n went to fish there with fishing rods. As there was
a jungle about a mile from the place, the men took their guns with them,
in case any wild animals came from the jungle to attack them.

After a time one of the men hooked a fish. It must have been a big fish,
as it tugged at the line furiously. The man who had hooked the fish had
to run along the bank of the river to _play_ the fish, while his friend
kept shouting to him to advise him what to do. In this way both the men
were busy, and forgot to think of anything else.

Suddenly they saw a flash of yellow. It came straight from a bush toward
the man who had hooked the fish. It was a tiger!

The tiger must have stalked the two men silently from the jungle; and in
that way he must have crept up to the bush, while the two men were busy
trying to land the fish.

The tiger gave a rush and a leap, and fell upon the man who had hooked
the fish. He grabbed the man and leaped back with him into the bush,
before the other man could snatch up his gun and take aim to save his
friend.

Now you will remember what I told you: that a tiger carries a man in his
jaws just as a cat carries a mouse; that is, the tiger holds the man by
the middle of his body, about the waist.

Luckily the man was wearing a waistband of thick cloth; so the tiger's
fangs did not hurt the man very severely, as the fangs happened to bite
the thick waistband. But still the man had been stunned by the shock
when the tiger had leaped upon him. And the tiger thought that he had
killed the man outright. That was very lucky for the man--as you will
understand presently.

The man regained his senses while the tiger was still carrying him. He
knew at once that he was in the jaws of a tiger. That is perhaps the
most terrible danger for a man to be in. Few men have ever been in the
very jaws of a tiger in the heart of the jungle--and yet have escaped.

The man knew that, and so he was terribly frightened. But life is so
precious that one must never despair of saving his life. If you are in
the most terrible danger, _you must never give up hope_. You must try to
find some way of escape.

So the man began thinking, even while the tiger was carrying him. He
made up his mind at once. He must pretend to be dead. So he did not move
or make the least bit of sound. Even then he did not see how he could
escape, as the tiger would soon start _eating_ him! But still he would
not despair.

The tiger carried the man to