Then little Bija came to the rescue once more.
"You say, Foster-mother, that you feel sure that Down must have gone
away to keep Mirak company. Now she _can't_ be prisoned, 'cos cats won't
be caught unless they want to be caught, and she doesn't want to be, _of
course_. So she must be going about, so why don't you tell Tumbu to seek
for Down; then we should find where Mirak was."
"But we haven't got anything of Down's to show him," argued
Foster-mother. And that was a puzzler.
At last Head-nurse said, "I believe all cats have the same smell, else
why do all dogs go after all cats? At any rate, it would be worth
trying."
So they got a fine, large, handsome white cat in the bazaar, and said
to Tumbu, "Go seek!" And then there was the most awful scrimmage that
ever was seen. Tumbu was after the cat in a second, and the cat jumped
for protection on Head-nurse, and Head-nurse howled, while Tumbu
deafened everybody by yowls; for the cat had caught him on the nose!
Peace was not restored till pussy had made her escape back to the bazaar
through the window.
"That was not a success," sighed poor Head-nurse as she put herself
tidy; but after all it was not such a failure, since, either from
putting two and two together, or by mere chance, Tumbu appeared the very
next day barking and frolicking after his usual fashion when he wanted
them to go out, and then led them straight to a lonely corner of the
palace garden, whence, looking upwards, they could plainly see Down
seated on a narrow window sill.
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