On this day, after a night rain, the sun had not yet peeked out of the clouds.

The clouds are flowing on the Yunwu Mountain, the green lan is fluttering, the wild grass and mountain flowers are still stained with dew, and the air is filled with bursts of moisture.

The two monkeys, Ah Zuo and Ah You, picked some wild fruits in the mountains and took them to the grass hut.

Zhang Shaofei and Wang Shaoxiang are playing with the monkeys.

Liang Futian brought some salt and oil to visit Zhang Shaofei's mother and son in the grass shed.

During the chat, Liang Futian said that the family's hunting dog Ah Wang was about to give birth, and he wanted to find some papaya to promote milk for him.

After hearing this, Zhang Shaofei said: "A few days ago, I saw two wild papaya trees at the mouth of the tiger pit, and the melons and fruits on the trees were almost ripe, so I will take you there." ”

"That's great." Liang Futian clapped his hands happily.

Liang Futian and Zhang Shaofei took the two monkeys out of the grass hut and walked towards the tiger pit.

When I came to the mouth of the tiger pit, there were indeed two tall papaya trees on the side of the path, which may have grown up after someone ate ripe papaya and spit out the seeds on the road. The fruit on the tree has turned brown and yellow.

Zhang Shaofei put the leaves to his mouth, whistled, and raised his hand to point up.

When the two monkeys heard the order, they climbed in two, and soon picked the papaya from the tree and put it at Zhang Shaofei's feet.

Suddenly, Liang Futian made a discovery, and pointed to the ground two feet away from the papaya tree: "Ah, look, there are blood stains here." ”

It had just rained heavily yesterday and there was still mud on the ground. There was a large pool of blood on the messy barren meadow, and some gray-white hair.

Liang Futian picked up the bloody hair and identified: "This is the hair left after the hare was bitten." ”

Zhang Shaofei bent down and looked down here, took a look there, looked carefully, and shouted: "Ah, big footprints!" ”

Liang Futian walked over and saw a deep footprint on the soft and damp soil. While looking at it, he asked, "Ah Fei, are these tiger footprints?" ”

After Zhang Shaofei took a closer look, he replied, "Uncle Tian, you are right, this is a typical big tiger footprint. ”

Although Liang Futian had experience in hunting, when he saw Zhang Shaofei's words, he said, "Ah, it's a big tiger, are you so sure?" ”

Zhang Shaofei nodded confidently: "I have seen the footprints of those big tigers in Longshan, and this is what they look like." ”

Liang Futian asked: "What is the basis for what you say?" ”

Zhang Shaofei pointed to the footprints and said, "The footprints of other beasts in the mountains are not so big. You see, it has the shape of a plum blossom, and the parallel palm pad at the back and the three plum toe prints on the front are clearly visible. The outermost toe print, with its square border, is faintly recognizable, which is the characteristic indentation of the outer toe print of the big tiger. ”

Liang Futian listened to Zhang Shaofei's speech clearly, and after inspecting it, he said: "These footprints are just like what you said." Do you estimate how big this tiger will be? ”

Zhang Shaofei had hit a big tiger with a stone not long ago to save the sika deer, and was chased by the big tiger, fortunately, he climbed up the steep stone wall in time to avoid a catastrophe, so he had a deep impression of the big tiger, bent down and pointed to the ground and said: "Uncle Tian, you see that these footprints are nearly five inches wide, and the steps of the two footprints are three feet away." The footprints are so deep that it can be seen that this is a big tiger weighing nearly a thousand catties."

"Wow, a big tiger weighing nearly a thousand pounds?" Liang Futian knew that the big tiger was not something to eat, and recently found that the animals in the mountains were bitten and left more bloodstains, and his face suddenly showed a look of worry, "Now it seems that it is going to kill, what should we do?" ”

Zhang Shaofei was thinking: "This ......"

Liang Futian groaned and expressed his worries: "Ah Fei, you should know that the big tiger in the pit has very thick skin, and if we want to shoot it with a bow and arrow, it will be difficult to kill it with one arrow. If you just shoot it, the enraged tiger will rush at you in a frenzied revenge, how can we deal with it? ”

"Uncle Tian, it's really a difficult problem for you to talk about, but as long as you use your brains, there will always be a way." Zhang Shaofei held his chin, pondered for a while, and said, "Didn't you specially install animal traps in the mountains?" ”

"Install the trap?" Liang Futian still had a difficult face, "The big tiger in the tiger pit is very shrewd, it will not be fooled according to your wishes." In the past, I used to pretend many times, but I only caught wild boar, yellow muntjac, sika deer, etc., and I never caught the big tiger. ”

Zhang Shaofei: "Let's think of more ways." ”

Liang Futian stood and pondered for a while, a little puzzled: "After you saw wild beasts caught in iron clamps in the mountains before, you often untied those iron shackles for them and released them, saying that you should be merciful and kill less. But why did you ask me to install the trap today? ”

Zhang Shaofei has his own proposition in his heart: "We can't do things so absolutely, one time and another." ”

Although Liang Futian didn't fully understand Zhang Shaofei's words, during these days, he got along with Zhang Shaofei, and always felt that he had a good idea and many ways, so he said: "Since it is your idea to install a trap, then follow it." ”

