“Oh, but Tamba did not go away,” said the old man tiger. “He was caught in a trap. Well do I remember that night! We have never seen him since.”
“No; and I don’t suppose we ever shall,” said the tigress, and she, too, spoke sadly. “I would give a great deal if I could only see my little Tamba again.”
At that Tamba could wait no longer. Trembling with eagerness he leaped through the grass, and landed in front of the cave, right between the other tigers.
“Ha! What is this? Who is this strange tiger?” asked the old one.
“Yes, who are you, and what do you want?” asked the tigress. “If you came to play with our boy and girl, there they are rolling in the grass. But you should not pounce in like that. It isn’t very nice and――”
“Mother! Don’t you know me?” cried Tamba, in tiger talk, of course. “Why, I’m your own little boy tiger who was trapped and taken away long ago! I have been in a circus ever since, until I ran away, got on a ship, and came back to my jungle. Here I am! Don’t you know me, Father?”
The old tiger opened wide his eyes and peered at the younger one.
“Why――why――it is Tamba!” he growled. “Look, Mother, our tiger cub has come back to us, almost full grown! Oh, what a fine tiger he is! Here!” he called to Tamba’s brother and sister. “Here is Tamba come back! Oh, how glad I am!”
“And so am I!” cried Tamba’s mother, as she purred and rubbed him with her paw. “Oh, to think of having you back again after all these years! I am so glad!”
“And I am glad to get back!” said Tamba. “I had a lot of adventures before I got here, though.”
“Oh, do tell us about them!” purred Tamba’s sister. “I love to hear adventure stories.”
“So do I,” said Tamba’s brother. “Tell us about the circus.”
“First, let him have something to eat,” suggested Tamba’s mother. “You are hungry, aren’t you?” she asked.
Then they brought him a big chunk of meat from the cave, and when he had eaten that and had taken a drink from the pool Tamba sat down and began his story.
“I have been in many places,” he said, “but, most of all, I like to be back in the jungle. I am never going away again!”
“And to think you found us again, after all these years!” said his mother.
“I think it is wonderful!” added his sister.
“Very clever, I call it,” said his father, sort of laughing.