t being brave is not going to do
one much good, when there's a tiger in the way. So Mappo thought,
besides being brave, he might be polite, and ask a favor of the tiger.
For animals are often more kind to one another than we think. If you
watch them sometimes, as I have done, you will see that this is so.

So Mappo made up his mind he would ask the tiger, as a favor, not to
bite or eat him.

"And, if he won't be kind to me," thought Mappo, "well, then maybe
something else will happen. Maybe papa will come, with a whole lot more
monkeys, and drive the tiger away. Or, if he does not, well, maybe
something else will happen," and Mappo looked at the empty cocoanut
shell in his paw.

"Please let me go, Mr. Tiger!" begged Mappo. "I never did anything to
you. Let me go!"

"No. I'll not!" growled the tiger. "I'm hungry and I want something to
eat. I chased after a goat half the morning, but it got away from me.
Then I tried to get a little deer, but it ran back with the rest of the
deer, and, as the big deer had such sharp horns, I dared not go after
it. So I haven't had anything to eat, and I'm very hungry. You haven't
any horns, none of your monkey friends are near, and I'm going to eat
you!"

Mappo looked to see how far it was to the nearest tree. It was some
distance off, but the little monkey boy knew if he could reach it he
would be safe. For, in the tree, he could run much faster, from branch
to branch, than could the tiger on the ground. But in getting over the
ground on his four paws the monkey was a bit slow. And the tiger, in one
jump could grab Mappo if the monkey started to run.

"Well, there's no use trying to get away from him by running on the
ground," thought Mappo. "He'd have me in a second. And there's no use
asking a favor of him. He seems to be mad at me. I wonder how I can get
away from him!"

Once more Mappo looked at the empty cocoanut shell in his paw--the shell
with which he was going to play a trick on Jacko or Bumpo.

Nearer and nearer to Mappo crept the tiger, lashing his tail from side
to side. Tigers always do that, just as cats do when they are trying to
catch a bird in the garden. Tigers are only big cats, you know, very
much bigger and stronger than your pussy. And they always creep slowly,
slowly up toward anything they are going to catch, until they are near
enough to give one jump and grab it in their claws. That is what the
tiger was trying to do to Mappo.

All of a sudden Mappo