Page:Folk Tales from Tibet (1906).djvu/106

78 entered my den, and is waiting to cook and eat me on my return; it must certainly be a very fierce and terrible creature."

So without waiting to investigate the matter any further, he turned tail and ran off as fast as he could through the forest. After running some way, he came across an old Baboon, with a great fringe of white hair all round his face.

"Where are you running to, Uncle Tiger?" asked the Baboon.

"Well," said the Tiger, "the fact is, that a family of strange animals, who call themselves Jackals, are at this moment in occupation of my den. As I was approaching my den, after a long night's hunting, one of the creatures was actually sitting on the roof, looking out for me, and as I got close up I heard him tell his young ones that they were to have hot Tiger's meat for supper. Fortunately for me, he hadn't seen me, so I thought the best thing I could do was to make off as fast as I could, in order to avoid being eaten."

On hearing this the Baboon was very much amused, and set to work to laugh very heartily.

"Why," said he, "what a foolish Tiger you are! Have you never heard of a Jackal before? Don't you know that it is you should eat the Jackals, and not the Jackals you? You come along with me, and I will soon show you how to deal with people like that."

The Tiger was somewhat reassured on hearing what the Baboon had to say, but, even so, he was at first very reluctant to return again and to incur the danger of being