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Puss in Boots
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The Master Cat
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By Charles Perrault
Translated from French Andrew Lang
Illustrated by: Fred Marcellino
There was a miller who left no more estate to the three sons he had than his mill, his donkey, and his cat. The division was soon made. Neither scrivener nor attorney was sent for; they would soon have eaten up all the poor patrimony. The eldest had the mill, the second the donkey, and the youngest nothing but the cat. The poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor a lot.
My brothers, said he, may get their living handsomely enough by joining their stock together, but when I have eaten my cat, and made me a muff of his skin, I must die of hunger.
The cat, who heard all this, said to him with a grave serious air, Dont worry my good master. You need only give me a bag, and have a pair of boots made for me that I may scamper through the brambles. You shall see you have not so bad a portion with me as you imagine.
 The cats master had often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice; he used to hid himself in the mill, and make as if he were dead; so he did not altogether despair. When the cat had what he had asked for, he booted himself very gallantly, and putting his bag about his neck, he held the strings of it in his two forepaws and went into a warren where there was a great abundance of rabbits. He put bran and lettuce into his bag and stretching out at length as if dead, he waited for some young rabbits, no yet acquainted with the deceits of the world, to come and rummage for what he had put into his bag.
Scarce had he lain down but he had what he wanted: A rash and foolish young rabbit jumped into his bag. Monsieur Cat immediately drawing closed the strings, caught the silly rabbit. Proud of his prey, he went with it to the palace, and asked to speak with his majesty. He was shown into the kings apartment and making a low reverence, said to him: I have brought you, sir, a rabbit from the warren, which my noble lord, the Marquis of Carabas--for that was the title Cat was pleased to hive his master, has commanded me to present to Your Majesty from him.
Tell your master, said the King, that I thank him, and that he gives me a great deal of pleasure.
Another time the Cat hid himself among some standing corn, holding his bag open. When a brace of partridges ran into it, he drew the string and so caught them both. He made a present of these to the king as he had the rabbit. The king, in like manner received the partridges with great pleasure, and ordered some money to be given to him.
The Cat continued thus for two or three months to carry to His Majesty, from time to time, game of his masters taking. One day, in particular, when he knew for certain that the king was to take the air along the riverside, with his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world, he said to his master:
If you will follow my advice your fortune is made. You have nothing to do but wash yourself in the river, where I shall show you, and leave the rest to me.
The Marquis of Carabas did what the Cat advised him to do, without knowing why or wherefore. While he was washing, the king passed by, and the cat began to cry out: Help! Help! My Lord Marquis of Carabas is going to be drowned.
At this the king put his head out of the coach window, and finding it was the Cat who had so often brought him such good game, he commanded his guards to run immediately to the assistance of His Lordship the Marquis of Carabas. While they were drawing him out of the river, the cat came up to the coach and told the king that, while his master was washing, there came by some rogues, who went off with his clothes, though he had cried out Thieves! Thieves! several times, as loud as he could.
The cat, of course had hidden them under a great stone. The king immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one of his best suits for the Marquis of Carabas.
The fine clothes set off his good mien, for he was well made and very handsome in his person. The kings daughter took a secret inclination to him, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast tow or three respectful and tender glances upon her than she fell in love with him to distraction. The king would needs have him come into the coach and take the air with them. The cat overjoyed to see his project begin to succeed, marched on before, and meeting with some countrymen, who were mowing a meadow, he said to them:
Good people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the king that the meadow you mow belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped as small as herbs for the pot.
The king did not fail to ask the mowers to whom the meadow belonged. To my Lord, Marquis of Carabas, they answered all together, for the cats threat had made them terribly afraid. You see, sir, said the marquis, this meadow which never fails to yield a plentiful harvest every year.
The Master Cat, who still went on before, met with some reapers, and said to them, Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the king that all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped as small as herbs for the pot.
The king, who passed by a moment after, wished to know to whom all that corn belonged.
To my Lord Marquis of Carabas, replied the reapers, and the king was very well pleased with it, as well as with the marquis, whom he congratulated thereupon. The Master Cat, who now called himself Monsieur Puss, went always before, said the same words to all he met, and the king was astonished at the vast estates of the Marquis of Carabas.
Monsieur Puss came at last to a stately castle, the master of which was an ogre, the richest ever known. All the land which the king had then gone over belonged to this ogre who had devoured the many landlords and made himself the lord of the land. The Cat, who had taken care to inform himself who this ogre was and what he could do, asked to speak with him, saying he could not pass so near his castle without paying his respect to him.
The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre could and made him sit down. I have been assured, said the cat, that you have the gift of being able to change yourself into any sort of creatures. You can, for example, transform yourself into a lion or elephant and the like.
Thats true, answered the ogre briskly, and to convince you, you shall see me now become a lion.
Puss was so badly terrified at the sight of a lion so near him that he immediately got into the rain gutter, not without abundance of trouble and danger, because of his boots. They were of no use walking upon the tiles. A little while after, when Puss saw that the ogre had resumed his natural form, he came down and owned he had been very much frightened.
I have been moreover informed, said the cat, but I know how to believe it, that you have also he power to take on the shape of a smallest animal; for example, to change yourself into a rat or a mouse; but I must own to you I take this to be impossible.
Impossible? Cried the ogre. You shall see that presently. At the same time he changed himself into a mouse and began to run about the floor. Puss no sooner perceived this that he fell upon him and gobbled him up.
Meanwhile the king, who saw, as he passed, this fine castle of the ogres, had a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard the noise of His Majestys coach running over the drawbridge, ran out, and said to the king: Your Majesty is welcome to this castle of my Lord Marquis of Carabas.
What, my Lord Marquis! cried the king. And does this castle also belong to you? There can be nothing finer than this court all the stately buildings which surround it. Let us go in, if you please.
The marquis gave his hand to the princess and followed the king, who went in first. They passed into a spacious hall, where they found a magnificent collation, which the ogre had prepared for his friends, who were that very day to visit him, but dared not enter knowing the king was there. His Majesty was charmed with the good qualities of the Lord Marquis of Carabas, as was his daughter, and seeing the vast estate he possessed, said to him: It will be owing to yourself only, my Lord Marquis, if you are not my son in law.
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