her a prisoner.




TERA, THE TIGRESS


The day had been exceptionally hot, but a light breeze sprang up
towards dusk and softly rustled the dry, dusky, jungle grass, making
it bend and shimmer in graceful, undulating waves. The rustling
resembled the swaying of corn, and as the breeze increased it became
more and more pronounced. One part of the long grass rustled more than
the other; it did not stop even when the breeze had passed over it on
its way to other grasses.

The rustling grew louder, and, instead of the gentle, swaying motion
caused by the breeze, the grass suddenly parted and bent in opposite
directions, and from the middle there softly stepped out a full grown
tiger. For a few seconds he stood perfectly still. His four, velvet
paws were planted firmly on the ground; his pliable tail was waving
slowly to and fro, and his bright yellow eyes glanced quickly and
sharply in all directions. He was a splendid fellow and quite young.
His light, tawny-yellow body was exquisitely marked with dark, velvety
stripes--some double, some single--but each stripe even and regular.
His legs, down to his soft velvety-looking paws, were marked in the
same way, and his long tail had rings of the same dark color all the
way down. The under parts of his body, his throat and chest, and the
long hair which grew in little tufts on either side of his face were
of soft, creamy-white. His large, round head, with its small,