"Brother Alligator, oh, Brother Alligator!" said the Brahmin, "does it seem at all right or fair to you that this Tiger should eat me up, when I have just now let him out of a cage?"The old Alligator turned in the mud, and grunted, and snorted; then he said,"I lie here in the mud all day, as harmless as a pigeon; I hunt no man, yet every time a man sees me, he throws stones at me, and pokes me with sharp sticks, and jeers at me.Men are a worthless lot.Let the Tiger eat the Brahmin!"At this the Tiger was bound to eat the Brahmin at once.The poor Brahmin had to remind him, again and again, that they had asked only four.
"Wait till we've asked one more! Wait until we see a fifth!" he begged.Finally, the Tiger walked on with him.
After a time, they met the little Jackal, coming gayly down the road toward them.
"Oh, Brother Jackal, dear Brother Jackal," said the Brahmin, "give us your opinion! Do you think it right or fair that this Tiger should eat me, when I set him free from a terrible cage?""Beg pardon?" said the little Jackal.
"I said," said the Brahmin, raising his voice, "do you think it is fair that the Tiger should eat me, when I set him free from his cage?""Cage?" said the little Jackal, vacantly.
"Yes, yes, his cage," said the Brahmin."We want your opinion.Do you think--""Oh," said the little Jackal, "you want my opinion? Then may I beg you to speak a little more loudly, and make the matter quite clear? I am a little slow of understanding.Now what was it?""Do you think," said the Brahmin, "it is right for this Tiger to eat me, when I set him free from his cage?""What cage?" said the little Jackal.
"Why, the cage he was in," said the Brahmin."You see--""But I don't altogether understand," said the little Jackal, "You `set him free,' you say?""Yes, yes, yes!" said the Brahmin.
"It was this way: I was walking along, and I saw the Tiger--""Oh, dear, dear!" interrupted the little Jackal; "I never can see through it, if you go on like that, with a long story.If you really want my opinion you must make the matter clear.What sort of cage was it?""Why, a big, ordinary cage, an iron cage," said the Brahmin.
"That gives me no idea at all," said the little Jackal."See here, my friends, if we are to get on with this matter you'd best show me the spot.Then I can understand in a jiffy.Show me the cage."So the Brahmin, the Tiger, and the little Jackal walked back together to the spot where the cage was.
"Now, let us understand the situation," said the little Jackal."Brahmin, where were you?""I stood here by the roadside," said the Brahmin."Tiger, where were you?" said the little Jackal."Why, in the cage, of course," roared the Tiger.
"Oh, I beg your pardon, Father Tiger," said the little Jackal, "I really am SO stupid; I cannot QUITE understand what happened.If you will have a little patience,--HOW were you in the cage? What position were you in?""I stood here," said the Tiger, leaping into the cage, "with my head over my shoulder, so.""Oh, thank you, thank you," said the little Jackal, "that makes it MUCH clearer; but I still don't QUITE understand--forgive my slow mind--why did you not come out, by yourself?""Can't you see that the door shut me in?" said the Tiger.
"Oh, I do beg your pardon," said the little Jackal."I know I am very slow; I can never understand things well unless I see just how they were if you could show me now exactly how that door works I am sure I could understand.How does it shut?""It shuts like this," said the Brahmin, pushing it to.
"Yes; but I don't see any lock," said the little Jackal, "does it lock on the outside?""It locks like this," said the Brahmin.And he shut and bolted the door! "Oh, does it, indeed?" said the little Jackal."Does it, INDEED! Well, Brother Brahmin, now that it is locked, I should advise you to let it stay locked! As for you, my friend," he said to the Tiger, "I think you will waita good while before you'll find any one to let you out again!
Then he made a very low bow to the Brahmin.
"Good-by, Brother," he said."Your way lies that way, and mine lies this; good-by!"
