Then the people went to the sultan in a body , and told him of all the misdeeds of that cat . But he answered as before , ` The cat is mine and the people are mine . ' And no man dared kill the cat , which grew bolder and bolder , and at last came into the town to look for its prey . One day , the sultan said to his six sons , ' I am going into the country , to see how the wheat is growing , and you shall come with me . ' They went on merrily along the road , till they came to a thicket , when out sprang the cat , and killed three of the sons . ` The cat ! The cat ! ' shrieked the soldiers who were with him . And this time the sultan said : ` Seek for it and kill it . It is no longer a cat , but a demon ! ' And the soldiers answered him , ` Did we not tell you , master , what the cat was doing , and did you not say , `` My cat and my people '' ? ' And he answered : ` True , I said it . ' Now the youngest son had not gone with the rest , but had stayed at home with his mother ; and when he heard that his brothers had been killed by the cat he said , ` Let me go , that it may slay me also . ' His mother entreated him not to leave her , but he would not listen , and he took his sword and a spear and some rice cakes , and went after the cat , which by this time had run of to a great distance . The lad spent many days hunting the cat , which now bore the name of ` The Nunda , eater of people , ' but though he killed many wild animals he saw no trace of the enemy he was hunting for . There was no beast , however fierce , that he was afraid of , till at last his father and mother begged him to give up the chase after the Nunda . But he answered : ` What I have said , I can not take back . If I am to die , then I die , but every day I must go and seek for the Nunda . ' And again his father offered him what he would , even the crown itself , but the boy would hear nothing , and went on his way . Many times his slaves came and told him , ` We have seen footprints , and to-day we shall behold the Nunda . '
But the XXXXX never turned out to be those of the Nunda .
Nunda day days eater footprints soldiers son spear thicket way