tiger
that says it’s here to collect taxes.”
The tigress came to the
cat now, and said, “Who are you, son? And what do you want from
us?”
The cat replied, “I am
Dhat-teri, the Terrible. I work for the king, and I am collecting
his tax. Pay up quickly, or you’ll have to deal with
me.”
The tigress replied, “I
have never heard of this tax you are talking about. We are tigers.
We don’t pay taxes, and we hunt what walks in here.”
“ Isn’t your
husband home? Maybe he has to say something different on the
matter.”
“ He is gone
out hunting. But he will be back soon. Why don’t you take a seat
and wait? But I must warn you. He is a very bad temper.”
After a while Dhat-teri
the Terrible heard the tiger coming. He dropped his notepad and
pen, and jumped to the top of a tree.
When the tiger heard of
the cat, he was very angry indeed. “Where is he?” he roared. ”I’m
going to break his neck.”
He looked around his
home, and found the cat up on a tree. He tried to chase it, but as
he got higher, the cat climbed higher still, keeping to the thin
and weak branches, and crying, “Come on, little tiger? Where’s your
tax? Pay up, or pay the price.”
The tiger was blinded by
rage, and jumped up to slash Dhat-teri, but he missed and fell from
the tree. The impact broke his neck, and he died. Dhat-teri climbed
down from the tree, and made a few scratches on the tiger’s face
with his claw. Then he called up the tigress, and said, “Look what
I had to do to him. Do you have anything else to say, or should
another die?”
The tigress was very
scared now, and said, “Please, Mr. Dhat-teri, don’t kill us. We’ll
stay as your slaves.”
Dhat-teri said, “Very
well then. But don’t slack off, and see that I don’t get
hungry.”
After this, Dhat-teri
remained with the tigers. He had what the tiger hunted, and rode
the cubs everywhere.
A few weeks passed like
this. One day, the tiger came up to Dhat-teri, and said, “Mr
Dhat-teri, this side of the forest is running out of game. I am
worried we cannot feed you well at this rate. I think we should
cross the river. The forest on the other side is very big, and got
real big animals.”
“ Let’s cross
the river, then,” said Dhat-teri.
The tigress crossed the
river with her cubs, Dhat-teri swimming close behind them. But on
the other side, they noticed that Dhat-teri was missing. One of the
cubs spotted him in the middle of the river.
Dhat-teri was drowning.
He realized that he had no hope of swimming across, and he would
drown before the next wave hit him. But luckily for him, one of the
cubs swam to him and dragged him ashore.
The moment he felt solid
ground under his feet, he jumped up, and said, “You scoundrel! Look
what you did. I was counting how many fishes and crocodiles there
are in the river. I was this close to finish. Why did you drag me
up?”
The tigress quickly came
up to him and said, “I apologize for him, Mr Dhat-teri. Please
forgive him. He is just a cub. What does he know of your kingly
affairs?”
“ Humph.” Said
Dhat-teri, and walked to dry land. There, he climbed up a tall
tree, and looked around. He saw a large bull dead in a clearing. He
ran up there, and bit and scratched the corpse. Then he took the
tigress and the cubs there, and said. “This is our hunt for today.
I know you must be tired, so I got the food. But don’t get used to
it.”
The tigress and the cubs
thought, “How strong Mr Dhat-teri must be to hunt his large bull
all by himself.”
The next day, the tigress
walked up to Dhat-teri, and said, “Today, we begin the hunting.
What do you want to do? Chase the animals, or ambush
them?”
Dhat-teri thought, “What
animal in their right mind would be afraid of me?” he said, “You
idiots. Do you honestly think you can hunt down the animals I bring
about chasing? No. You chase the animals here, and I’ll ambush
them.”
The tigress agreed. “Of
course. How can we possibly hunt the
that says it’s here to collect taxes.”
The tigress came to the
cat now, and said, “Who are you, son? And what do you want from
us?”
The cat replied, “I am
Dhat-teri, the Terrible. I work for the king, and I am collecting
his tax. Pay up quickly, or you’ll have to deal with
me.”
The tigress replied, “I
have never heard of this tax you are talking about. We are tigers.
We don’t pay taxes, and we hunt what walks in here.”
“ Isn’t your
husband home? Maybe he has to say something different on the
matter.”
“ He is gone
out hunting. But he will be back soon. Why don’t you take a seat
and wait? But I must warn you. He is a very bad temper.”
After a while Dhat-teri
the Terrible heard the tiger coming. He dropped his notepad and
pen, and jumped to the top of a tree.
When the tiger heard of
the cat, he was very angry indeed. “Where is he?” he roared. ”I’m
going to break his neck.”
He looked around his
home, and found the cat up on a tree. He tried to chase it, but as
he got higher, the cat climbed higher still, keeping to the thin
and weak branches, and crying, “Come on, little tiger? Where’s your
tax? Pay up, or pay the price.”
The tiger was blinded by
rage, and jumped up to slash Dhat-teri, but he missed and fell from
the tree. The impact broke his neck, and he died. Dhat-teri climbed
down from the tree, and made a few scratches on the tiger’s face
with his claw. Then he called up the tigress, and said, “Look what
I had to do to him. Do you have anything else to say, or should
another die?”
The tigress was very
scared now, and said, “Please, Mr. Dhat-teri, don’t kill us. We’ll
stay as your slaves.”
Dhat-teri said, “Very
well then. But don’t slack off, and see that I don’t get
hungry.”
After this, Dhat-teri
remained with the tigers. He had what the tiger hunted, and rode
the cubs everywhere.
A few weeks passed like
this. One day, the tiger came up to Dhat-teri, and said, “Mr
Dhat-teri, this side of the forest is running out of game. I am
worried we cannot feed you well at this rate. I think we should
cross the river. The forest on the other side is very big, and got
real big animals.”
“ Let’s cross
the river, then,” said Dhat-teri.
The tigress crossed the
river with her cubs, Dhat-teri swimming close behind them. But on
the other side, they noticed that Dhat-teri was missing. One of the
cubs spotted him in the middle of the river.
Dhat-teri was drowning.
He realized that he had no hope of swimming across, and he would
drown before the next wave hit him. But luckily for him, one of the
cubs swam to him and dragged him ashore.
The moment he felt solid
ground under his feet, he jumped up, and said, “You scoundrel! Look
what you did. I was counting how many fishes and crocodiles there
are in the river. I was this close to finish. Why did you drag me
up?”
The tigress quickly came
up to him and said, “I apologize for him, Mr Dhat-teri. Please
forgive him. He is just a cub. What does he know of your kingly
affairs?”
“ Humph.” Said
Dhat-teri, and walked to dry land. There, he climbed up a tall
tree, and looked around. He saw a large bull dead in a clearing. He
ran up there, and bit and scratched the corpse. Then he took the
tigress and the cubs there, and said. “This is our hunt for today.
I know you must be tired, so I got the food. But don’t get used to
it.”
The tigress and the cubs
thought, “How strong Mr Dhat-teri must be to hunt his large bull
all by himself.”
The next day, the tigress
walked up to Dhat-teri, and said, “Today, we begin the hunting.
What do you want to do? Chase the animals, or ambush
them?”
Dhat-teri thought, “What
animal in their right mind would be afraid of me?” he said, “You
idiots. Do you honestly think you can hunt down the animals I bring
about chasing? No. You chase the animals here, and I’ll ambush
them.”
The tigress agreed. “Of
course. How can we possibly hunt the
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