Tigers at Twilight - Mary Pope Osborne [6]
“Jack!” shouted Annie. She was racing toward him, with Teddy at her heels. “Come quick!”
“What’s wrong?” he said.
“We found something terrible!” Annie was close to tears. “Really terrible!”
Jack threw his things into his pack and followed Annie to the forest edge.
Teddy stayed close to them, whining. Kah and Ko bounced around, chattering nervously.
As Jack got closer, he saw a tiger. The tiger was lying on his side, completely still.
His eyes were closed. His front paw was caught in a trap.
“Is he dead?” said Jack.
“No, he’s still breathing,” Annie said. A tear ran down her cheek. “He’s worn out from struggling. He must have gotten caught last night. That’s the sad sound we heard.”
“What can we do?” said Jack.
“We have to free him!” said Annie. She started toward the tiger.
“Wait! Wait!” Jack grabbed her. “Tigers eat people, you know.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s see what the book says first.”
“Hurry,” said Annie.
Jack opened their India book. He found a chapter called “Tiger Traps.” He read:
Poachers catch Indian tigers with steel traps. This is against the law. After trapping a tiger, they kill it and sell the body parts for money. Like the rhino, the tiger is a very endangered species. If the killing does not end, they both face extinction. Extinction means that someday there may be no Indian tigers or rhinos left on earth.
“Oh, man, we do have to save him,” said Jack.
Under the writing was a picture of a steel trap used to catch tigers. Jack studied it. It looked horrible and deadly.
“Okay,” he said. He showed the picture to Annie. “Here’s the plan. I’ll push down on this part. The trap will spring open. Then you pull his leg out. Got it?”
“Got it,” said Annie. “Sit, Teddy.”
The little dog sat.
The langurs watched silently as Jack and Annie moved closer to the tiger.
He was the most majestic creature Jack had ever seen. His huge head was a dark orange color. He had perfect black-and-white stripes around his wide face.
The leg in the ugly steel trap was bleeding.
Slowly, silently, Jack pushed down the lever.
He raised the bar off the tiger’s leg.
The tiger kept sleeping.
Slowly, silently, Annie freed the tiger’s leg. She stroked his fur gently.
“Get well,” she whispered.
The tiger didn’t move.
Slowly, silently, Jack and Annie stood up.
They turned around. They started tiptoeing back toward the langurs.
Koo-koo-koo! warned Kah and Ko.
Jack and Annie turned back.
The tiger was on his feet. He stared right at them. His eyes seemed to glow.
Jack looked about wildly. How could they escape?
The tiger snarled at Jack and Annie.
Then slowly, silently, he started toward them.
The huge tiger limped closer and closer to Jack and Annie.
Jack clapped his hands.
“We come in peace!” he shouted.
But the tiger didn’t turn away. His eyes blazed. His lip curled.
Arf! Arf! Teddy barked fiercely at Annie.
“Teddy says run and hide!” said Annie.
She grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him over to the bank.
“Wait—what about Teddy?” he cried.
“Don’t worry!” Annie said.
She pulled Jack down behind the black rock.
“What about Teddy?” Jack asked again.
“He’s okay—he told me!” said Annie.
Jack heard Teddy’s barks turn to fierce growls.
ARF! ARF! GRRR! GRRRR!
The growls grew louder and louder.
“That doesn’t sound like Teddy,” said Jack.
Then suddenly, there was silence. A strange silence.
“Teddy?” Annie asked. Now she sounded worried.
Annie raised her head. She and Jack both peered over the rock.
Teddy stood tall and brave in the grass.
The tiger was limping away. He disappeared between the trees.
All the forest seemed to hold its breath—until Annie broke the silence.
“Teddy, you’re a wonder dog!” she said.
The langurs clapped and jumped up and down.
Arf! Arf! Teddy was just like a small scruffy dog again. He wagged his tail and ran to Annie and Jack.
Annie scooped him into her arms.
“You saved us!” she said.
“How did you drive away that tiger?” asked Jack, rubbing Teddy’s head. “Did you turn into a wild dog?”
Teddy just panted and licked