A cat came, and set food on the table. He sat down to table, and ate. At night came the cat, and brought him food, and brought him cards, and said to him, ‘There will come a lord, and will say, “Play at cards,” and do you play; and he will spit on you, and do you bear it, but look at the clock. When it strikes ten, then give him a slap.’
Then there came devils as many as the blades of grass; and they beat him and tormented him till twelve o’clock; and the cocks crowed, and they fled. He lay down in the bed and slept. In the morning the cat brought him food, [[118]]and he ate. At nightfall she again brought him food, said to him, ‘He will come again for you to play with him, and do you play till ten o’clock, and give him a slap; and they will come to you as many as all the blades of grass, and will beat you and torment you, and do you bear it till twelve o’clock.’
The lord came to him. ‘Hah! let us play cards.’
And they played till ten o’clock. He gave him, the devil, a slap. They came as many as all the blades of grass, and they beat him and tormented him till twelve o’clock, and they fled. He lay down in the bed and slept. In the morning he heard the folks talking in the city. In the morning the cat brought him food, and brought him royal clothes. He ate, and put on the clothes, and went into twelve chambers. There was the emperor’s daughter in her bed. One half was alive, and she said, ‘You are my emperor, and I am your empress, but come no more to me.’
Again at night the cat brought him food, and said to him, ‘He will come again to-night to play cards till ten o’clock. At ten o’clock give him a slap again, and they will come to you as many as all the blades of grass, and they will beat you and torment you, but bear it.’
That lord came to him. ‘Hah! let us play cards.’
And they played till ten o’clock. He gave him a slap, and they came as many as all the blades of grass, and they beat him and tormented him, and he bore it till twelve o’clock. At twelve o’clock they fled. He lay down on the bed and slept. In the morning the band began to play, they held a review.[24] ‘For we have a new emperor.’ The ministers came to him, and raised him shoulder-high. ‘We have a new emperor.’
And he is in a hurry to go to his empress, and said, ‘Stay here, I will be back immediately.’
And he went to her. There she stood with her head to the roof, and a vapour went forth from her mouth; and he opened the door, and she just made a sign to him with her hand, and fell back on the bed, and became stone up to the waist. And she called him to her. ‘Leave me; I want you not. Why did you not wait to come to me, till I should [[119]]obtain remission of my sins? Take you my father’s horse and his sword, and take a purse; as much money as you want, it shall not fail.’
He set out, and journeyed, and departed into another kingdom. There two emperors were fighting, because one would not give his daughter to the other’s son. ‘Set yourself to battle with me, since you refuse your daughter.’ They fought seven years. So he[25] came into that city, and came to an inn, to a certain Armenian. And there was a great famine; the soldiers were dying of hunger. So he asked the Armenian, ‘What’s the news here?’