The Rat's Wedding

Once upon a time a fat sleek Rat was caught in a shower of rain, and

being far from shelter he set to work and soon dug a nice hole in the

ground, in which he sat as dry as a bone while the raindrops splashed

outside, making little puddles on the road.

Now in the course of his digging he came upon a fine bit of root,

quite dry and fit for fuel, which he set aside carefully--for the Rat

is an economical creature--in order to take it home with him. So when

the shower was over, he set off with the dry root in his mouth. As he

went along, daintily picking his way through the puddles, he saw a

poor man vainly trying to light a fire, while a little circle of

children stood by, and cried piteously.

'Goodness gracious!' exclaimed the Rat, who was both soft-hearted and

curious, 'what a dreadful noise to make! What _is_ the matter?'

'The bairns are hungry,' answered the man; 'they are crying for their

breakfast, but the sticks are damp, the fire won't burn, and so I

can't bake the cakes.'

'If that is all your trouble, perhaps I can help you,' said the

good-natured Rat; 'you are welcome to this dry root, and I'll warrant

it will soon make a fine blaze.'

The poor man, with a thousand thanks, took the dry root, and in his

turn presented the Rat with a morsel of dough, as a reward for his

kindness and generosity.

'What a remarkably lucky fellow I am!' thought the Rat, as he trotted

off gaily with his prize, 'and clever too! Fancy making a bargain

like that--food enough to last me five days in return for a rotten

old stick! _Wah! wah! wah!_ what it is to have brains!'

Going along, hugging his good fortune in this way, he came presently

to a potter's yard, where the potter, leaving his wheel to spin round

by itself, was trying to pacify his three little children, who were

screaming and crying as if they would burst.

'My gracious!' cried the Rat, stopping his ears, 'what a noise!--do

tell me what it is all about.'

'I suppose they are hungry,' replied the potter ruefully; 'their

mother has gone to get flour in the bazaar, for there is none in the

house. In the meantime I can neither work nor rest because of them.'

'Is that all!' answered the officious Rat; 'then I can help you. Take

this dough, cook it quickly, and stop their mouths with food.'

The potter overwhelmed the Rat with thanks for his obliging kindness,

and choosing out a nice well-burnt pipkin, insisted on his accepting

it as a remembrance.

The Rat was delighted at the exchange, and though the pipkin was just

a trifle awkward for him to manage, he succeeded after infinite

trouble in balancing it on his head, and went away gingerly,

_tink-a-tink_, _tink-a-tink,_ down the road, with his tail

over his arm for fear he should trip on it. And all the time he kept

saying to himself, 'What a lucky fellow I am! and clever too! Such a

hand at a bargain!'

By and by he came to where some neatherds were herding their cattle.

One of them was milking a buffalo, and having no pail he used his

shoes instead.

'Oh fie! oh fie!' cried the cleanly Rat, quite shocked at the sight.

'What a nasty dirty trick!--why don't you use a pail?'

'For the best of all reasons--we haven't got one!' growled the

neatherd, who did not see why the Rat should put his finger in the

pie.

'If that is all,' replied the dainty Rat, 'oblige me by using this

pipkin, for I cannot bear dirt!'

The neatherd, nothing loath, took the pipkin, and milked away until it

was brimming over; then turning to the Rat, who stood looking on,

said, 'Here, little fellow, you may have a drink, in payment.'

But if the Rat was good-natured he was also shrewd. 'No, no, my

friend,' said he, 'that will not do! As if I could drink the worth of

my pipkin at a draught! My dear sir, _I couldn't hold it!_

Besides, I never make a bad bargain, so I expect you at least to give

me the buffalo that gave the milk.'

'Nonsense!' cried the neatherd; 'a buffalo for a pipkin! Who ever

heard of such a price? And what on earth could _you_ do with a

buffalo when you got it? Why, the pipkin was about as much as you

could manage.'

At this the Rat drew himself up with dignity, for he did not like

allusions to his size.

'That is my affair, not yours,' he retorted; 'your business is to hand

over the buffalo.'

