The Hen did not get up at home and day came on. When it became day, the Cat
arose in her house, went to the Hen's home, and said to her, "Hen, thou sentest
thy child to me, and asked at what time thou shouldst rise up, and I said to thy
child, 'Go and tell thy mother to come when the cock crows, that we may go.'
Did it not tell thee what it was told by me, that thou art still sitting at home
although it has become day?"
The Hen said to the Cat, "Sister Cat, if thou wishest to have me for a friend, I
must never get up in my house and come out at night."
The Cat said to the Hen, "What art thou afraid of that thou sayest, 'I will never
come out at night'? What is there in the way?"
The Hen listened to what the Cat said, got herself ready and called her children,
saying, "Come and let us accompany the Cat to a neighbouring town!" All the
children arose and when they had set out on their way, the Cat went before, and
having gone on a little, she seized two of the children of the Hen; and the Hen
saw that the cat was seizing two of her children; so she said to the Cat, "Sister
Cat, we have scarcely set out on our way and dost thou seize two of my
children?"
The Cat replied, "Thy two children which I took have not strength enough to
walk; therefore did I take them to my bosom that we may go on."
The Hen said to the Cat, "If thou actest thus, I and thou must dissolve our
friendship."
The Cat replied, "If thou wilt not have a friend, I shall let thee go home." So, as
the Hen began to go home, the Cat made a bound, and seized the Hen's head,
whereupon the Hen cried for help. All the people of the town heard her, arose,
ran, and when they were come, the Cat was holding the Hen's head tight. When
the Cat saw the people of the town, she left the Hen, ran away, and entered the
forest.
There the Hen was standing and the people of the town said to her: "Foolish one,
didst thou, a Hen, arise and go to befriend a Cat? If we had not heard thy
screams, and come to thee, she would have killed thee and carried away all thy
children into her forest."
The Hen said to the people of the town: "God bless you: you have taken me out