李同舟

Once not so very long ago， a king called his three sons together and said， “I wish to turn over my crown to one of you and retire to my estate in the country. When I do， I want a pretty little dog to keep me company. Whichever of you brings me the prettiest little dog shall be king. ”

The princes were surprised by this， but they agree to their fathers plan and vowed to return in exactly one year. Then they said good-bye， and each set out on a different road.

The youngest son， who was the handsomest and smartest of the three， bought a new dog every day—and sold it as soon as he found a prettier one.

One evening， as he rode through a forest， a terrifying thunderstorm came up. Rain fell in torrents①， soaking② him to the skin. Soon he had lost his way in the darkness.

He had been riding along， miserable and cold， for hours when he saw a bright red light shining through the trees. He urged his horse towards it and soon found him at the entrance to a palace. The gate was made of polished gold， studded with radiant③ rubies. A gold cats paw hung from the gate on the chain of diamonds. The prince pulled the chain and heard a bell ringing far inside the palace.

A moment later the door opened. He saw a dozen hands floating in the air， each holding a torch.

The prince hesitated， then grasped his sword and entered the marble hall. On the walls hung portraits④ of famous cats： puss-in-boots， Cleopatras Cat， the King of the Cats， and countless? others.

A sweet voice whispered， “Do not be afraid. You are welcome here.”

The mysterious hands led him past suits of splendidly furnished rooms. At last they stopped. They moved a large armchair close to the hearth then flung their torches into the fireplace， where a warm fire began to burn. Then the hands brought the prince towels to dry himself and dressed him in the grandest clothes he had even seen.

After this， they led him to a magnificent⑤ dining hall. The table was set for two. As the prince seated himself， several cats filed in. One held a music book; some carried small guitars; one held a baton⑥. Under the conductors direction， they began to mew and draw their claws across the strings of the guitars. As they played， a group of cats and monkeys entered and danced an elegant ballet.

When the performance was over， the prince applauded loudly. As he did so， a small figure about twenty inches tall， covered from head to foot by a black veil， entered the room and sat opposite him. She was escorted by two cats in black livery， who stood at attention on either side of her.

When the little creature threw back her veil， the prince saw a lovely little white cat. She looked very young and very sad.

“Kings son， I welcome you with pleasure，” she mewed， so sweet that his heart

was touched.

“Mistress Cat， I thank you. But surely you are no ordinary cat， with your gift of speech and your splendid castle？ ”

She thanked him politely but did not answer his question. Then she asked his servants to bring supper.

They dined on stewed pigeons， braised⑦ fish， meat pie， and berries with cream for dessert.

After supper， the White Cat wished the prince good night. He was led to a magnificent room with a bed so soft that he fall asleep immediately.

The prince stayed with the White Cat for a long time. They played chess， drank milk punch， listened to the palace musicians， and talked late into night. But when he asked the White Cat questions about herself， she said， “I cannot tell you anything.” She seemed so sad when she said it that he did not question her again.

Nearly a year had passed when the prince remembered his fathers request. “I have only three weeks to find the pretty little dog my father wants and return home. My whole fortune depends on it. What shall I do？ ”

The White Cat handed him an acorn⑧. “This contained the loveliest dog in all the world. Hold the acorn to your ear， and you will hear it barking. ”

The prince did so， and indeed he heard a tiny bark.

“You must promise you will open the acorn only in the presence of your father， ” said the White Cat. “I give you this in return for your friendship and good company.”

The prince was overjoyed. He gave his promise and thanked the White Cat a thousand times. Then he set off for home.

He was the first of the three brothers to return to the castle. When his elder brothers arrived， they all went together to see their father. The two elder brothers each carried a small basket holding a beautiful little dog. Both dog were exquisite⑨， and the king found it difficult to choose. But the youngest prince settled the matter when he opened the acorn. There， lying on a bit of folded silk， was a tiny dog. It was so small it could fit through the kings ring， yet it was full of energy and danced on its tiny legs to the delight of everyone. The king was charmed by it and declared that his youngest son had brought him the most beautiful dog in the world.

But his elder sons grumbled⑩ so much that the king announced a second contest. “I will give you one year，” he said， “to find a piece of linen so fine that it can pass through the eye of the thinnest needle.”

The three brothers set out， each in a different direction.

The youngest prince journeyed once again to the castle of the White Cat.

This time the White Cat was in the field， riding a greyhound and wearing a soldiers helmet. She greeted the prince warmly， then raised a little horn and sounded it several times. Five hundred soldier-cats， mounted on greyhounds， formed in ranks upon the field.

“We are at war with horrible rats from an island across the sea，” she said. “They are pillaging11 my lands and driving my subjects from their homes. Will you help us？”

The prince agreed， and he marched into battle with the five hundred cats.

（To be continued）