The next victim was a camel; and when they told the sultan he said: “What’s the matter with you folks? It was my cat, and my camel. I believe you don’t like my cat, and want it killed, bringing me tales about it every day. Let it eat whatever it wants to.”
In a very short time it caught a child, and then a full-grown man; but each time the sultan remarked that both the cat and its victim were his, and thought no more of it.
Meantime the cat grew bolder, and hung around a low, open place near the town, pouncing on people going for water, or animals out at pasture, and eating them.
At last some of the people plucked up courage; and, going to the sultan, said: “How is this, master? As you are our sultan you are our protector,—or ought to be,—yet you have allowed this cat to do as it pleases, and now it lives just out of town there, and kills everything living that goes that way, while at night it comes into town and does the same thing. Now, what on earth are we to do?”
But Maajnoon only replied: “I really believe you hate my cat. I suppose you want me to kill it; but I shall do no such thing. Everything it eats is mine.”
Of course the folks were astonished at this result of the interview, and, as no one dared to kill the cat, they all had to remove from the vicinity where it lived. But this did not mend matters, because, when it found no one came that way, it shifted its quarters likewise.
So complaints continued to pour in, until at last Sultan Maajnoon gave orders that if any one came to make accusations against the cat, he was to be informed that the master could not be seen.
When things got so that people neither let their animals out nor went out themselves, the cat went farther into the country, killing and eating cattle, and fowls, and everything that came its way.
One day the sultan said to six of his sons, “I’m going to look at the country to-day; come along with me.”
The seventh son was considered too young to go around anywhere, and was always left at home with the women folk, being called by his brothers Mkaa′ah Jeecho′nee, which means Mr. Sit-in-the-kitchen.