So just for the fun of the thing, and to amuse themselves at the Rat's

expense, the neatherds loosed the buffalo's halter and began to tie it

to the little animal's tail.

'No! no!' he called, in a great hurry; 'if the beast pulled, the skin

of my tail would come off, and then where should I be? Tie it round

my neck, if you please.'

So with much laughter the neatherds tied the halter round the Rat's

neck, and he, after a polite leave-taking, set off gaily towards home

with his prize; that is to say, he set off with the _rope_, for

no sooner did he come to the end of the tether than he was brought up

with a round turn; the buffalo, nose down grazing away, would not

budge until it had finished its tuft of grass, and then seeing another

in a different direction marched off towards it, while the Rat, to

avoid being dragged, had to trot humbly behind, willy-nilly.

He was too proud to confess the truth, of course, and, nodding his

head knowingly to the neatherds, said, 'Ta-ta, good people! I am

going home this way. It may be a little longer, but it's much

shadier.'

And when the neatherds roared with laughter he took no notice, but

trotted on, looking as dignified as possible.

'After all,' he reasoned to himself, 'when one keeps a buffalo one has

to look after its grazing. A beast must get a good bellyful of grass

if it is to give any milk, and I have plenty of time at my disposal.'

So all day long he trotted about after the buffalo, making believe;

but by evening he was dead tired, and felt truly thankful when the

great big beast, having eaten enough, lay down under a tree to chew

the cud.

Just then a bridal party came by. The bridegroom and his friends had

evidently gone on to the next village, leaving the bride's palanquin

to follow; so the palanquin bearers, being lazy fellows and seeing a

nice shady tree, put down their burden, and began to cook some food.

'What detestable meanness!' grumbled one;' a grand wedding, and

nothing but plain rice pottage to eat! Not a scrap of meat in it,

neither sweet nor salt! It would serve the skinflints right if we

upset the bride into a ditch!'

'Dear me!' cried the Rat at once, seeing a way out of his difficulty,

'that _is_ a shame! I sympathise with your feelings so entirely

that if you will allow me I'll give you my buffalo. You can kill it,

and cook it.'

'_Your_ buffalo!' returned the discontented bearers, 'what

rubbish! Whoever heard of a rat owning a buffalo?'

'Not often, I admit,' replied the Rat with conscious pride; 'but look

for yourselves. Can you not see that I am leading the beast by a

string?'

'Oh, never mind the string!' cried a great big hungry bearer; 'master

or no master, I mean to have meat to my dinner!'

Whereupon they killed the buffalo, and, cooking its flesh, ate their

dinner with relish; then, offering the remains to the Rat, said

carelessly, 'Here, little Rat-skin, that is for you!'

'Now look here!' cried the Rat hotly; 'I'll have none of your pottage,

nor your sauce either. You don't suppose I am going to give my best

buffalo, that gave quarts and quarts of milk--the buffalo I have been

feeding all day--for a wee bit of rice? No!--I got a loaf for a bit

of stick; I got a pipkin for a little loaf; I got a buffalo for a

pipkin; and now I'll have the bride for my buffalo--the bride, and

nothing else!'

By this time the servants, having satisfied their hunger, began to

reflect on what they had done, and becoming alarmed at the

consequences, arrived at the conclusion it would be wisest to make

their escape whilst they could. So, leaving the bride in her

palanquin, they took to their heels in various directions.

The Rat, being as it were left in possession, advanced to the

palanquin, and drawing aside the curtain, with the sweetest of voices

and best of bows begged the bride to descend. She hardly knew whether

to laugh or to cry, but as any company, even a Rat's, was better than

being quite alone in the wilderness, she did as she was bidden, and

followed the lead of her guide, who set off as fast as he could for

his hole.

As he trotted along beside the lovely young bride, who, by her rich

dress and glittering jewels, seemed to be some king's daughter, he

kept saying to himself, 'How clever I am! What bargains I do make, to

be sure!'

When they arrived at his hole, the Rat stepped forward with the

greatest politeness, and said, 'Welcome, madam, to my humble abode!

