lling them his
friends. And they went forward trembling. So frightened were they that
they were hardly aware of what they were doing. When they were close
the cat made a sudden spring upon them.

Five mice he caught, each one the chief of a village; two with his
front paws, two with his hind ones, and one in his mouth. The remaining
mice barely escaped with their lives.

Picking up one of their murdered brothers, they quickly carried the sad
news to the mice, saying: "Why do ye sit still, oh mice? Throw dust on
your heads, oh young men, for the cruel cat has seized five of our
unsuspecting companions with teeth and claws and has killed them."

Then for the space of five days they rent their clothes as do the
mourners, and cast dust on their heads. Then they said: "We must go and
tell our King all that has befallen the mice. We must not fail to tell
him this calamity."

Whereupon they all rose up and went their way in deep sorrow; one
beating the muffled drum, one tolling the bell; all had shawls around
their necks; their tears the while running in little streams down their
whiskers.

Arrived where the King was sitting on his throne, the mice paid homage
to him, saying: "Master, we are subjects and thou art King. Behold the
cat has treated us cruelly since he became a pious follower of Mahomet.
Whereas, before his conversion he was wont to catch only one of us in a
year, now that he is a sincere Mussulman his appetite has so increased
that only five at a time will satisfy him."

Whereupon the King fell into such a violent rage that he resembled a
saucepan boiling over. But to the deputation of mice he spoke very
kindly, calling them his newly-arrived and welcome guests, and to
comfort them vowed that he would give the cat such a chastisement that
the news of it should circulate through the world.

Then, observing their grief, he commanded that the dead mouse should be
buried with all pomp and ceremony. Accordingly they made lamentation
for a whole week, as though it had been for one of royal degree; and
having prepared delicious sweetmeats, they placed them in baskets and
carried them with streaming eyes to the grave.

After the burial service, the King ordered the army to assemble on a
given day on the great sandy plain that stretches as far as the eye can
see around the city. Then he addressed them, saying:

"Oh, men and soldiers, inasmuch as the cat has so cruelly ill-treated
our countrymen, he being a here