75 / The Fox and the Cat
It happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she
thought to herself, "He is clever and full of experience, and
much esteemed in the world," she spoke to him in a friendly
way. "Good-day, dear Mr. Fox, how are you? How is all with
you? How are you getting through this dear season?" The fox,
full of all kinds of arrogance, looked at the cat from head
to foot, and for a long time did not know whether he would give any answer or not. At last
he said, "Oh, thou wretched beard-cleaner, thou piebald fool, thou
hungry mouse-hunter, what canst thou be thinking of? Dost thou venture to ask how I am getting
on? What hast thou learnt? How
many arts dost thou understand?" "I understand but one," replied
the cat, modestly. "What art is that?" asked the fox. "When
the hounds are following me, I can spring into a tree and
save myself." "Is that all?" said the fox. "I am master of a
hundred arts, and have into the bargain a sackful of cunning.
Thou makest me sorry for thee; come with me, I will teach thee how people get away from the
hounds." Just then came a hunter
with four dogs. The cat sprang nimbly up a tree, and sat
down on top of it, where the branches and foliage quite
concealed her. "Open your sack, Mr. Fox, open your sack," cried
the cat to him, but the dogs had already seized him, and
were holding him fast. "Ah, Mr. Fox," cried the cat. "You with
your hundred arts are left in the lurch! Had you been able
to climb like me, you would not have lost your life."
From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret Hunt (London:
George Bell, 1884), 1:302.
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Last modified 24 August 2001