Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger- by SakiMade By :-

Ankit Goel (X-D)

Group Members :-1. Yash Jain2. Aagam Jain 3. Ram Maggu4. Vaibhav Satija Submitted

To :- Mrs. Chetna

AuthorHector Hugh Munro

About The AuthorHector Hugh Munro  (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki, and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and culture. He is considered the master of the short story, and often compared to O.Henry and Dorothy Parker.

Motive for Killing a TigerMrs. Packletide decided to shoot a tiger. The reason behind it was nothing else but her deeply rooted hatred for Loona Bimberton. She considered Loona to be her main rival. Loona Bimberton had recently had a joy ride in an aeroplane with an Algerian pilot. Mrs. Packletide wanted to outdo her rival. She wanted to do something more exciting and adventurous than Loona’s feat. Hence, the idea of killing a tiger came in the mind of Mrs. Packletide.

To Earn Publicity And FameThe motive of killing a tiger was to earn a lot of publicity and fame. She wanted to overshadow Loona’s act. Mrs. Packletide wanted the press and magazines should publish her photographs with the dead tiger’s skin. She had decided to present a tiger-claw brooch to Loona Bimberton on her next birthday.

Circumstances Proved Favourable

Circumstances proved favorable for Mrs. Packletide. A tiger could be seen roaming frequently in a forest near a neighboring village. The old tiger had confined his activities only to small domestic animals. The villagers were tempted by Mrs. Packletide offer and the prospect of getting a thousand rupees. Mrs. Packletide wanted a safer and convenient shooting. The villagers did their best to confine the tiger to his present quarters. Maximum care was taken not to disturb his rest or sleep. Mother carrying their babies hushed their singing not to disturb the restful sleep of the old tiger.

Preparation For The HuntThe great night duly arrived. It was a moon lite and cloudless night. A platform was constructed in a conveniently placed tree. Mrs. Packletide sat there with her paid-companion Miss Mebbin. A goat with a persistent bleat was tied at a correct distance. With her rifle ready in her hands, Mrs. Packletide waited for the tiger to come out in the open there.

Shooting Of The TigerAs soon as the tiger caught sight of the goat, he lay on the Earth. He did not so only to snatch a short rest before being ready for the ‘grand attack’. Then Mrs. Packletide’s rifle flashed out with loud report. The tiger sprang to one side and the rolled-over dead on the ground. In a moment a crowd of excited native appeared on the scene. The villagers celebrated the feat by thumping of toms-toms. All these things pleased Mrs. Packletide.

Secret Of Tiger’s DeathIt was Louisa Mebbin who drew Mrs. Packletide’s attention to the fact that the goat was in death-throes from a fatal bullet wound. There was no sign of bullet-mark on the tiger. Clearly, the wrong animal had been hit. Mrs. Packletide had missed her aim. The old and weak tiger died due to the heart failure caused by the loud noise of the rifle. At any rate, she was the possessor of a dead tiger.

Miss Mebbin Blackmails Mrs. Packletide

Miss Mebbin, the paid companion of Mrs. Packletide, was a great opportunist. She threatened her with the disclosure of the secret of the tiger’s death. Very clearly, she put forward a proposal before Mrs. Packletide. Miss Mebbin told her that she had seen a week-end cottage neat Darking. She wanted to buy a cottage. The cost was six hundred and eighty, freehold. It was a good bargain but she didn’t have the money.

ConclusionMrs. Packletide was blackmailed to but that cottage for Miss Mebbin. In this way, Miss Mebbin became the pruod owner of the cottage. She named it ‘Les Fauvs’ or ‘The Wild Animals’. After this incidence, Mrs. Packletide gave up ‘big game shooting’ or ‘hunting big animals’. When someone asked she replied that the ‘incidental’ or other expenses were so heavy in the big-game shooting.

Moral ValueWe should not be jealous on

other’s success & joy…!

The End