“How do you know this is to happen to us?” asked Mappo.

“Because I heard the black men talking of it,” said Sharp-Tooth.  “And, after a long while, we will land in another country, where there is no jungle, such as we love.”

“That will be too bad,” Mappo said.  “But still, it may be nice in that other country, and we may have many adventures.”

“Bah!  I do not want adventures!” the tiger growled.  “All I want is to be left alone in my jungle, where I can kill what I want to eat, drink from the jungle pool, and sleep in the sun.  I hate these men!  I hate this cage!  Once before I was caught and put in one, but I broke out and got away.  This time they have been too strong for me.  But you can help me to escape.”

“How?” asked Mappo.

“Listen!” whispered the tiger, putting his big mouth, filled with sharp teeth, close to the side of his cage, and nearest to Mappo’s crate.  “Listen!  Your paws are like hands and fingers.  To-night, when the natives set our crates down, to take their sleep, you can open your cage, slip out and come over and open mine.  I have tried to open my own, but I cannot.  However, you can easily do it.  Then we will both be free, and we can run away to the jungle together:  Come, will you do it?  I am very hungry!  I want to get off in the jungle and get something to eat.”

Mappo thought for a minute.  He was a smart little monkey, and he feared if he opened the tiger’s cage for him, the big chap might be so hungry that he would eat the first thing he saw, which would be Mappo himself.

“Will you open my cage for me after dark?” asked Sharp-Tooth.

“I’ll think about it,” answered back Mappo.

But he had no idea of letting out that tiger.

“I’m sure he must still be angry at me for hitting him with that empty cocoanut,” said Mappo, “and if he is loose he can easily crush me with one stroke of his paw.  No, I think I will not let him out, though I am sorry he is caught.  But I will try to get out myself, and run back to my mamma and papa, and sisters and brothers.  Yes, I will do that.”

After the tiger had asked Mappo to help him get out of the cage, Sharp-Tooth pretended to go to sleep.  He wanted to fool the natives, you see, and make believe he was going to be good and gentle.

“Oh, but won’t I roar and bite and scratch when I do get out!” thought the tiger.  Perhaps he would not have hurt Mappo, had the monkey opened the cage; but I cannot be sure of that.

All day long through the jungle tramped the natives, carrying the wild animals in their crates.  There were several besides Mappo and Sharp-Tooth.  There were snakes, in big boxes, other monkeys, a rhinoceros, a hippopotamus, two lions, who roared dreadfully all the while, and many other beasts.

In fact, it was a small circus marching through the jungle, and all the animals had been caught, in one way or another, to be sold to circuses and menageries.  But in this book I will tell you mostly about Mappo, just as in other books I have told you of Squinty, the comical pig, and Slicko, the jumping squirrel.