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Old Sultan
Tales Collected by the Brothers Grimm
A farmer once had a faithful dog called Sultan, who had grown
old, and lost all his teeth, so that he could no longer hold anything fast. One day the farmer was
standing with his wife before
the house-door, and said, "To-morrow I intend to shoot Old Sultan,
he is no longer of any use."
His wife, who felt pity for the faithful beast, answered, "He has
served us so long, and been so faithful, that we might well give
him his keep."
"Eh! what?" said the man. "You are not very sharp. He has not a tooth
left in his mouth, and not a thief is afraid of him; now he may be off. If he has served us, he has
had good feeding for it."
The poor dog, who was lying stretched out in the sun not far off,
had heard everything, and was sorry that the morrow was to be his
last day. He had a good friend, the wolf, and he crept out in
the evening into the forest to him, and complained of the fate
that awaited him. "Hark ye, gossip," said the wolf, "be of good
cheer, I will help you out of your trouble. I have thought of
something. To-morrow, early in the morning, your master is
going with his wife to make hay, and they will take their little
child with them, for no one will be left behind in the house.
They are wont, during work-time, to lay the child under the hedge
in the shade; you lay yourself there too, just as if you wished
to guard it. Then I will come out of the wood, and carry off
the child. You must rush swiftly after me, as if you would
seize it again from me. I will let it fall, and you will take
it back to its parents, who will think that you have saved it,
and will be far too grateful to do you any harm; on the contrary,
you will be in high favor, and they will never let you want
for anything again."
The plan pleased the dog, and it was carried out just as it was
arranged. The father screamed when he saw the Wolf running across
the field with his child, but when Old Sultan brought it back,
then he was full of joy, and stroked him and said, "Not a hair
of yours shall be hurt, you shall eat my bread free as long as
you live." And to his wife he said, "Go home at once and make Old
Sultan some bread-sop that he will not have to bite, and bring the
pillow out of my bed, I will give him that to lie upon."
Henceforth Old Sultan was as well off as he could wish to be.
Soon afterwards the wolf visited him, and was pleased that
everything had succeeded so well. "But, gossip," said he, "you will
just wink an eye if when I have a chance, I carry off one of your
master's fat sheep." "Do not reckon upon that," answered the dog;
"I will remain true to my master; I cannot agree to that." The
wolf, who thought that this could not be spoken in earnest, came
creeping about in the night and was going to take away the sheep.
But the farmer, to whom the faithful Sultan had told the wolf's
plan, caught him and dressed his hide soundly with the flail.
The wolf had to pack off, but he cried out to the dog,
"Wait a bit, you scoundrel, you shall pay for this."
The next morning the wolf sent the boar to challenge the dog to
come out into the forest so that they might settle the affair.
Old Sultan could find no one to stand by him but a cat with only
three legs, and as they went out together the poor cat limped
along, and at the same time stretched out her tail into the air
with pain.
The wolf and his friend were already on the spot appointed, but
when they saw their enemy coming they thought that he was
bringing a sabre with him, for they mistook the outstretched tail
of the cat for one. And when the poor beast hopped on its three
legs, they could only think every time that it was picking up a
stone to throw at them. So they were both afraid; the wild boar
crept into the under-wood and the wolf jumped up a tree.
The dog and the cat, when they came up, wondered that there was
no one to be seen. The wild boar, however, had not been able to
hide himself altogether; and one of his ears was still to be seen. Whilst
the cat was looking carefully about, the boar moved his ear; the
cat, who thought it was a mouse moving there, jumped upon it and
bit it hard. The boar made a fearful noise and ran away,
crying out, "The guilty one is up in the tree." The dog and cat
looked up and saw the wolf, who was ashamed of having shown himself
so timid, and made friends with the dog.
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