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With thanks to Olivia
and Kitti Caboodle
For supporting Storynory

Read by Jana
Adapted by Bertie

The Gentleman who set a tiger free

Hello, this is Jana and I’m here with an ancient story from India. It features a variety of characters, including a Tiger, a buffalo, a tree, and a road. Yes, that’s an unusual collection, and there are more too. It starts with the tiger, and a man who has led a soft and sheltered life.

A Long time ago, in the jungle, a tiger was caught in a trap. It was like a wooden cage that dropped down from a tree and caught him tight.
He wiggled and jiggled, but those bars wouldn’t budge.
Eventually, a gentleman came strolling down the forest path, humming a happy tune and twirling a walking stick. He had a kind face and a soft heart—perhaps a little too soft.
The tiger’s ears heard this happy tune.
“Oh good sir!” he called out, putting on his most pitiful voice. “Please, please help me! I’m stuck in this dreadful cage. If you let me out, I’ll be your friend for life! I’ll follow you like a dog. I’ll guard your house! I’ll... I’ll eat only vegetables!”
The man stopped and looked the tiger up and down. “Oh right” he said, scratching his chin. “But you’re a tiger and tigers eat people.”
“Not you!” cried the tiger. “Why would I eat you? If you save me, I’d be ever so grateful.”
The tiger gave a sniff and blinked his big golden eyes.
Well, the man’s heart went all soft and syrupy. He opened the latch—click!—and out sprang the tiger.
“Thank you very much,” said the tiger, licking his lips” I’m so hungry, I could eat a whole picnic—and you’re it!”
The man gasped.
“Hold on a minute! That’s not fair. I did you a big favour, and this is how you repay me? By eating me up!”
“Unfair! Is that what you say?” replied the tiger. “What a complainer! What a miserable whiner! What a poor loser you are! I played a trick, and you fell for it. Now I’m going to eat you. It’s the natural order. What’s unfair about that?” But the man carried on complaining.
“You are most unjust. We had a bargain, and you broke it!”
“All right, all right,” said the Tiger. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do. You ask three others if they think I’m treating you unfairly. If any one agrees with you, then I’ll let you go scott free. I can’t say fairer than that, can I?”
The man agreed. He had no choice.
First, he asked a great tree that had roots like ropes and branches like umbrellas.
“Tree,” said the man, “I saved the tiger, and now he wants to eat me. Is that fair?”
The tree rustled sadly. “I give shade to all, and yet people snap off my branches to feed their goats. Fairness? I’ve seen none of it.”
Next, the man asked an old buffalo who was plodding round and round, turning a creaky water wheel mill.
“Buffalo,” he said, “am I being treated unjustly?”
The buffalo snorted. “I gave milk all my life. Now I’m old, they feed me scraps and make me work like a machine. The world is a wheel, and fairness is not part of it.”
Then, the man asked the dusty road beneath his feet.
“Road, please,” he begged, “tell me, is the tiger fair?”
The road groaned. “People walk all over me, carts roll over me, even donkeys drop things on me. Do they ever say thank you? No. Life, my friend, is one long trudge.”
By now, the man was trembling. He had no idea there was so much suffering and injustice in the world. And he was almost ready to give up. The tiger was licking his paws in anticipation.
Just then, out of the undergrowth trotted a jackal looking all sleepy and dreamy.
“Good day!” said the jackal, politely. “I’ve been listening. But I’m a simple creature, not too clever, and this story—oh dear—it’s rather muddled in my poor little head. Who was in the cage again?”
“I was. Oh do keep up,” said the tiger impatiently.
“Oh, I see, I see,” said the jackal. “I was in the cage, the tiger walked by , and the man was the judge, or … oh dear, I’m in such a muddle.”
“Grrrrr,” growled the Tiger, “Why can’t you get the story straight?”
“Oh, but I still don’t quite understand. Where were you. Can you show me?”
“With pleasure,” said the tiger, who wanted the whole jungle to know how clever he was. He stepped into the cage to show him how it all had been.
“You were there?” asked the jackal, wide-eyed.
“Yes! Exactly!”
“And the door was shut like this?” said the jackal, swinging it closed with a click.
The tiger blinked. “Wait...”
“Perfect!” said the jackal, dusting off his paws. “Now I understand completely. Thank you so much!”
The man burst out laughing. The jackal gave a cheeky bow. Together, they walked away, leaving the tiger behind the bars, muttering about the unfairness of it all.
And from that day on, the man was never quite so gullible, and the jackal—well, he remained as clever as ever.
And that was “The Gentleman who set the tiger free” read by me Jana for Storynory.com
Bye bye for now!

Before I go, I’d like to mention Olivia, who listens to Storynory on Spotify every night.
Thank you Olivia.
And yes, our podcast is on Spotify, and all good podcast apps.

And a special mention goes to an irish storyteller, Kitti Caboodle, who was reading our Story, The Sumurai and the Teamaster in a very fitting place . In the wooden tearoom of the The Lafcadio Hearn Gardens - not in Japan - but in Ireland! Thank you Kitti

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