A TIGER IN THE HOUSE� By Ruskin Bond�
CLASS VII
CHAPTER 9
(An Alien Hand)
BEFORE WE PROCEED
�Key points�
ABOUT THE STORY
One day, the narrator’s grandfather was walking down the forest path. There he found a little tiger and brought him home. The narrator’s grandmother named the tiger cub, Timothy. She brought him up on bottle-milk. Later he was put on a diet of raw mutton and cod liver oil. Afterwards, he was put on the diet of pigeons and rabbits also.
ABOUT THE STORY
Toto, the monkey and a puppy were Timothy’s companions. Toto used to pull the cub’s tail and climbed up the curtain when Timothy lost his temper. When the narrator came to live with Grandfather, he became one of the tiger’s favourites. Initially, Timothy was afraid of the puppy. But finally the puppy was allowed to crawl and rest on his back.
ABOUT THE STORY
He preferred to be taken out in the morning for a walk. He lie down on a long sofa in the drawing-room during the day and slept in the cook’s quarters. One day grand mother made a prophecy that a day would come when Timothy would eat Mahmud the cook. But fortunately it didn’t prove to be true.
ABOUT THE STORY
When he became six months old he was of full size. He also started eating small animals. A change came over him. He became less friendly, in fact more dangerous. Then the grandfather took him to Lucknow. In Lucknow the grandfather presented him to the zoo.
ABOUT THE STORY
After six months the grandfather went to see Timothy. He stroked the tiger’s forehead, tickled his ears and smacked him across the mouth. The tiger licked Grandfather’s hands. It sprang away only when a leopard in the next cage snarled at him. A keeper of the zoo called the tiger bad tempered. He had no knowledge about the owner of the tiger.
ABOUT THE STORY
ABOUT THE STORY
Another keeper observed him with alarm. He also recognised the Grandfather. He informed the Grandfather about Timothy’s death of pneumonia and informed him that the dangerous tiger was trapped only last month. The Grandfather was shocked. The tiger was still licking his arm. He was smelling fresh food. Grandfather somehow withdrew his hand from the cage. He gave the keeper a scornful look and bade the tiger “Goodnight’.
Vocabulary
Comprehension Check
Question 1: How was the tiger cub fed?�
Answer: At first, the tiger cub was brought up totally on bottle milk. Thereafter the milk proved too rich for him. Then he was put on a diet of raw mutton and cod liver oil. Gradually, he was given the diet of pigeons and rabbits.
Comprehension Check
Question 2: How was Timothy’s companionship with the puppy?�
Answer: The narrator’s grandfather found a small mongrel puppy. At first, Timothy felt afraid of it. He sprang back if the puppy came near him. He would dash at it rashly but soon retreated to a safe place Gradually they became friends. He allowed the puppy to crawl on its back and even rest there.
Comprehension Check
Question 3: How was Mahmoud, the cook, attached to the tiger Cub?�
Answer: Mahmoud was cook in the narrator’s house. He used to feed the tiger cub on bottle- milk. The tiger cub slept at night in the cook’s quarters.
Comprehension Check
Question 4: When and how did Timothy become unfriendly ?�
Answer: Timothy grew unfriendly when he was about six months old. The narrator took him out for a walk. Timothy tried to stalk a cat or someone’s pet dog. He used to pull out the feathers of the poultry at night.
Comprehension Check
Question 5: Why did the narrator’s Grandfather visit Lucknow ?�
Answer: His grandfather visited Lucknow both to meet his relatives there and to call to the zoo. He would see there how Timothy was getting on.
THANKS