THERE was once a peasant who owned a faithful dog called Sultan, now
grown so old that he had lost all his teeth, and could lay hold of
nothing. One day the man was standing at the door of his house with his
wife, and he said,
"I shall kill old Sultan to-morrow; he is of no good any longer."
His wife felt sorry for the poor dog, and answered, "He has served us
for so many years, and has kept with us so faithfully, he deserves food
and shelter in his old age."
"Dear me, you do not seem to understand the matter," said the husband;
"he has never a tooth, and no thief would mind him in the least, so I do
not see why he should not be made away with. If he has served us well,
we have given him plenty of good food."
The poor dog, who was lying stretched out in the sun not far off, heard
all they said, and was very sad to think that the next day would be his
last. He bethought him of his great friend the wolf, and slipped out in
the evening to the wood to see him, and related to him the fate that was
awaiting him.
"Listen to me, old fellow," said the wolf; "be of good courage, I will
help you in your need. I have thought of a way. Early to-morrow morning
your master is going hay-making with his wife, and they will take their
child with them, so that no one will be left at home. They will be sure
to lay the child in the shade behind the hedge while they are at work;
you must lie by its side, just as if you were watching it. Then I will
come out of the wood and steal away the child; you must rush after me,
as if to save it from me. Then I must let it fall, and you must bring it
back again to its parents, who will think that you have saved it, and
will be much too grateful to do you any harm; on the contrary, you will
be received into full favour, and they will never let you want for
anything again."
The dog was pleased with the plan, which was carried out accordingly.
When the father saw the wolf running away with his child he cried out,
and when old Sultan brought it back again, he was much pleased with him,
and patted him, saying,
"Not a hair of him shall be touched; he shall have food and shelter as
long as he lives." And he said to his wife,
"Go home directly and make some good stew for old Sultan, something that
does not need biting; and get the pillow from my bed for him to lie on."
From that time old Sultan was made so comfortable that he had nothing
left to wish for. Before long the wolf paid him a visit, to congratulate
him that all had gone so well.
"But, old fellow," said he, "you must wink at my making off by chance
with a fat sheep of your master's; perhaps one will escape some fine
day."
"Don't reckon on that," answered the dog; "I cannot consent to it; I
must remain true to my master."
But the wolf, not supposing it was said in earnest, came sneaking in the
night to carry off the sheep. But the master, who had been warned by the
faithful Sultan of the wolf's intention, was waiting for him, and gave
him a fine hiding with the threshing-flail. So the wolf had to make his
escape, calling out to the dog,
"You shall pay for this, you traitor!"
The next morning the wolf sent the wild boar to call out the dog; and to
appoint a meeting in the wood to receive satisfaction from him. Old
Sultan could find no second but a cat with three legs; and as they set
off together, the poor thing went limping along, holding her tail up in
the air. The wolf and his second were already on the spot; when they saw
their antagonists coming, and caught sight of the elevated tail of the
cat, they thought it was a sabre they were bringing with them. And as
the poor thing came limping on three legs, they supposed it was lifting
a big stone to throw at them. This frightened them very much; the wild
boar crept among the leaves, and the wolf clambered up into a tree. And
when the dog and cat came up, they were surprised not to see any one
there. However, the wild boar was not perfectly hidden in the leaves,
and the tips of his ears peeped out. And when the cat caught sight of
one, she thought it was a mouse, and sprang upon it, seizing it with her
teeth. Out leaped the wild boar with a dreadful cry, and ran away
shouting,
"There is the culprit in the tree!"
And the dog and the cat looking up caught sight of the wolf, who came
down, quite ashamed of his timidity, and made peace with the dog once
more.