Page:Swahili tales.djvu/269

Rh And it waited, till after the second day it caught a donkey. And he was told, "Sultan, the cat has caught a donkey." And he said, "My donkey and my cat." And it waited, till after one day it caught a horse." And the Sultan was told, "Master, the cat has caught a horse." And he said, "My cat and my horse." And it waited, and caught for itself a camel. And the Sultan was told, "To-day the cat has caught a camel." And he said, "What do you want with it? It is my cat and my camel; you don't like this cat, and want me to kill it; every day bringing me mere tales. And I shall not kill it; let it eat the camel, and let it eat even a man."

And it waited till the next day, and caught some one's child. And the Sultan was told, "The cat has caught some one's child." And he said, "The cat is mine and the child mine." And it waited till the next day, and caught a full-grown person. And he was told, "The cat has caught a full-grown person, master." And he said, "The cat is mine and the person mine."

And the cat removed from the town, and lived as it were on Mnazimoja, among the undergrowth. So if any one passed, going for water, it devoured him. If it saw a cow passing, going to be pastured, it seized it and ate it. If it saw a goat, it ate it. Everything it saw, which passed on that road, it caught and ate it.

The people went and said to the Sultan, "How is this, master? It is you who are our Sultan, it is you who are our master, it is you who are our shield. You have left that cat, master, to itself; it is gone to live on Mnazimoja; if a man passes, it eats him, if a cow passes, it eats it, if a donkey passes, it eats it, if a goat passes, it eats it, whatever thing it is which passes by that road of Mnazimoja, it catches and eats it; and at night it comes down into the town: whatever it finds in the town, it catches and eats