The hundredth tiger, which the Maharaja believed he had killed, was a real tiger that initially fainted from the sound of a bullet but was ultimately shot dead by a hunter.
The True Fate of the Hundredth Tiger
The circumstances surrounding the death of the hundredth tiger, crucial to the Maharaja's prophecy and ego, were not as straightforward as they appeared to him. The actual events unfolded in a manner that maintained the illusion of his success while revealing the true killer:
- The Maharaja's Shot: The Tiger King took a shot at what he intended to be his hundredth tiger. However, his aim was not precise.
- Tiger's Reaction: The tiger did not die from the Maharaja's bullet. Instead, it merely fainted upon hearing the loud sound of the gunshot, collapsing into a crumpled heap.
- The Hunter's Intervention: To avoid upsetting the Maharaja and prevent him from discovering that his hundredth hunt was unsuccessful, a hunter later took matters into his own hands and shot the tiger dead. This act ensured that the Maharaja remained unaware of the actual details surrounding the hundredth tiger's demise.
This chain of events meant that while the Maharaja was convinced he had achieved his goal, the hundredth tiger was in fact killed by a hunter, not by the Tiger King himself.
