The Pilgrim Cat

A cat disguises itself as a marabout. It summons the mice to a meeting, locks them in their room, and with its accomplice, devours all of them except for the oldest one.

A cat lived next to a village of mice, and times were very tough; there was nothing to eat. Afraid of being devoured, the mice hurried to enter their holes whenever they saw the cat. The cat was visibly getting thinner.

One early morning, the cat leaves its home, walks through the deserted streets while shouting loudly to make itself heard:
- Listen to me, I speak only the truth; tomorrow I will go on a pilgrimage to Mecca, so I will no longer harm others.

After roaming all the empty streets, it goes on its pilgrimage. Time does what it always does, which is to pass, and one day, the cat returns from its pilgrimage.
It is dressed all in white. It wears a large white boubou and has a white turban on its head. It holds a long rosary made of beads in its left hand and has grown a long beard; it walks slowly leaning on a stick it holds in its right hand.

The day after its return, it summons all the mice to the mosque so that they can listen to a religious talk. The mice, reassured by its transformation, all respond to the call. They all enter the mosque except for one, the oldest among them. She chooses a corner behind the door saying that it was the best place to listen to the cat's speech.

The pilgrim cat, accompanied by another cat, the sentinel cat, settles in front of the assembly. After the customary greetings, the pilgrim cat whispers a few words into the ear of the sentinel cat who closes the door. In the blink of an eye, both cats pounce into the crowd of mice and devour all of them except for, of course, the old mouse who bolts away saying loudly:

- An enemy never becomes a friend.