The Maharaja's tiger hunts continued to be highly successful. Within ten years he was able to kill seventy tigers. And then, an
1064 Words
The Maharaja's tiger hunts continued to be highly successful. Within ten years he was able to kill seventy tigers. And then, an unforeseen hurdle brought his mission to a standstill. The tiger population became extinct in theforests of Pratibandapuram. Who knows whether the tigers practised birth control or committed harakiri? Or simply ran away from the State because they desired to be shot by British hands alone?
One day the Maharaja sent for the dewan. "Dewan saheb, aren't you aware of the fact that thirty tigers still remain to be shot down by this gun of mine?" he asked brandishing his gun.
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What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?
Shuddering at the sight of the gun. the dewan cried out, "Your Majesty! I am not a tiger!"
"Which i***t would call you a tiger?"
"No, and I'm not a gun!"
"You are neither tiger nor gun. Dewan saheb, I summoned you here for a different purpose. I have decided to get married."
The dewan began to babble even more. "Your Majesty, I have two wives already. If I marry you
"Don't talk nonsense! Why should I marry you? What I want is a tiger..."
"Your Majesty! Please think it over. Your ancestors were married to the sword. If you like, marry the gun. A Tiger King is more than enough for this state. It doesn't need a Tiger Queen as well!"
The Maharaja gave a loud crack of laughter. "I'm not thinking of marrying either a tiger or a gun, but a girl from the ranks of human beings. First you may draw up statistics of tiger populations in the different native states. Next you may investigate if there is a girl I can marry in the royal family of a state with a large tiger population."
The dewan followed his orders. He found the right girl from a state which possessed a large number of tigers.
Maharaja Jung Jung Bahadur killed five or six tigers each time he visited his father-in-law. In this manner. ninety-nine tiger skins adorned the walls of the reception hall in the Pratibandapuram palace.V
The Maharaja's anxiety reached a
fever pitch when there remained just one
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How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tigor suppwhich wascide his fate?
tiger to achieve his tally of a hundred He had this one thought during the day and the same dream at night. By this ame the tiger farms had run dry even in his father-in-law's kingdom. It became impossible to locate tigers anywhere. Yet only one more was needed. If he could kill just that one single beast, the Maharaja would have no fears left. He could give up tiger hunting altogether. But he had to be extremely careful with that last tuger. What had the late chief astrologer sald? "Even after killing ninety-nine tigers the Maharaja should beware of the hundredth..." True enough. The tiger was a savage beast after all. One had to be wary of it. But where was that hundredth tiger to be
found? It seemed easier to find tiger's milk than a live tiger. Thus the Maharaja was sunk in gloom. But soon came the happy news which dispelled that gloom. In his own state sheep began to disappear frequently from a hillside village.
It was first ascertained that this was not the work of Khader Mian Saheb or Virasami Nalcker, both famed for their ability to swallow sheep whole. Surely, a tiger was at work. The villagers ran to inform the Maharaja. The Maharaja announced a three-year exemption from all taxes for that village and set out on the hunt at once.
The tiger was not easily found. It seemed as if it had wantonly hid itself in order to flout the Maharaja's will.
The Maharaja was equally determined. He refused to leave the forest until the tiger was found. As the days passed, the Maharaja's fury and obstinacy mounted alarmingly. Many officers lost their jobs.
One day when his rage was at its height, the Maharaja called the dewan and ordered him to double the land tax forthwith.The people will become discontented. Then our state too will fall a prey to the Indian National Congress. "In that case you may resign from your post," said the king.
The dewan went home convinced that if the Maharaja did not find the tiger soon, the results could be catastrophic. He felt life returning to him only when he saw the tiger which had been brought from the People's Park in Madras and kept hidden in his house.
At midnight when the town slept in peace, the dewan and his aged wife dragged the tiger to the car and shoved it into the seat. The dewan himself drove the car straight to the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. When they reached the forest the tiger launched its satyagraha and refused to get out of the car. The dewan was thoroughly exhausted in his efforts to haul the beast out of the car and push it down to the ground.
On the following day, the same old tiger wandered Into the Maharaja's presence and stood as if in humble supplication. "Master, what do you command of me?" It was with boundless joy that the Maharaja took careful aim at the beast. The tiger fell in a crumpled heap.
"I have killed the hundredth tiger. My vow has been fulfilled." the Maharaja was overcome with elation. Ordering the tiger to be brought to the capital in grand procession, the Maharaja hastened away in his car.
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What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably disproved?
After the Maharaja left, the hunters went to take a closer look at the tiger. The tiger looked back at them rolling its eyes in bafflement. The men realised that the tiger was not dead; the bullet had missed it. It had fainted from the shock of the bullet whizzing past. The hunters wondered what they should do. They decided that the Maharaja must not come to know that he had missed his target. If he did, they could lose their jobs. One of the hunters took aim from a distance of one foot and shot the tiger. This time he killed it without missing his mark.
- Writer
