here he again sold his cat , and this time he received two hundred dollars for her , and that without any haggling . but when he had sailed off and was out at sea a way , there sat the cat up in the mast . and the storm at once began again , and finally he was again driven to a land in which he had never been . again he turned in at a tavern , and there the table was also covered with switches ; but every switch was a yard and a half long , and as thick as a small broom , and the people told him that they knew of nothing more disagreeable than to sit down to eat , for there were great , ugly rats by the thousand . only with toil and trouble could one manage to shove a bite of something into one 's mouth once in a while , so hard was it to defend oneself against the rats . then the cat was again brought from the ship , and now the people could eat in peace . they begged and pleaded that the merchant sell them his cat ; and for a long time he refused ; but at last he promised that they should have her for three hundred dollars . and they paid him , and thanked him , and blessed him into the bargain .
what happened because there were great, ugly rats by the thousands ?
only with toil and trouble could one manage to shove a bite of something into one 's mouth once in a while .
only with toil and trouble could one manage to shove a bite of something into one 's mouth once in a while .