Hari, Black and the tiger
P. SUBRAMANIAN
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When Hari started out on his expedition he did not realise what adventures lay in store.
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Illustration: P. Subramanian
Hari and his schoolmates were trekking in the Western Ghats. The trip was organised by his school to study nature and its wildlife. It was the second day of the three-day expedition. The team had entered the sholas in the morning. It was a wet, misty day. The earth was soggy and slippery. Blood sucking leeches sprang up from everywhere. They trudged through the narrow and rugged forest path. Gradually the path grew more treacherous and steep. They were getting exhausting. Finally they decided to halt on a ridge.
The sky became dark and there was a flash of lightning, a clap of thunder announced the arrival of the monsoon.
Captured!
In the meantime, Hari walked under a huge boulder and to his dismay found that the drizzle had become a torrent, cascading over the boulder. Hari lost his balance and slipped into a stream. He screamed out aloud, but no one could hear him. Soon he was marooned in a remote spot of the jungle.
A few hours later, the storm abated. Hari began to walk, but he had no clue of which way to go. He was completely lost. He cried out aloud. The sound attracted some people and they came running towards him. They were carrying bows and arrows and surrounded Hari. He tried to escape. But his feeble attempt was unsuccessful. He was overpowered and carried away to their village. The area was littered with broken human skulls. From a large cave, emerged the chief. He was addressed, as Mr. Black and he looked fierce.
Suddenly, Hari's attention was drawn to by an alarming cry. He saw a man in a cauldron and his hands were tied. The cauldron was on a huge fire.
"Mr. Black, why have you put him in a cauldron? What has he done to deserve this?" he said, when he had plucked up courage.
"My dear young fellow, we're cooking him for our dinner. Soon we will eat you too."
"Mr. Black, don't you think it is wrong? I advise you to become a vegetarian. It is a healthier option." So saying, he took out his tiffin box from his backpack and opened it. The food was still fresh, and the aroma from the tiffin box was overpowering.
Hari dished out his chappatis, aloo mutter and gobi masala. It was irresistible. Mr. Black enjoyed the meal thoroughly.
Hari then taught the chief to cook tasty vegetarian food. They were so happy with Hari that they let him and the man in the cauldron go free.
Once again in the forest, Hari was negotiating a narrow gully when he saw a tiger waiting to pounce. Hari was frightened. Desperate, he tried to plead with the tiger. "Uncle tiger, don't harm me. I am lost in the forest. I will not disturb you."
On hearing this, the tiger decided to let him go. Anyway, he was not a man-eater. Hari ran away, but hardly had he gone a little way when he heard a loud scream.
He ran back and to his surprise found that it was the tiger. It had been caught in the trap that some poachers had set. Hari ran to help and with great difficulty released the trap.
A helicopter hovering above the mountain range suddenly spotted a lone figure in the forest. On closer observation the pilot saw that it was a boy and he seemed to be lost. He immediately reported this to his air base. A rescue team was organised and much later they found a rather weak and tired Hari, asleep under a rock.
Hari recounted his adventures to all his friends and he was soon a hero.
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