sons to her father's house. She travelled through several towns and villages, and at last reached a large wood near Malaya, where she saw a tiger. The tiger saw her too, and came towards her lashing his tail with rage. She felt somewhat alarmed, but put on a bold front, and administering a smart slap to her sons she said: " What do you mean by
quarrelling over who is to have a tiger to eat ? Can't you see one here close by ? Eat him first and then we will go and find another." The tiger heard all this, and thinking to himself, " Surely this lady must be indeed a formidable person," took to his heels and ran away in terror.
Story XLIII
PRESENTLY a jackal met him. He burst into a fit of laughter and said: " Hullo ! here is a tiger running away from something in a fright." " Friend jackal," replied the tiger, " the sooner you go off to some far distant country the better, for there is a most terrible person hereabouts — a regular tiger- eater ! such as one only hears of in fables. She has almost been the death of me; as soon as I saw her, I ran away as fast as I could." " Well, I am
