As our boat was nearing the river shore, the boatman stopped its engine and set the boat adrift. We were uncertain of the reason. Then the boatman told us to speak in a low tone.
“Wait for a few minutes before we go onto the shore,” advised the boatman.
“But why?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” he answered.
After ten minutes, the boatman signalled us to alight from the boat. Then he tied the boat to a dock.
“Watch where you walk,” the boatman cautioned as he pointed to fresh pug marks on the sand.
“What prints are those?” I questioned.
In a very low tone almost in a whisper,he answered, “Tiger.”
I was shocked and couldn’t say anything. It seemed that a tiger went to the river for a drink and it will take a few minutes for it to return into the jungle. We wouldn’t want to cross a tiger’s path! That was the first time I came so close to a real tiger and it was scary looking at the size of the paw print. 🐾
We continued our hike into the jungle but for a moment, I thought I heard a roar from a distance. Was I dreaming or was it real? Then in a hurry, the boatman asked us to run back to the boat. Without asking any questions, we ran helter skelter and jumped into the boat. He untied the boat and pushed the boat to the water, then he started the engine.
The boat managed to move and all of a sudden, we saw a tiger making a jump towards us. We screamed in fear but luckily, the boat sped off. The tiger fell into the river. Whew! Fortunately, we could escape the situation in time. If not, we would have been the tiger’s feast for the day! 🐅

© autumnB