Puss in Boots

The story

When a poor miller died, he left very little behind.

The eldest son received the mill, the second received the donkey, and the youngest received only the cat.

"What am I supposed to do with a cat?" the youngest son sighed in disappointment.

But this was no ordinary cat.

"Do not be sad, master," said the cat, who could talk. "Give me a pair of boots and a sack, and you will see that you are better off than you think."

The young man thought it was very strange, but he gave the cat what he asked for.

The cat pulled on the boots, slung the sack over his shoulder and strode confidently into the forest.

The clever cat caught the finest game, rabbits and partridges.

He brought them to the king as gifts.

"These are from my master, the Marquis of Carabas," he said politely.

He had made up that grand name for his poor master on the spot.

The king was delighted with the gifts, which the cat kept bringing day after day, and became curious about this generous marquis.

One day, the cat heard that the king and his daughter would be travelling past the river.

He quickly came up with a plan.

"Master, go for a swim in the river and leave the rest to me."

The young man did as he was told.

When the carriage approached, the cat cried, "Help! My master, the Marquis of Carabas, is drowning!"

The king recognised the name at once, ordered his servants to rescue the young man and gave him splendid clothes.

Dressed in those fine clothes, the poor miller's son suddenly looked like a true nobleman.

The princess looked at him admiringly.

The cat ran on ahead.

He passed vast fields and said to the farmers, "If the king asks who owns this land, tell him it belongs to the Marquis of Carabas."

And that is exactly what happened.

Wherever the carriage went, the king heard that the rich land belonged to the marquis.

What an important gentleman that marquis must be!

At last, the cat reached a great castle where a dangerous giant lived.

And all that land really belonged to him.

The cat had heard that the giant could use magic.

"Is it true," the cat asked slyly, "that you can turn yourself into any animal? A lion, for example?"

"Of course!" the giant boasted.

With a bang, he turned into a roaring lion.

"Impressive," said the cat. "But I bet you cannot turn into something small, like a mouse."

"A mouse? That is easy!" cried the giant.

And in a flash, there stood a little grey mouse.

At that very moment, the cat chased the mouse out of the castle.

It fled into the forest as fast as the wind and never came back.

When the carriage arrived, the cat welcomed everyone to "the castle of the Marquis of Carabas".

The king was so impressed that he gave the young man permission to marry his daughter.

And so the poor miller's son, thanks to his clever Puss in Boots, became a rich and happy nobleman.