The author was born in Bombay, India on December 30, 1865. He is regarded as one of the greatest English poets, novelists, and short-story writers. Kipling is renowned for his rhymed verse written in the slang used by the ordinary British soldier of the time. Awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907. Died on January 18, 1936 in London, England.
Hear and attend and listen;
for this befell and behappened
and became and was, O, my Best Beloved, when the tame animals
were wild. The Dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the
Cow
was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild---as
wild as
wild could be---and they walked in the wet wild woods by
their wild
lones. But the wildest of all wild animals was the Cat. He
walked by
himself, and all places were alike to him.
Of course the Man was wild
too. He was dreadfully wild. He
didn't even begin to be tame till he met the Woman, and she
told
him that she did not like living in his wild ways. She picked
out a
nice dry cave, instead of a heap of wet leaves, to lie down
in, and
she lit a nice fire of wood at the back of the cave, and she
hung a
dried Wild Horse skin, tail down, across the opening of the
cave,
and she said, "Wipe your feet, dear, when you come in, and
now
we'll keep house."
That night, Best Beloved,
they ate Wild Sheep roasted on the
hot stones, and flavored with wild garlic and wild pepper,
and Wild
Duck stuffed with wild rice and wild fenugreek and wild
coriander,
and marrowbones of Wild Oxen, and wild cherries and wild
grenadillas. Then the Man went to sleep in the front of the
fire ever
so happy, but the Woman sat up, combing her hair. She took
the
bone of the shoulder of mutton---the big flat blade
bone---and she
looked at the wonderful marks on it, and she threw more wood
on
the fire, and she made a magic. She made the first Singing
Magic in
the world.
Out in the wet wild woods all
the wild animals gathered
together where they could see the light of the fire a long
way off,
and they wondered what it meant.
Then Wild Horse stamped with
his wild foot and said, "O, my
friends and O, my enemies, why have the Man and the Woman
made that great light in that great cave, and what harm will
it do
us?"
Wild Dog lifted up his wild
nose and smelled the smell of roast
mutton, and said: "I will go up and see and look and stay,
for I think
it is good. Cat, come with me."
"Nenni," said the Cat. "I am
the Cat who walks by himself,
and all places are alike to me. I will not come."
"Then we will never be
friends again," said Wild Dog, and he
trotted off to the cave.
But when he had gone a
little way the Cat said to himself, "All
places are alike to me. Why should I not go and see and look
and
come away." So he slipped after Wild Dog softly, very softly,
and
hid himself where he could hear everything.
When Wild Dog reached the
mouth of the Cave he lifted up
the dried Horse skin with his nose a little bit and sniffed
the
beautiful smell of the roast mutton, and the Woman heard him,
and
laughed and said, "Here comes the first wild thing out of the
wild
woods. What do you want?"
Wild Dog said, "O, my enemy
and wife of my enemy, what is
this that smells so good in the wild woods?"
Then the Woman picked up a
roasted mutton bone and threw
it to Wild Dog and said, "Wild thing out of the wild woods,
taste and
try." Wild Dog gnawed the bone and it was more delicious than
anything he had ever tasted, and he said, "O, my enemy and
wife of
my enemy, give me another."
The Woman said, "Wild thing
out of the wild woods, help my
Man to hunt through the day and guard his cave at night and I
will
give you as many roast bones as you need."
"Ah!" said the Cat
listening. "this is a very wise Woman, but
she is not so wise as I am."
Wild Dog crawled into the
cave and laid his head on the
Woman's lap and said, "O, my friend and wife of my friend, I
will
help your Man to hunt through the day, and at night I will
guard
your cave."
"Ah!" said the Cat
listening. "that is a very foolish Dog."
And he went back through the wet wild woods waving his tail
and
walking by his wild lone. But he never told anybody.
When the Man woke up he
said, "What is Wild Dog doing
here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore,
but the First Friend because he will be our friend for always
and
always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
Next night the Woman cut
great green armfuls of fresh grass
from the water meadows and dried it before the fire so that
it
smelled like new-mown hay, and she sat at the mouth of the
cave
and plaited a halter out of horsehide, and she looked at the
shoulder
of mutton bone---at the big broad blade bone---and she made a
magic. She made the second Singing Magic in the world.
