Tiger! Tiger! (Kipling short story) facts for kids
"Tiger! Tiger!" is an exciting short story written by Rudyard Kipling. It's a direct follow-up to another story called "Mowgli's Brothers". This tale first appeared in magazines between 1893 and 1894. Later, it became the third story in Kipling's famous book, The Jungle Book, published in 1894. The story's title comes from a well-known poem by William Blake called "The Tyger".
Contents
Mowgli's New Home
After chasing away the fierce tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli decides to leave the wolf pack that raised him. He wants to live with humans, his own kind. He finds a human village and is taken in by a couple, Messua and her husband. They had lost their own son, Nathoo, and Mowgli looked a lot like him. The village priest agreed to this adoption, partly because it made Messua's wealthy husband happy.
Learning Human Ways
For three months, Mowgli learned how humans live. He learned their language and customs, like wearing clothes and how to plough fields. He also learned about money and different social groups called castes. Mowgli wasn't very impressed by most of these human ways. He even showed disrespect to the village elders. They told wild stories about the jungle, like a tiger being a reborn money-lender. Mowgli knew the jungle firsthand, so he knew these stories weren't true. However, one thing that was true was a 100-rupee reward for the skin of a tiger.
Secret Jungle Meetings
During this time, Mowgli often snuck out of the village. He would meet his loyal wolf friend, Grey Brother. Grey Brother always brought him news and updates from the jungle.
Shere Khan's Return
To keep Mowgli out of trouble, the village elders gave him a job. He was to herd buffalo. One day, while taking a break from his work, Mowgli met Grey Brother again. The wolf had important news: Shere Khan had returned! Even worse, the tiger was planning to kill Mowgli.
Planning the Trap
For the next few weeks, Grey Brother kept a close watch on Shere Khan. Mowgli continued his tasks in the village. Eventually, Grey Brother met Mowgli again. He told Mowgli that Shere Khan was hiding in a nearby deep valley, getting ready to attack. Mowgli learned that Grey Brother got this information from Shere Khan's helper, Tabaqui the jackal. Grey Brother had dealt with Tabaqui before coming to warn Mowgli.
The Final Battle
With help from Akela, Mowgli and Grey Brother came up with a clever plan. They divided the buffalo herd into two groups. Then, they made the buffalo charge from opposite ends of the valley. The powerful herd stampeded, trapping the tiger between them and trampling him. Shere Khan was defeated.
After the Fight
Mowgli had promised to place Shere Khan's skin on the wolf pack's Council Rock. So, he began to skin the tiger. Meanwhile, the village hunter, Buldeo, heard about the buffalo stampede from other village boys. He soon arrived and scolded Mowgli. Buldeo demanded that Mowgli give him the tiger's skin so he could claim the reward. Mowgli refused. He called Akela to help him, and Akela held Buldeo back.
Mowgli's Farewell to the Village
When Mowgli and Akela let Buldeo go, the hunter was very scared. He rushed back to the village. He told the villagers that Mowgli was a strange, magical person. By the time Mowgli returned with the buffalo, the whole village, except Messua, had turned against him. They drove him away from their homes.
Confused and upset by their actions, Mowgli kept his promise. He laid Shere Khan's hide on Council Rock. He danced on it, singing about his mixed feelings. The wolf pack offered to take Mowgli back. But he refused to forgive them for casting him out earlier. Instead, he decided to hunt alone from now on. However, his four wolf-brothers refused to leave him. They stayed by his side.
