Page:Indira and Other Stories.pdf/189

 leaves a party of monkeys had silently listened to the discussion. When the tigers had departed, one of these monkeys poked his face through the leaves, and asked,

"Tell me, brother, are you there?"

The other replied, "Sir, at your service!"

The first monkey: "Come along then, and let us talk over what these tiger people have been saying."

The second monkey: "Goodness, why?"

The first monkey: "These tigers are our hereditary enemies. Let us gratify our ancient enmity by saying frankly what we think of them."

The second monkey: "By all means. Frankness of the kind you mean is natural to us monkey folk."

The first monkey: "Very well. But are you sure none of the creatures is still hanging about?"

The second monkey: "No, they are all gone. All the same, we may as well conduct