The Story of the Faithful Cat

About sixty years ago, in the summertime, a man went to pay a visit at

a certain house at Osaka, and, in the course of conversation, said--

"I have eaten some very extraordinary cakes to-day," and on being

asked what he meant, he told the following story:--

"I received the cakes from the relatives of a family who were

celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the death of a cat that had

belonged to their ancestors. When I asked the history of the affair, I

was told that, in former days, a young girl of the family, when she

was about sixteen years old, used always to be followed about by a

tom-cat, who was reared in the house, so much so that the two were

never separated for an instant. When her father perceived this, he was

very angry, thinking that the tom-cat, forgetting the kindness with

which he had been treated for years in the house, had fallen in love

with his daughter, and intended to cast a spell upon her; so he

determined that he must kill the beast. As he was planning this in

secret, the cat overheard him, and that night went to his pillow, and,

assuming a human voice, said to him--

"'You suspect me of being in love with your daughter; and although you

might well be justified in so thinking, your suspicions are

groundless. The fact is this:--There is a very large old rat who has

been living for many years in your granary. Now it is this old rat who

is in love with my young mistress, and this is why I dare not leave

her side for a moment, for fear the old rat should carry her off.

Therefore I pray you to dispel your suspicions. But as I, by myself,

am no match for the rat, there is a famous cat, named Buchi, at the

house of Mr. So-and-so, at Ajikawa: if you will borrow that cat, we

will soon make an end of the old rat.'

"When the father awoke from his dream, he thought it so wonderful,

that he told the household of it; and the following day he got up very

early and went off to Ajikawa, to inquire for the house which the cat

had indicated, and had no difficulty in finding it; so he called upon

the master of the house, and told him what his own cat had said, and

how he wished to borrow the cat Buchi for a little while.

"'That's a very easy matter to settle,' said the other: 'pray take him

with you at once;' and accordingly the father went home with the cat

Buchi in charge. That night he put the two cats into the granary; and

after a little while, a frightful clatter was heard, and then all was

still again; so the people of the house opened the door, and crowded

out to see what had happened; and there they beheld the two cats and

the rat all locked together, and panting for breath; so they cut the

throat of the rat, which was as big as either of the cats: then they

attended to the two cats; but, although they gave them ginseng[76] and

other restoratives, they both got weaker and weaker, until at last

they died. So the rat was thrown into the river; but the two cats were

buried with all honours in a neighbouring temple."

[Footnote 76: A restorative in high repute. The best sorts are brought

from Corea.]