"Okay." Zhang Shaofei reminded Liang Futian, "We have to anticipate in advance that once the big tiger is clamped, in order to break free, it will definitely do its best, and you must know that the tiger is infinitely powerful when it wields its might." Therefore, the installation of this trap must be very solid and firm. ”

"You've got a good idea, we should be thoughtful. This time, I'm going to pick the biggest and strongest trap to install. Liang Futian said this, thought for a moment, and asked: "Ah Fei, in your opinion, where should the trap be installed?" ”

Zhang Shaofei said confidently: "There is a way, a snake has a snake road, and a tiger has a tiger track." You are a hunter and should have a lot of experience. Of course, we're going to put it in the path that the tiger has to go through. ”

Liang Futian admired it: "It seems that you are more familiar with this aspect than me, then, do it according to your idea." ”

Zhang Shaofei nodded: "Okay." ”

A few days later, Liang Futian came to the grass hut with a modified trap. Zhang Shaofei walked with him to the tiger pit.

Coming to the place where the blood stains were found last time, Zhang Shaofei stopped, looked carefully, squatted down and compared with his hands for a while, and finally nodded: "Yo, this is the trail that tigers often walk." ”

"Okay, let's set up traps and traps on this path." After Liang Futian responded, he took out the trap.

Zhang Shaofei first used iron branches to lay three deep piles on the ground next to the trail, and then installed the trap. Then a thin layer of grass was spread on top of the trap to cover it as a camouflage.

Liang Futian obeyed Zhang Shaofei's instructions and tied a card to a small tree on the side of the road two feet away from the trap, which read: "Trap, danger!" Please refrain from approaching. ”

……

A few days later, in the evening, the remnant sun was like blood, and the western sky was filled with layers of fiery clouds, and the cloud mountain was smeared with a layer of golden red.

The weather was very hot, with gusts of mountain wind and rolling heat waves. The birds in the forest are fluttering and noisy.

In Liangtian Village, some people are chopping firewood and some people are washing rice.

Today is Liang Futian's fiftieth birthday, Zhang Shaofei and his mother Wang Shaoxiang came to Liang Futian's house in Liangtianzhai, on the one hand, to congratulate, on the other hand, to help.

Zhang Shaofei was holding an ax in the yard and chopping wood, tired and sweating profusely.

Liang Zhenhui is holding a big bowl and feeding the hound Ah Wang, who has just given birth to puppies.

Liang Zhenlian was busy in the kitchen.

Liang Futian, as today's birthday star, sat on the camphor wooden pier and held a long pipe, smoking a cigarette, leisurely swallowing clouds and spitting fog.

Suddenly, there was a faint sound of terrible whistling in the distance.

Wang Shaoxiang: "Ah Fei, what is this called?" ”

"Wait until I go out and listen." Zhang Shaofei hurriedly ran out of the house, listened attentively, and judged that this was the cry of a tiger through the sound of the mountain wind and pine waves.

Zhang Shaofei's heart jumped, and he hurriedly returned to the courtyard and said to Liang Futian: "Hey, Uncle Atian, there is a situation, I recognize this is a tiger cry!" ”

When Liang Futian heard this, he immediately unloaded the long pipe from his mouth and shouted, "Yo! ”

Liang Zhenhui also heard it at this time: "Is it in the direction of the tiger pit?" ”

Zhang Shaofei affirmed: "Yes." Can't be wrong! ”

Liang Futian knocked the long pipe on the wooden pier and guessed: "It must be the tiger who stepped on the mechanism we laid over there in the tiger pit and caught the trap of the beast." ”

Zhang Shaofei urged: "Uncle Tian, Zhenhui, let's go to the tiger pit and take a look." ”

"Okay." Liang Zhenhui put down the big bowl in his hand and picked up the hunting fork in the yard.

Liang Futian thrust the long pipe into his waist, walked into the house quickly, picked up the bow and arrow, and ran towards the tiger pit with Zhang Shaofei.

Flowers and trees on both sides kept flying past them, and it didn't take long for them to come to the tiger's pit.

Sure enough, a white-fronted tiger with hanging eyes had fallen into the trap they had laid down. The tiger was five feet long, with a naturally born "king" character in the middle of its forehead, and eyes as big as copper bells. The brownish-yellow tiger skin with black spots was shiny, and the big tiger's hair stood on end. Liang Futian's trap was clamping its right hind leg.

The tiger struggled hard to escape after being trapped, but the more it struggled, the tighter its hind legs were clamped by the iron trap, and a large pool of blood flowed on the ground of the trap.

At this time, there were already several big men standing not far from the tiger. At the front is Zhong Hanqiang, a hunter from Honggang Village.

Just now, Zhong Hanqiang took a few brothers to hunt in the nearby mountains, and when he heard the screams of the animals, he knew that some prey had fallen into the hunter's trap, and he rushed to follow the sound, so they came earlier than Zhang Shaofei and them, and stood about three feet away from the big tiger at this time.

The cattle that Zhong Hanqiang's family had raised well was seriously injured by a tiger not long ago, and now when he saw this enemy, of course, he was furious and scolded, "Hmph, look at how majestic you are, isn't it a dead end now?!" With rage, he drew his bow to the brim, and with a sharp arrow on the string, he was about to shoot it into the tiger's eyes.