Mappo and the other monkeys did not stay in their houses very much.  They went in them to sleep, but that was about all.  The rest of the time they jumped about in the trees, looking for things to eat, and, once in a while, when there was no danger, they went down on the ground to play.

“I guess that tiger is gone now,” said Jacko to Mappo.  “Let’s go down on the ground again, and get some of those green things that are good to eat.”

The little monkeys had been eating some fruit, like green pears, which they liked very much, when the tiger came along and frightened them.  Tigers would rather eat monkeys than green pears, I guess.

“Yes, I think we can go down now,” said Mappo, looking through the leaves, and seeing nothing of the savage, striped tiger.

“You’d better ask mamma,” said Choo, one of the little girl monkeys.

“Indeed I will not!  I can see as good as she can that the tiger isn’t there!” exclaimed Mappo.

You see monkey children don’t want to mind, and be careful, any more than some human children do.

Mappo started to climb down the tree, holding on to the branches by his four paws and by his tail.  He was almost to the ground, and Jacko and Bumpo were following him, when, all at once, there was a dreadful roar, and out sprang the tiger again.

“Oh, run!  Run quick!  Jump back!” screamed Mappo, and he and his brothers got back to their tree-house not a second too soon.  The tiger snapped his teeth, and growled, he was so mad at being fooled the second time.

“Here!  What did I tell you monkeys?  You must stay up in the tree!” chattered Mrs. Monkey, as she jumped out of the house.  She had been inside shaking up the piles of leaves that were the beds for her family.

“We—­we thought the tiger was gone,” said Mappo, who was trembling because he was so frightened.

“But he wasn’t,” said Bumpo, shivering.

“No, he was right there,” added Jacko, looking around.

“Yes, and he’ll be there for some time,” said Mrs. Monkey.  “I told you to be careful.  Now you just sit down, all of you, and don’t you dare stir out of this tree until I tell you to.  I’ll let you know when the tiger is gone,” and she looked down through the leaves toward the ground.

“He is still there,” said Mrs. Monkey, for she caught sight of the stripes of the tiger’s skin.  She had very sharp eyes, and though the patches of sunlight through the jungle leaves hid the bad creature somewhat, Mrs. Monkey could tell he was there, waiting to catch one of her little children.

“Your father will be coming along, soon,” said Mrs. Monkey, to her children.  “The tiger may lay in wait for him.  I’d better let him know he must be careful as he comes along through the woods.”

So Mrs. Monkey raised up her head, and called as loudly as she could, in her chattering talk.  You would not have understood what she said, even if you had heard it, though there are some men who say they can understand monkey talk.