Mr Spider "Pulls" A Supply Of Meat

This tale has been adapted from the original for readability:

Frog was very fond of beef. One day, as he was out walking, he came across a cow that belonged to the king. Each morning, someone took the cow out to graze and tied it in the pasture. People said that if you met it and told it, “Cow, open,” it would open its mouth and swallow you whole.

Frog, though, had made a habit of that. Every morning he went out with a small knife and a bucket, stood before the cow and said, “Open.” The cow opened its mouth, Frog jumped in, and down he went as the cow swallowed him. Inside, Frog cut away fat from the cow, as much as he pleased, without harming it. But there was one place he never touched, the heart. He knew that if he cut there, the cow would drop dead on the spot. When he’d taken what he wanted, Frog went back towards the mouth and called, “Cow, open.” The cow opened, Frog climbed out, went home, and cooked the meat.

After he’d cooked, he invited Spider to come and eat. Spider tasted the beef and his eyes widened. “My friend,” he said, “where on earth did you get this beef?” Frog frowned and said he didn’t really want to tell him, because Spider never knew how to leave a good thing alone. “If you find something sweet,” Frog said, “you rush at it. You won’t wait. If I tell you, you’ll end up killing the king’s cow, and then I’ll be caught in the trouble.” But Spider swore he wouldn’t do anything foolish, so Frog finally agreed to show him, and told him to come early the next morning.

Spider was so eager he barely slept. In the middle of the night he got up and went to Frog’s door. “Brother,” he called, “daybreak’s here.” Frog came out and told him it wasn’t daybreak at all, and to stop his nonsense and wait. Spider lay down for a few minutes, then got up again, crowing like a cockerel and banging on the door, insisting the morning had come. Frog told him he could see Spider was trying to trick him. Spider tried again, imitating another bird, and only when the light truly began to change did Frog come out, annoyed, and warn him that if he was bothered again, Frog would go alone.

At last it was properly morning. Frog called Spider, and Spider came with his basket. Together they went to the pasture. Frog said the words, the cow opened, and they went inside. As they began cutting, Frog pointed out the dangerous place. “See there,” he told Spider, meaning the heart, “do not touch it. I don’t care how much fat you see, the moment your knife goes there, the cow will die.” Spider promised he understood. They filled Spider’s basket, then Frog’s bowl, and when they were ready to leave, they called, “Cow, open,” and climbed out.

Back at home, Frog told Spider not to come the next day, that they should leave it alone for a while. Spider agreed, went home, cooked what he had with his wife and children, and they ate it all. But Spider’s mind stayed on that easy fat, and the next thing he did was plait even more baskets, twice as big as the first. Before dawn he woke his children, handed them the baskets, and told them to come with him.

Frog had said not to go, but Spider wouldn’t listen. He went back to the king’s cow, spoke the words, and the cow swallowed Spider and all his children. They cut and filled their baskets, went home, cooked, and ate. Frog knew nothing about it. After that, Spider kept going, morning after morning. Each day there was a little less fat than before, but Spider still wanted more.

One morning, Spider went alone. Inside the cow he saw a great mass of fat close to the heart, rich and tempting. He remembered Frog’s warning, but his greed spoke louder. He didn’t believe it would be so serious. He cut into the heart.

At once the cow collapsed and died.

Spider hurried towards the mouth and called, “Cow, open,” but nothing happened. The cow lay still. Spider was trapped, and he had no idea what to do. That evening the herdsman came to fetch the cow and found it dead. People cut it open, called the children over, and told them to wash the inside parts. As they carried the entrails down to the water and rinsed them, Spider, small as he was, managed to leap up onto a bridge above them. When the children splashed and scrubbed, dirty water and bits of offal flew up, and Spider shouted down, “Look at you, throwing filth on me while you wash!”

The children begged him to forgive them. They said they hadn’t meant it, they hadn’t even seen him. But Spider refused to accept their apology. He went straight to the king and made a complaint, telling him the children had insulted him and treated him badly.

The king listened, and to settle the matter he ordered meat from the dead cow to be given to Spider. They offered him a leg, and Spider refused. They added more, and he still refused. At last they brought the head as well. That suited Spider perfectly. He was strong when it came to eating, and lazy when it came to work. Give him the smallest load to carry and he would claim it was too heavy, but give him a whole cow to eat and he would chase it down gladly. So he accepted the great heap of beef and set off with it.

Halfway along the road he saw strangers coming with cattle. Quick as thought, Spider scraped a hole in the ground, set the cow’s head into it, leaving it loose enough to pull out, tied a rope to the horns, and began pretending to haul it free. When the strangers drew near, Spider cried out, “Come quickly. The king’s cow has fallen into a hole!”

The strangers hurried over and took hold of the rope. “Help me pull the king’s cow out,” Spider said. They all heaved together, and in their hands the cow’s head came away. Spider threw up his arms as if furious. “You’ve torn off the cow’s head,” he said. “Now you’ve killed it. If the king hears you’ve destroyed his cow, the punishment will be dreadful.”

The strangers went pale with fear. They begged him to help them, and offered him one of their cows to make amends. Spider sniffed and refused. They offered a second cow. Spider refused again. They offered a third, trembling now, and still Spider acted as if none of it pleased him. He said he didn’t want their cattle, he only wanted to report the matter properly to the king, and the more he spoke, the more frightened they became.

In the end, to save themselves, they left Spider three cows and hurried away.

Then Spider gathered up all his meat, took the cows as well, and went on his way, richer than before, all because of his cunning.