GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES - online book

130 Fairy Stories Adapted & Arranged for young people

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	192	OLD SULTAN AND HIS FRIENDS.
	So he was obliged to rush away, crying out, however, to the dog, " Only wait a little, you false friend. You shall pay for this." The next morning the wolf sent a challenge to the dog by his friend the wild boar, who had promised to stand second. They appointed to meet in the wood; and poor old Sultan had no one to stand by him but a cat who had only three legs. Puss had, however, plenty of spirit; although she hobbled along on her three legs with great pain, yet her tail stood erect, as if she cared for no one in the world. The wolf and the wild boar were already on the appointed spot; but when they saw their adversaries ap­proaching, they thought that the cat's tail was a sabre; and that each time puss humped her back as she hopped, it must be a large stone which Sultan intended to throw at them. They were both so frightened that the wild boar crept in among the dried leaves, and the wolf sprang up a tree. The dog and the cat were very much surprised when they reached the place to find no one there; but the cat espied some­thing on the ground which she took for a mouse. Now the wild boar, when he crept among the dried leaves to hide himself, left his grey ears sticking out; and when the cat began to smell about, she saw the ears move, and taking one of them for a mouse, sprang forward, caught the ear in her teeth, and bit it in half. The wild boar started up with a terrible scream, exclaiming, "There is the real offender up in the tree," and ran away as fast as he could. The dog and the cat looked up, and saw the wolf, who was so ashamed of his cowardice, and so angry with his pretended friend who had betrayed him, that he came down from the tree, and made friends with the cat and the dog from that moment
	Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who lamented every day because they had no children. One day, however, when the queen was in her bath, a frog crept out of the water, and, standing before her, croaked, and said, uThjr wish will be accom-