028. Puss In Boots (El Gato Con Botas)
A miller had three sons and all his possessions consisted of a donkey, a cat, and a mill. When the time came to divide it among his sons, the oldest locked himself in the mill and said:
The mill is for me.
The second grabbed the donkey and went off with it, saying [thus]:
The donkey is for me.
The third began to lament:
And what is left for me?
At this time the cat appeared and the youngest brother said:
Now there will be two of us who will starve.
And the cat said to him:
Well, why should we starve?
The young man explained that he had nothing to support himself because his brothers had taken the mill and the donkey, and the cat said:
Don’t you worry, we’ll get through this [together]. Now the only thing that I need is for you to get me a pair of boots.
Hah, some boots! -said the young man-. And where can I get some boots?
So they went to the cobbler and the cat chose the boots that he liked and when the young man told him once more that he did not have any money to pay for them, the cat arranged with the cobbler for the young man to stay behind and work for him until he covered the price of the boots. And the young man was not in a good mood, but he could not do anything else.
Meanwhile, the cat, who was very skillful, went hunting and caught rabbits, partridges, hares… and brought them all to the king.
And the king said:
Who has brought us this fine game (e.g. animals from hunting)?
And the servants answered him:
The puss in boots.
Well I can’t wait to meet that cat -said the king.
So the next day, when the cat returned with a game even better than the day before, the king said:
Tell the cat to come forward.
The cat came forward:
Your Majesty, here I am.
What are you looking for? -asked the king.
Nothing, I’m just here to bring you games.
replied the cat. And he left the way he had come.
The next day he went to look for the young man, and told him:
Quit this cobbler job and come with me. Get [yourself] dressed up with the clothes that you still have and when I tell you to, jump into the river and I will begin to shout: “Help! My master, the Count of Calamancher, is drowning!”
The king was in his carriage near the river, accompanied by his daughter, when he heard voices and asked what was going on.
And the cat, [standing] by the riverbank:
Help! My master, the Count of Calamancher, is drowning!
So the king and his servants came by the river and pulled out the poor, half-drowned young man; and as the king recognized the cat, he offered the young man some clothes that he had in the carriage while his are being dried. And so they continued on their journey with the young man dressed as a prince, where he sat in the carriage with the king and his daughter.
In the meantime, the cat went on ahead, and to those who were reaping in the field that he happened to pass by, he said to them:
When the carriage behind me comes by, say that these lands belong to the Count of Calamancher.
And they were not surprised [upon hearing this] because these were [indeed] lands belonging to the Count of Calamancher, and they replied:
This we will say to them.
And the cat finally arrived at the castle of the Count of Calamancher, who was an ogre who used to eat the travelers who passed through his lands. And the cat said to the ogre:
I have heard people say that you are able to transform into any animal [under the sky].
That’s right -said the ogre-. You don’t believe this?
I will believe it -said the cat- if you can transform yourself into a mouse.
The ogre transformed into a mouse and the cat, zas! hunted it down with a jump.
Shortly after the king’s carriage arrived and the cat went out to greet him at the castle’s door.
Your Majesty, my faithful master, princess… -he said as he greeted them with reverence.
And the king no longer doubted it and he married his daughter, the princess, to the miller’s youngest son. And the cat stayed to live forever with the new Count of Calamancher, who made him his adviser on all matters related to the governance of the castle, and the cat only asked in return that he allowed them to make as many boots for him as he wished to have.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Agarrar – to grab, to take
Ahogar – to drown
Amo – owner, master
Arreglar – (to organize) to arrange; (to restore) to fix, to repair
Asno – donkey, jackass
Bien – (possession) property, belonging
Conde – count, earl
Conejo – rabbit
Conque – so, so that
Consejero – counselor, advisor
Consigas – conseguir – to get
Encerrarse – to shut oneself up; to lock oneself up
Ganas de conocer – looking forward to meeting; want to meet
Habilidoso – skilled, skillful, handy
Liebre – hare
Malhumorado – grumpy, in a bad mood
Miel – (devoted) faithful, loyal
Molinero – miller
Molino – mill
Ogro – ogre
Par – pair
Pasar hambre – to go hungry
Perdices – perdiz – partridge
Repartir – to distribute, to divide
Sacar – to take out, to remove
Saldremos – salir – to go out, to leave; to depart, to set off;
Salto – jump, leap
Saludar – to greet, to say hello to
Segar – to reap, to cut, to mow
Socorro – help, assistance
Soler – to use to, usually
Zapatería – shoestore, shoeshop
Zas – wham, splash