Out in the wild woods all
the wild animals wondered what had
happened to Wild Dog, and at last Wild Horse stamped with his
foot
and said, "I will go and see and say why Wild Dog has not
returned.
Cat, come with me."
"Nenni," said the Cat. "I am
the Cat who walks by himself,
and all places are alike to me. I will not come." But all the
same he
followed Wild Horse softly, very softly, and hid himself
where he
could hear everything.
When the Woman heard Wild
Horse tripping and stumbling
on his long mane she laughed and said, "Here comes the second
wild thing out of the wild woods. What do you want?"
Wild Horse said, "O, my enemy
and wife of my enemy, where
is Wild Dog?"
The Woman laughed and picked
up the blade bone and looked
at it and said, "Wild thing out of the wild woods, you did
not come
here for Wild Dog, but for the sake of this good grass."
And Wild Horse, tripping and
stumbling on his long mane,
said, "That is true; give it to me to eat."
The Woman said, "Wild thing
out of the wild woods, bend
your wild head and wear what I give you and you shall eat the
wonderful grass three times a day."
"Ah," said the Cat
listening, "this is a clever Woman, but she
is not so clever as I am."
Wild Horse bent his wild head,
and the Woman slipped the
plaited hide halter over it, and Wild Horse breathed on the
woman's
feet and said, "O, my mistress, and wife of my master, I will
be your
servant for the sake of the wonderful grass."
"Ah," said the Cat
listening, "that is a very foolish Horse."
And he went back through the wet wild woods, waving his wild
tail
and walking by his wild lone.
When the Man and the Dog
came back from hunting, the
Man said, "What is Wild Horse doing here?" And the Woman
said,
"His name is not Wild Horse any more, but the First Servant
because he will carry us from place to place for always and
always
and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
Next day, holding her wild head high that her
wild horns
should not catch in the wild trees, Wild Cow came up to the
cave,
and the Cat followed and hid himself just the same as before;
and
everything happened just the same as before; and the Cat said
the
same things as before, and when Wild Cow had promised to give
her milk to the Woman every day in exchange for the wonderful
grass, the Cat went back through the wet wild woods walking
by his
lone just the same as before.
And when the Man and the
Horse and the Dog came home
from hunting and asked the same questions, same as before,
the
Woman said, "Her name is not Wild Cow anymore, but the Giver
of
Good Things. She will give us the warm white milk for always
and
always and always, and I will take care of her while you
three go
hunting."
Next day the Cat waited to
see if any other wild thing would
go up to the cave, but no one moved, so the Cat walked there
by
himself, and he saw the Woman milking the Cow, and he saw the
light of the fire in the cave, and he smelled the smell of
the warm
white milk.
Cat said, "O, my enemy and
wife of my enemy, where did
Wild Cow go?"
The Woman laughed and said,
"Wild thing out of the wild
woods, go back to the woods again, for I have braided up my
hair
and I have put away the magic blade bone, and we have no more
need of either friends or servants in our cave."
Cat said, "I am not a
friend, and I am not a servant. I am the
Cat who walks by himself and I wish to come into your cave."
The Woman said, "Then why
did you not come with First
Friend on the first night?"
Cat grew very angry and
said, "Has Wild Dog told tales of
me?"
Then the Woman laughed and
said, "You are the Cat who
walks by himself, and all places are alike to you. You are
neither a
friend nor a servant. You have said it yourself. Go away and
walk
by yourself in all places alike."
Then Cat pretended to be
sorry and said, "Must I never
come into the cave? Must I never sit by the warm fire? Must I
never drink the warm white milk? You are very wise and very
beautiful. You should not be cruel even to a Cat."
Then the Woman said, "I knew
I was wise, but I did not know
I was beautiful. So I will make a bargain with you. If ever I
say one
word in your praise you may come into the cave."
"And if you say two words in
my praise?" said the Cat.
"I never shall," said the
Woman, "but if I say two words in
your praise you may sit by the fire in the cave."
"And if you say three
words?" said the Cat.
"I never shall," said the
Woman, "but if I do you may drink
the warm white milk three times a day for always and always
and
always."
Then the Cat arched his back
and said, "Now let the curtain
at the mouth of the cave, and the fire at the back of the
cave, and
the milk pots that stand beside the fire remember what my
enemy
and the wife of my enemy has said." And he went away through
the
wet wild woods waving his wild tail and walking by his wild
lone.
