Aboo Din ran his long, naked arm into the opening in pursuit of his
first-born--the audacious boy who would make terms with his white
master!

"Is it not enough before Allah that this son should cause me, a Hadji,
to curse daily, but now he must bewitch tigers and dictate terms to
the Tuan and to me, his father? He shall feel the strength of my wrist;
I will--O Allah!"

Aboo snatched forth his arm with a howl of pain. One of his fingers
was bleeding profusely, and the marks of tiny teeth showed plainly
where Baboo had closed them on the offending hand.

"Biak, Baboo, mari!" (Good, come forth!) I said.

First the round, soft face of the small miscreant appeared; then
the head, and then the naked little body. Aboo Din grasped him in
his arms, regardless of his former threats, or of the blood that was
flowing from his wounds. Then, amid caresses and promises to Allah
to kill fire-fighting cocks, the father hugged and kissed Baboo until
he cried out with pain.

After each Malay had taken the little fellow in his arms, I turned
to Baboo and said, while I tried to be severe,--

"Baboo, where is tiger?"

"Sudah mati (dead), Tuan," he answered with dignity. "Tiger over there,
Tuan. Sladang kill. I hid here and wait for Aboo Din!"

He touched his forehead with the back of his brown palm. There was
nothing, either in the little fellow's bearing or words, that betrayed
fear or bravado. It was only one mishap more or less to him.

We followed Baboo's lead to the edge of the jungle, and there,
stretched out in the hot sand, lay the great, tawny beast, stamped
and pawed until he was almost unrecognizable.

All about him were the hoof-marks of the great sladang, the fiercest
and wildest animal of the peninsula--the Malayan bull that will charge
a tiger, a black lion, a boa, and even a crocodile, on sight. Hunters
will go miles to avoid one of them, and a herd of elephants will go
trumpeting away in fear at their approach.

"Kuching besar (big cat) eat Baboo's chow dog, then sleep in
lallang grass,"--this was the child's story. "Baboo find, and say,
'Bagus kuching (pretty kitty), see Baboo's doll?' Kuching no like
Baboo's doll mem consul give. Kuching run away. Baboo catch tail,
run too. Kuching go long ways. Baboo 'fraid Aboo Din whip and tell
kuching must go back. Kuching pick Baboo up in mouth when Baboo let go.

"Kuching hurt Baboo. Baboo stick fingers in kuching's eye. Kuching
no more hurt Baboo. Kuching stop unde