,
Speaker 1: went straight across to the other side, and there one
Speaker 1: of the girls saw it when she stopped to dip
Speaker 1: some water into her pail. Oh what a lovely ball,
Speaker 1: cried she and tried to catch it in her pail,
Speaker 1: but the ball always kept bobbing just out of her reach.
Speaker 1: Come and help me, she called to her sister, and
Speaker 1: after a long while they had the ball safe inside
Speaker 1: the pail. They were delighted with their new toy, and
Speaker 1: one or the other held it in her hand till
Speaker 1: bedtime came. And then it was a long time before
Speaker 1: they could make up their minds where it would be
Speaker 1: safest for the night. At last, they locked it in
Speaker 1: a cupboard in one corner of their room, and as
Speaker 1: there was no hole anywhere, the ball could not possibly
Speaker 1: get out. After that they went to sleep. In the morning,
Speaker 1: the first thing they both did was to run to
Speaker 1: the cupboard and unlock it, but when the door opened,
Speaker 1: they started back for instead of the ball, there stood
Speaker 1: a handsome young man. Ladies, He said, how can I
Speaker 1: thank you for what you have done for me? Long
Speaker 1: long ago I was enchanted by a wicked fairy and
Speaker 1: condemned to keep the shape of a ball till I
Speaker 1: should meet with two maidens who would take me to
Speaker 1: their own home. But where was I to meet them?
Speaker 1: For hundreds of years, I have lived in the depths
Speaker 1: of the forest, where nothing but wild beasts ever came.
Speaker 1: And it was only when the lion threw me into
Speaker 1: the sky that I was able to fall to earth
Speaker 1: near this river. Where there is a river, sooner or
Speaker 1: later people will come. So, hanging myself on a tree,
Speaker 1: I watched and waited. For a moment. I lost heart
Speaker 1: when I fell once more into the hands of my
Speaker 1: old master, the wild cat. But hopes rose again as
Speaker 1: I saw he was making for the river bank opposite
Speaker 1: where you were standing. That was my chance, and I
Speaker 1: took it. And now, ladies, I have only to say that,
Speaker 1: if ever I can do anything to help you, go
Speaker 1: to the top of the high mountain and knock three
Speaker 1: times at the iron door at the north side, and
Speaker 1: I will come to you. So with a low bow,
Speaker 1: he vanished from before them, leaving the maidens weeping at
Speaker 1: having lost in one moment both the Ball and the Prince.
Speaker 1: Adapted from North American Indian legends, end of section ten.