"What!" cried the listener, sharply jumping up in extreme alarm at the bare suggestion.
"Don't make that unearthly noise," said the lady, calmly. "I only said supposing, and I was going to ask you what we should do in such a case."
"Do! why, what could we do?—nothing, of course," was the somewhat contemptuous reply.
Just then an ominous crackling of the branches outside made them prick their ears. Creeping close to the opening, they looked out and saw in the distance a large tiger coming towards them, a white light, clear almost as the dawn, fell about him, showing his big head and striped back. The watchers trembled exceedingly, and their teeth rattled.
"There is no time to be lost," exclaimed the lady in a hoarse whisper. "We must trust to his never having seen any like us before, and we must try and frighten him."
"Humbug and nonsense! Fancy our frightening a tiger," said the gentleman dog with infinite scorn.
"Never mind, we'll try; you sit at the door while I remain in here. When I roar—well, you'll see the effect."
The dog very unwillingly took up his position at the entrance to the lair, and waited. In a second almost the great beast came slouching along; his gleaming eyes glanced hither and thither, and there was blood upon his mouth. Seeing the dog, he came to an abrupt pause, and stared, then came a little nearer, but very cautiously.
Just then there came a cry from within, accompanied by the words, "I am hungry, very hungry, and so are the little ones, they crave more tiger's flesh; be quick and bring it."
The tiger, hearing, waited for no more, but turned and fled into the night. He knew not what he had seen, but the words that he had heard had turned him cold with fear.