Now it happened that there were no cats in Schilda, and so many mice that nothing was safe, even in the bread-basket, for whatsoever they put there was sure to be gnawed or eaten; and this grieved them sorely.  And upon a time there came a traveller into the village, carrying a cat in his arms, and he entered the hostel.  The host asked him, “What sort of a beast is that?” Said he, “It is a mouser.”  Now the mice at Schilda were so quiet and so tame that they never fled before the people, but ran about all day long, without the slightest fear.  So the traveller let the cat run, who, in the sight of the host, soon caught numbers of mice.  Now when the people were told this by the host, they asked the man whether the mouser was to be sold, for they would pay him well for it.  He said, “It certainly was not to be sold; but seeing that it would be so useful to them, he would let them have it if they would pay him what was right,” and he asked a hundred florins for it.  The boors were glad to find that he asked so little, and concluded a bargain with him, he agreeing to take half the money down, and to come again in six months to fetch the rest.  As soon as the bargain was struck on both sides, they gave the traveller the half of the money, and he carried the mouser into the granary, where they kept their corn, for there were most mice there.  The traveller went off with the money at full speed, for he feared greatly lest they should repent them of the bargain, and want their money back again; and as he went along he kept looking behind him to see that no one was following him.  Now the boors had forgotten to ask what the cat was to be fed upon, so they sent one after him in haste to ask him the question.  But when he with the gold saw that some one was following him, he hastened so much the more, so that the boor could by no means overtake him, whereupon he called out to him from afar off, “What does it eat?” “What you please!  What you please!” quoth the traveller.  But the peasant understood him to say, “Men and beasts!  Men and beasts!” Therefore he returned home in great affliction, and said as much to his worthy masters.

On learning this they became greatly alarmed, and said, “When it has no more mice to eat, it will eat our cattle; and when they are gone, it will eat us!  To think that we should lay out our good money in buying such a thing!” And they held counsel together and resolved that the cat should be killed.  But no one would venture to lay hold of it for that purpose, whereupon it was determined to burn the granary, and the cat in it, seeing that it was better they should suffer a common loss than all lose life and limb.  So they set fire to the granary.  But when the cat smelt the fire, it sprang out of a window and fled to another house, and the granary was burned to the ground.  Never was there sorrow greater than that of the Schildburgers when they found that they could not kill the cat.  They counselled with one another, and purchased the house to which