for
each man who sat at it. When the meat was set on the table, out swarmed
thousands of mice, and each one who sat at the table beat them off with
his rod. The cat was brought into service, and sold for a hundred
dollars, and soon put an end to the career of the mice. When the
merchant had weighed anchor, much to his surprise, he saw the cat
sitting at the mast head. Again foul weather came on, and again the
vessel was driven to another strange country, where the mice were just
as numerous as before. The cat was called in, sold this time for two
hundred dollars, and away the merchant sailed. No sooner, however, was
he at sea, than the cat once more appeared before him. The vessel was
again driven out of her course to another strange country, over-run with
rats this time, when poor pussy was sold a third time, for the sum of
three hundred dollars. Again the cat made its appearance; and the
merchant thinking to do the poor boy out of his money, a dreadful storm
arose, which only subsided on the merchant making a vow that the boy
should have every penny. When he arrived home the merchant faithfully
kept his promise, gave the boy the six hundred dollars, and the hand of
his daughter besides.

A Breton legend of the story of "Dick Whittington" runs that three sons
go to seek their fortune, the eldest of whom, Yvon, possesses a cat. The
cat again plays an important part. Yvon becomes the friend of the Lord
of the Manor, and has gold and diamonds bestowed upon him in galore.

The Russian version is that a poor little orphan boy buys a cat, which
some mischievous boys were teasing, for three copecks (about a penny).
Taken into the service of a merchant the latter goes to a distant
country, accompanied by the cat of the orphan boy. Puss making sad work
of some rats, which threatened to make an end of the merchant in the
inn, which he occupied. He ultimately sold the cat to the landlord for a
sack full of gold. Returning home, on his way thither, he thought how
foolish it would be to give all the money to the boy. Whereupon a
dreadful storm arose, and the vessel, in which was the merchant, was in
danger of sinking. The merchant, knowing that the storm had arisen
through his change of purpose, prayed to heaven for forgiveness, when
the sea became calm, and the vessel arrived safely in port, when the
merchant paid over to the orphan boy all the wealth obtained by the sale
of the cat.

In the Persian version, unlike the other le