That night when the Man and
the Horse and the Dog came
home from hunting, the Woman did not tell them of the bargain
that
she had made because she was afraid that they might not like
it.
Cat went far and far away
and hid himself in the wet wild
woods by his wild lone for a long time till the Woman forgot
all
about him. Only the Bat---the little upside-down Bat---that
hung
inside the cave knew where Cat hid, and every evening he
would fly
to Cat with the news.
One evening Bat said,
"There is a Baby in the Cave. He is
new and pink and fat and small, and the Woman is very fond of
him."
"Ah," said the Cat,
listening, "but what is the Baby fond of?"
"He is fond of things that
are soft and tickle," said the Bat.
"He is fond of warm things to hold in his arms when he goes
to
sleep. He is fond of being played with. He is fond of all
those
things."
"Ah," said the Cat, "then
my time has come."
Next night Cat walked
through the wet wild woods and hid
very near the cave till morning time. The Woman was very busy
cooking, and the Baby cried and interrupted; so she carried
him
outside the cave and gave him a handful of pebbles to play
with. But
still the Baby cried.
Then the Cat put out his
paddy-paw and patted the Baby on
the cheek, and it cooed; and the Cat rubbed against its fat
knees
and tickled under its fat chin with his tail. And the Baby
laughed;
and the Woman heard him and smiled.
Then the Bat---the little
upside-down Bat---that hung in the
mouth of the cave said, "O, my hostess and wife of my host
and
mother of my host, a wild thing from the wild woods is most
beautifully playing with your Baby."
"A blessing on that wild
thing whoever he may be," said the
Woman straightening her back, "for I was a busy Woman this
morning and he has done me a service."
That very minute and
second, Best Beloved, the dried horse
skin curtain that was stretched tail down at the mouth of the
cave
fell down---So!---because it remembered the bargain, and when
the
Woman went to pick it up---lo and behold!---the Cat was
sitting
quite comfy inside the cave.
"O, my enemy and wife of
my enemy and mother of my
enemy," said the Cat, "it is I, for you have spoken a word in
my
praise, and now I can sit within the cave for always and
always and
always. But still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all
places
are alike to me."
The woman was very angry,
and shut her lips tight and took
up her spinning wheel and began to spin.
But the Baby cried because
the Cat had gone away, and the
Woman could not hush him for he struggled and kicked and grew
black in the face.
"O, my enemy and wife of my
enemy and mother of my
enemy," said the Cat, "take a strand of the thread that you
are
spinning and tie it to your spindle wheel and drag it on the
floor and
I will show you a magic that shall make your Baby laugh as
loudly
as he is now crying."
"I will do so," said the
Woman, "because I am at my wits'
end, but I will not thank you for it."
She tied the thread to the
little spindle wheel and drew it
across the floor and the Cat ran after it and patted it with
his paws,
and rolled head over heels, and tossed it backward over his
shoulder, and chased it between his hind legs, and pretended
to lose
it, and pounced down upon it again till the Baby laughed as
loudly as
it had been crying, and scrambled after the Cat and frolicked
all
over the cave till he grew tired and settled down to sleep
with the
Cat in its arms.
"Now," said the Cat, "I
will sing the Baby a song that shall
keep him asleep for an hour." And he began to purr loud and
low,
low and loud, till the Baby fell fast asleep. The Woman
smiled as
she looked down upon the two of them and said, "That was
wonderfully done. Surely you are very clever, O, Cat."
That very minute and
second, Best Beloved, the smoke of the
fire at the back of the Cave came down in clouds from the
roof
because it remembered the bargain and when it had cleared
away---lo and behold!---the Cat was sitting, quite comfy,
close to the
fire.
"O, my enemy and wife of
my enemy and mother of my
enemy," said the Cat, "it is I, for you have spoken a second
word in
my praise, and now I can sit by the warm fire at the back of
the
cave for always and always and always. But still I am the Cat
who
walks by himself and all places are alike to me."
