LEFT-OVER STORY

Southland Times, Issue 23374, 4 December 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

LEFT-OVER STORY

—VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED—

Reginald was a young rajah who was staying at Captain Burnett s house on the banks of the Ganges river in India. One day they all went to another rajah’s place to stay for a while. The day after their arrival, they were asked to go out tiger hunting with their host. On arriving at the forest, they separated, each having three servants. Reginald went in a different direction from the others. When he was coming out of the bush near a river, he heard a sound beside him, and, on looking round, he saw a crocodile asleep in the water next to him. He was going to aim and shoot the crocodile when he saw a tigress creeping towards it. She was just going to spring, when it awoke and grabbed one of her paws in its mouth. The crocodile then began to pull the tigress into the water. When she saw Reginald, she gave him an appealing lookReginald shot the crocodile in the head, causing it to open its mouth and release the tigress. The tigress made for the bank, where she lav down, not being able to walk. Reginald thought it was now the time to catch her alive. He crept closer and closer. Once when he was very close to her, she gave a growl. Reginald had his gun in such a position that he could shoot her if she showed any signs of attacking him. He went right up to the tigress, and patted her on the head. When she found that he was friendly, she held up her sore paw to him. Reginald, taking the paw, bathed it, and afterwards tied it with a handker-

chief. He stayed with her for a while and the three servants looked on in terror. When they went near the tigress growled at them in a terrifying manner. At last Reginald got up and started for hdme, with the tigress following him like a dog. On his way he wondered what to call her, but after much thinking, he decided upon the name of “Faithful.” When he arrived home there was no one there, so he hid Faithful behind some chairs, and sat down to wait the arrival of Captain Burnett and the rajah. When they returned. Captain Burnett said to Reginald, “Young man, what did you get in the way of skins? I don’t see any.” Reginald replied “I have something better than that.” Calling Faithful from behind the chairs, he said, “Isn’t this better than skins?”

—3 marks to Cousin Margaret Hyndman M.M.S., (14), 33 Nelson street.