THE STORY OF KHERUMN. 39 



The cat answered, " Wait here then, while I go to look 

 for some food;' 



So he set off. At last he met with a man who was busy 

 smoking some fish. The cat hid in the grass close by and 

 while the man went away to eat his dinner, he took five or six 

 fish and went off with them to the dog. They both ate and 

 when they were satisfied they went on together. When night 

 fell they went to the house of a goldsmith, a Chinaman. The 

 cat thought that this was perhaps the house of the man who 

 had stolen their master's ring. 



The dog said, " How are you going to manage to get 

 that ring if the ring is in the house.? " 



The cat answered, " I have a plan. It seems that this 

 towkay is really the fellow who has stolen the ring." 



The cat said to the dog, " You wait on this side of the 

 door and I will wait on that. If you see a white rat, catch it, 

 but don't kill it." 



The dog said, " Very well." They each lay in wait on their 

 side of the door. At last about midnight, a white rat came 

 out on the cat's side and the cat caught it. 



The white rat said, -" Don't eat me." 



The cat said, " Yes, I am going to eat you." 



Now the white rat was the king of all the rats in that 

 country. When this occurred all the great men of the king 

 rat came. 



One of his retainers said, " Do not, oh* Grandfather Cat, 

 devour our king ! Whatever you may want we will help you." 



The cat said, "" Very good, there is a fairy ring in the 

 inside of seven boxes belonging to this towkay. If you get 

 that ring to-night, I will let your king go ; if not, I certainly will 

 eat him." 



The retainer replied, " Very well, if it is there, we will 

 get it to-night." - 



So they pressed all the rats in that country and ordered 

 them to bore into that Chinaman's box. So all the rats 

 gnawed through one box after another, until the seventh. 



R: A. Soc, No 46, 1906. 



