d until 'e managed to climb up a tree and
escape it. He said the tiger 'ad kept 'im there for over an hour, and
then suddenly turned round and bolted off up the road to Wickham.

"It was a merciful escape, and everybody said so except Sam Jones, and 'e
asked so many questions that at last Henery Walker asked 'im outright if
'e disbelieved 'is word.

"'It's all right, Sam,' ses Bob Pretty, as 'ad come in just after Henery
Walker. 'I see 'im with the tiger after 'im.'

"'Wot?' ses Henery, staring at him.

"'I see it all, Henery,' ses Bob Pretty, 'and I see your pluck. It was
all you could do to make up your mind to run from it. I believe if you'd
'ad a fork in your 'and you'd 'ave made a fight for it."

"Everybody said 'Bravo!'; but Henery Walker didn't seem to like it at
all. He sat still, looking at Bob Pretty, and at last 'e ses, 'Where was
you?' 'e s,es.

"'Up another tree, Henery, where you couldn't see me,' ses Bob Pretty,
smiling at 'im.

"Henery Walker, wot was drinking some beer, choked a bit, and then 'e put
the mug down and went straight off 'ome without saying a word to anybody.
I knew 'e didn't like Bob Pretty, but I couldn't see why 'e should be
cross about 'is speaking up for 'im as 'e had done, but Bob said as it
was 'is modesty, and 'e thought more of 'im for it.

"After that things got worse than ever; the wimmen and children stayed
indoors and kept the doors shut, and the men never knew when they went
out to work whether they'd come 'ome agin. They used to kiss their
children afore they went out of a morning, and their wives too, some of
'em; even men who'd been married for years did. And several more of 'em
see the tiger while they was at work, and came running 'ome to tell about
it.

"The tiger 'ad been making free with Claybury pigs and such-like for
pretty near a week, and nothing 'ad been done to try and catch it, and
wot made Claybury men madder than anything else was folks at Wickham
saying it was all a mistake, and the tiger 'adn't escaped at all. Even
parson, who'd been away for a holiday, said so, and Henery Walker told
'is wife that if she ever set foot inside the church agin 'ed ask 'is old
mother to come and live with 'em.

"It was all very well for parson to talk, but the very night he come back
Henery Walker's pig went, and at the same time George Kettle lost five or
six ducks.

"He was a quiet man, was George, but when 'is temper was up 'e didn't
care for anything.