THE BIOGRAPHY OF A TIGER 33 



ling leaf once, and, as he did so, halted quickly, white chin 

 lowered to the ground, yellow eyes wide with inquiry. 

 But the noises continued. Something black and hairy 

 was vibrating diligently behind a neighbouring bamboo- 

 clump. The cub hesitated. His instinct warned him to 

 creep away. But this thing it was not red. Mother had 

 said red! " Beware of those who are red, small, and many 

 in number ! " 



This thing in front of him was black. And it was not 

 small. And it was alone ! -So he stole cautiously for- 

 ward. 



The air had been very still, but just at that moment 

 a gentle stirring fanned his ears and passed onwards 

 the digging and vibrating instantly ceased, the solitary 

 large black object was suddenly quite still. Then it turned 

 about swiftly, and a strange whitey-grey face peered over 

 and beyond him, short-sightedly, out of a mass of wiry 

 black hair. The hairy object then elongated, raising up a 

 pair of dangling, earth-soiled, curve-clawed paws, and ex- 

 posing a white chest ; it gazed in the young tiger's direction 

 in a queer, blind manner, standing nearly erect on stumpy 

 hind legs. Then it dropped, and turned, and the red 

 earth of the termites' nest again began energetically flying 

 between an uncouth pair of hairy black legs. The tiger 

 now withdrew as it happened, up-wind. As he did so 

 he heard a sudden loud barking " Wooh-hV\ slunk off side- 

 wise, and something black went grunting savagely close 

 by him, trundling awkwardly through the jungle. That 

 was his first meeting at close quarters with Bhalu, the 

 sloth-bear, vegetarian and hypocrite. 



Once more the hot-weather sun, although but a hand's- 

 breadth above the horizon, rose to a terrible heat, and 

 again the creatures of the jungle retired before his blazing 

 face to seek shade and repose. 



In the neighbouring ravine were strips of bright green 

 jamun bushes, overhanging nooks paved with damp sand 

 D 



