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THE CAT THAT WALKED BY HIMSELF (PART 1)

Hear and attend and listen; because it happened when the tame animals were wild. The Dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild—as wild as wild could be—and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.

Of course the Man was wild too. He was very wild. He didn't even begin to be tame till he met the Woman, and she told him that she did not want to live like he lived. She found a nice dry Cave; and she put clean sand on the floor; and she lit a nice fire at the back of the Cave; and she hung a dried wild-horse skin across the mouth of the Cave; and she said, "Wipe your feet, dear, when you come in, and now we'll keep house."

That night they ate wild sheep, and wild duck, and wild cherries, and wild apples. Then the Man went to sleep in front of the fire, very happy; but the Woman sat up by the fire and she took a magic mutton-bone and began to make Magic. She made the First Singing Magic in the world.

And in the Wet Wild Woods all the wild animals gathered together where they could see the light of the fire and they wondered what it meant.

Then Wild Horse said, "O my Friends and О my Enemies, why have the Man and the Woman made that great light in that great Cave, and what harm will it do us?"

Wild Dog lifted his wild nose and smelled the smell of roast mutton, and said, "I will go up and see and look; because I think it is good. Cat, come with me."

"No!" said the Cat. "I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. I will not come."

"Then we can never be friends again," said Wild Dog, and he ran to the Cave. But then the Cat said to himself, "All places are alike to me. I can go and see and look and come away at my own liking." So he followed Wild Dog softly, very softly, and hid himself where he could hear everything.

When Wild Dog came to the mouth of the Cave, he lifted up the dried horse-skin with his nose and smelled the beautiful smell of the roast mutton, and the Woman heard him, and laughed, and said, "Here comes the first. Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, what do you want?"

Wild Dog said, "O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy, what is this that smells so good in the Wild Woods?"

Then the Woman took a roast mutton-bone and threw it to Wild Dog, and said, "Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, taste it." Wild Dog tasted the bone, and he liked it very much, and he said, "O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy, give me another."

The Woman said, "Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, help my Man to hunt in the day and guard this Cave at night, and I will give you as many roast bones as you want."

"Ah!" said the Cat to himself. "That is a very wise Woman, but she is not so wise as I am."

Wild Dog came into the Cave and lay down at the Woman's feet and said, "O my Friend and Wife of my Friend, I will help your Man to hunt in the day, and at night I will guard your Cave."

"Ah!" said the Cat to himself. "That is a very foolish Dog."

And he went back through the Wet Wild Woods, waving his wild tail, and walking by himself. But he never told anybody.

When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."

Next night the Woman cut fresh grass from the valley and dried it before the fire, so that it smelt wonderful, and she sat at the mouth of the Cave, and she looked at the mutton-bone and she made a Magic. She made the Second Singing Magic in the World.

And in the Wild Woods all the animals gathered together and wondered what had happened to Wild Dog. At last Wild Horse said, "I will go and see why Wild Dog has not returned. Cat, come with me."

"No!" said the Cat. "I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. I will not come." But all the same he went after Wild Horse softly, very softly, and hid himself where he could hear everything.

When the Woman saw Wild Horse, she laughed and said, "Here comes the second. Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, what do you want?"

Wild Horse said, "O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy, where is Wild Dog?"

The Woman laughed and said, "Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, you did not come here for Wild Dog, but for the sake of this good grass."

And Wild Horse said, "That is true; give it to me to eat."

The Woman said, "Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, you must be our servant, then you will eat the wonderful grass three times a day."

"Ah," said the Cat to himself. "This is a very clever Woman, but she is not so clever as I am."

Wild Horse bent his wild head, and the Woman put the bridle over it, and Wild Horse said, "O my Mistress, and Wife of my Master, I will be your servant for the sake of the wonderful grass."

"Ah," said the Cat to himself. "That is a very foolish Horse." And he went back through the Wet Wild Woods, waving his wild tail and walking by himself. But he never told anybody.

When the Man and the Dog came back from hunting, the Man said, "What is Wild Horse doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Horse any more, but the First Servant, because he will carry us from place to place for always and always and always. Ride on his back when you go hunting."

Next dау Wild Cow came up to the Cave, and the Cat went after her, and hid himself just the same as before; and everything happened just the same as before; and the Cat said the same things as before, and when Wild Cow said to the Woman, "I'll give you milk every day for the sake of this wonderful grass," the Cat went back through the Wet Wild Woods, waving his wild tail and walking by himself, just the same as before. But he never told anybody. And when the Man, the Horse and the Dog came home from hunting and asked the same questions as before, the Woman said, "Her name is not Wild Cow any more, but the Giver of Good Food: She will give us the warm white milk for always and always and always, and I will take care of her when you and the First Friend and the First Servant go hunting."

Next day when the Cat saw that no other Wild Thing went to the Cave, he walked there by himself; and he saw the Woman and the Cow, and he saw the light of the fire in the Cave, and he smelt the smell of the warm white milk.

The Cat said, "O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy, what is Wild Cow doing here?"

The Woman laughed and said, "Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, go back to the Woods again. We don't want any more friends or servants in our Cave."

The Cat said, "I am not a friend, and I am not a servant. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and I want to come into your Cave."

The Woman said, "Then why did you not come with the First Friend on the first night?"

The Cat grew very angry and said, "Has Wild Dog told tales of me?"

Then the Woman laughed and said, "You are the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to you. You are neither a friend nor a servant. You have said it yourself. Go away and walk by yourself in all places alike."

Then the Cat said, "Must I never come into the Cave? Must I never sit by the warm fire? Must I never drink the warm white milk? You are very wise and very beautiful. You should not be cruel even to a Cat."

The Woman smiled and said, "I knew I was wise, but I did not know I was beautiful. So I will make a bargain with you. If ever I say one word in your praise, you may come into the Cave."

"And if you say two words in my praise?" said the Cat.

"I never shall," said the Woman, "but if I say two words in your praise, you may sit by the fire in the Cave."

"And if you say three words in my praise?" said the Cat.

"I never shall," said the Woman, "but if I say three words in your praise, you may drink the warm white milk three times a day for always and always and always."

Then the Cat said, "Now let the Wild-horse Skin at the mouth of the Cave, and the Fire at the back of the Cave, and the Milk-pots that stand beside the Fire remember what my Enemy and the Wife of my Enemy has said." And he went away through the Wet Wild Woods, waving his wild tail and walking by himself.

That night when the Man and the Horse and the Dog came home from hunting, the Woman did not tell them anything about the Cat and the bargain.