Then the Woman was very,
very angry, and let down her hair
and put more wood on the fire and brought out the broad blade
bone
of the shoulder of mutton and began to make a magic that
should
prevent her from saying a third word in praise of the Cat. It
was not
a Singing Magic, Best Beloved, it was a Still Magic; and by
and by
the Cave grew so still that a little wee-wee Mouse crept out
of a
corner and ran across the floor.
"O, my enemy and wife of
my enemy and mother of my
enemy," said the Cat, "is that little Mouse part of your
magic?"
"No," said the Woman, and
she dropped the blade bone and
jumped upon the footstool in front of the fire and braided up
her hair
very quick for fear that the Mouse should run up it.
"Ah," said the Cat, "then
the Mouse will do me no harm if I
eat it?"
"No," said the Woman,
braiding up her hair, "eat it quickly
and I will always be grateful to you."
Cat made one jump and
caught the little Mouse, and the
Woman said, "A hundred thanks to you, O, Cat. Even the First
Friend is not quick enough to catch little Mice as you have
done.
You must be very wise."
That very moment and
second, O, Best Beloved, the milk pot
that stood by the fire cracked in two pieces---So!---because
it
remembered the bargain, and when the Woman jumped down from
the footstool---lo and behold!---the Cat was lapping up the
warm
white milk that lay in one of the broken pieces.
"O, my enemy and wife of
my enemy and mother of my
enemy," said the Cat, "it is I, for you have spoken three
words in
my praise, and now I can drink the warm white milk three
times a
day for always and always and always. But still I am the Cat
who
walks by himself, and all places are alike to me."
Then the Woman laughed and
set him a bowl of the warm
white milk and said, "O, Cat, you are as clever as a Man, but
remember that the bargain was not made with the Man or the
Dog,
and I do not know what they will do when they come home."
"What is that to me?" said
the Cat. "If I have my place by
the fire and my milk three times a day I do not care what the
Man
or the Dog can do."
That evening when the Man
and the Dog came into the cave
the Woman told them all the story of the bargain, and the Man
said,
"Yes, but he has not made a bargain with me or with all
proper Men
after me." And he took off his two leather boots and he took
up his
little stone axe (that makes three) and he fetched a piece of
wood
and a hatchet (that is five altogether), and he set them out
in a row
and he said, "Now we will make a bargain. If you do not catch
Mice
when you are in the cave, for always and always and always, I
will
throw these five things at you whenever I see you, and so
shall all
proper Men do after me."
"Ah," said the Woman
listening, "this is a very clever Cat,
but he is not so clever as my Man."
The Cat counted the five
things (and they looked very
knobby) and he said, "I will catch mice when I am in the Cave
for
always and always and always, but still I am the Cat that
walks by
himself and all places are alike to me."
"Not when I am near." said
the Man, "If you had not said
that I would have put all these things away for always and
always
and always, but now I am going to throw my two boots and my
little
stone axe (that makes three) at you whenever I meet you, and
so
shall all proper Men do after me."
Then the Dog said, "Wait a
minute. He has not made a
bargain with me." And he sat down and growled dreadfully and
showed all his teeth and said, "If you are not kind to the
Baby while
I am in the cave for always and always and always I will
chase you
till I catch you, and when I catch you I will bite you, and
so shall all
proper Dogs do after me."
"Ah," said the Woman
listening, "This is a very clever Cat,
but he is not so clever as the Dog."
Cat counted the Dog's
teeth (and they looked very pointed)
and he said, "I will be kind to the Baby while I am in the
cave, as
long as he does not pull my tail too hard for always and
always and
always. But still I am the Cat that walks by himself and all
places
are alike to me."
"Not when I am near," said
the Dog, "If you had not said that
I would have shut my mouth for always and always and always,
but
now I am now going to chase you up a tree whenever I meet
you,
and so shall all proper Dogs do after me."
Then the Man threw his two boots and his little stone axe (that makes three) at the Cat, and the Cat ran out of the cave and the Dog chased him up a tree, and from that day to this, Best Beloved, three proper Men out of five will always throw things at a Cat whenever they meet him, and all proper Dogs will chase him up a tree. But the Cat keeps his side of the bargain too. He will kill mice and he will be kind to Babies when he is in the house, as long as they do not pull his tail too hard. But when he has done that, and between times, he is the Cat that walks by himself and all places are alike to him, and if you look out at nights you can see him waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone---just the same as before.