Pray step in, or if you will allow me, and as the passage is somewhat

dark, I will show you the way.'

Whereupon he ran in first, but after a time, finding the bride did not

follow, he put his nose out again, saying testily, 'Well, madam, why

don't you follow? Don't you know it's rude to keep your husband

waiting?'

'My good sir,' laughed the handsome young bride, 'I can't squeeze into

that little hole!'

The Rat coughed; then after a moment's thought he replied, 'There is

some truth in your remark--you _are_ overgrown, and I suppose I

shall have to build you a thatch somewhere. For to-night you can rest

under that wild plum-tree.'

'But I am so hungry!' said the bride ruefully.

'Dear, dear! everybody seems hungry to-day!' returned the Rat

pettishly; 'however, that's easily settled--I'll fetch you some supper

in a trice.'

So he ran into his hole, returning immediately with an ear of millet

and a dry pea.

'There!' said he, triumphantly, 'isn't that a fine meal?'

'I can't eat that!' whimpered the bride; 'it isn't a mouthful; and I

want rice pottage, and cakes, and sweet eggs, and sugar-drops. I

shall die if I don't get them!'

'Oh dear me!' cried the Rat in a rage, 'what a nuisance a bride is, to

be sure! Why don't you eat the wild plums?'

'I can't live on wild plums!' retorted the weeping bride; 'nobody

could; besides, they are only half ripe, and I can't reach them.'

'Rubbish!' cried the Rat; 'ripe or unripe, they must do you for

to-night, and to-morrow you can gather a basketful, sell them in the

city, and buy sugar-drops and sweet eggs to your heart's content!'

So the next morning the Rat climbed up into the plum-tree, and nibbled

away at the stalks till the fruit fell down into the bride's veil.

Then, unripe as they were, she carried them into the city, calling out

through the streets--

'Green plums I sell! green plums I sell!

Princess am I, Rat's bride as well!'

As she passed by the palace, her mother the Queen heard her voice,

and, running out, recognised her daughter. Great were the rejoicings,

for every one thought the poor bride had been eaten by wild beasts.

In the midst of the feasting and merriment, the Rat, who had followed

the Princess at a distance, and had become alarmed at her long

absence, arrived at the door, against which he beat with a big knobby

stick, calling out fiercely, 'Give me my wife! give me my wife! She

is mine by fair bargain. I gave a stick and I got a loaf; I gave a

loaf and I got a pipkin; I gave a pipkin and I got a buffalo; I gave a

buffalo and I got a bride. Give me my wife! give me my wife!'

'La! son-in-law! what a fuss you do make!' said the wily old Queen,

through the door, 'and all about nothing! Who wants to run away with

your wife? On the contrary, we are proud to see you, and I only keep

you waiting at the door till we can spread the carpets, and receive

you in style.'

Hearing this, the Rat was mollified, and waited patiently outside

whilst the cunning old Queen prepared for his reception, which she did

by cutting a hole in the very middle of a stool, putting a red-hot

stone underneath, covering it over with a stew-pan-lid, and then

spreading a beautiful embroidered cloth over all.

Then she went to the door, and receiving the Rat with the greatest

respect, led him to the stool, praying him to be seated.

'Dear! dear! how clever I am! What bargains I do make, to be sure!'

said he to himself as he climbed on to the stool. 'Here I am,

son-in-law to a real live Queen! What will the neighbours say?'

At first he sat down on the edge of the stool, but even there it was

warm, and after a while he began to fidget, saying, 'Dear me,

mother-in-law! how hot your house is! Everything I touch seems

burning!'

'You are out of the wind there, my son,' replied the cunning old

Queen; 'sit more in the middle of the stool, and then you will feel

the breeze and get cooler.'

But he didn't! for the stewpan-lid by this time had become so hot,

that the Rat fairly frizzled when he sat down on it; and it was not

until he had left all his tail, half his hair, and a large piece of

his skin behind him, that he managed to escape, howling with pain, and

vowing that never, never, never again would he make a bargain!