Jungle Book

KAA'S HUNTING 57

huts of fallen branches without thinking how he came
to do it. The Monkey People, watching in the
trees, considered these huts most wonderful. This
time, they said, they were really going to have a
leader and becomiC the wisest people i n t h e j u n g l e —
so wise t h a t every one else w o u l d notice and e n v y
them. Therefore they followed Baloo and Bagheera
and Mcvv^gh t h r o u g h the jungle very q u i e t l y t i l l
it was time for the midday nap, and Mowgli, who
was very much ashamed of himself, slept between
the panther and the bear, resolving to have no
more to do with the M o n k e y People.

T h e next t h i n g he remembered was feehng hands
on his legs and arms,—hard, strong little hands,—
3nd t h e n a sv^'ash o f branches i n his face; and t h e n
he was staring dov/n t h r o u g h the swajnng boughs
as Baloo woke the j u n g l e w i t h his deep cries and
Bagheera bounded up the trunk with every tooth
bared. The Bandar-log howled with triumph, and
scuffled away to the upper branches where Bagheera
dared not follow, shouting: " H e has noticed us!
Bagheera has noticed us! A l l the Jungle People
admire us f o r our skill and our c u n n i n g ! " T h e n
t h e y began t h e i r fflght; and the flight o f the M o n k e y
People through tree-land is one of the things nobody

58 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

can describe. They have their regular roads and
cross-roads, uphills and downhills, all laid out from
fifty t o seventy or a h u n d r e d feet aboveground, and
by these they can travel even at night i f necessary.

Two of the strongest monkeys caught Mowgh
under the arms and swung off" w i t h h i m t h r o u g h the
tree-tops, twenty feet at a bound. Had they been
alone t h e y could have gone t w i c e as fast, b u t t h e
boy's w e i g h t held t h e m back. Sick and g i d d y as
M o w g l i was he could not help enjoying the wild
rush, though the ghmpses of earth far down below
frightened him, and the terrible check and jerk
at the end of the swing over nothing but empty air
brought his heart between his teeth.

His escort would rush h i m up a tree t i l l he felt
the weak topmost branches crackle and bend under
them, and, then, w i t h a cough and a whoop, would
fling themselves i n t o t h e air o u t w a r d and d o w n w a r d ,
and bring up hanging by their hands or their feet
to the lower hmbs of the next tree. Sometimes he
could see f o r miles and miles over t h e s t i l l green
j u n g l e , as a m a n on t h e t o p o f a mast can see f o r
miles across the sea, and t h e n the branches and
leaves would lash h i m across the face, and he and
his t w o guards would be almost down t o earth again,.

KAA'S HUNTING 59

So bounding and crashing and w h o o p i n g and
yelling, the whole tribe of Bandar-log swept along
the tree-roads with Mowgli their prisoner.

For a t i m e he was afraid of being dropped; then
he grew angry, but he knew better t h a n to struggle;
and t h e n he began t o t h i n k . T h e first t h i n g was
to send back word to Baloo and Bagheera, for, at
the pace the monkeys were going, he knew his
friends w o u l d be l e f t f a r behind. I t was useless t o
look d o w n , f o r he c o u l d see o n l y the t o p sides o f t h e
branches, so he stared u p w a r d and saw, f a r away i n
the blue, Rann, the Kite, balancing and wheeling
as he k e p t w a t c h over t h e j u n g l e w a i t i n g f o r things
to die. Rann noticed that the monkeys were carry-
ing something, and dropped a few hundred yards to
find o u t w h e t h e r t h e i r load was good t o eat. H e
whistled w i t h surprise when he saw Mowgli being
dragged up to a tree-top, and heard him give the
K i t e call for " W e be of one blood, t h o u and I . "
The waves of the branches closed over the boy, but
R a n n balanced away t o the next tree i n t i m e t o see
the little brown face come up again. " M a r k m y
t r a i l ! " M o w g h shouted. " T e l l Baloo o f the Seeonee
Pack, and Bagheera of the Council Rock."

" I n whose name. Brother,?" R a n n had never seen

6o T H E J U N G L E B O O K

M o w g l i before, though of course he had heard of
him.

"Mowgh, the Frog. Man-cub they call me!
Mark fny tra—il!"

T h e last words were shrieked as he was being
swung through the air, but Rann nodded, and rose
up t i l l he looked no bigger t h a n a speck of dust, and
there he hung, w a t c h i n g w i t h his telescope eyes the
s w a y i n g o f t h e tree-tops as M o w g h ' s escort w h i r l e d
along.

" T h e y never go far," he said w i t h a chuckle.
" T h e y never do w h a t t h e y set out t o do. A l w a y s
pecking at new things are the Bandar-log. This
time, i f I have any eyesight, they have pecked down
trouble for themselves, for Baloo is no fledghng and
Bagheera can, as I k n o w , k i l l more t h a n goats."

T h e n he rocked on his wings, his feet gathered up
under him, and waited.

Meanwhile, Baloo and Bagheera were furious with
rage and grief. Bagheera chmbed as he had never
climbed before, but the branches broke beneath his
weight, and he shpped down, his claws f u l l of bark.

" W h y didst t h o u not warn the man-cub!" he
roared t o poor Baloo, who had set o f f at a clumsy
trot in the hope of overtaking the monkeys. " W h ? t

KAA'S HUNTING 6i

was the use o f h a l f slaying h i m w i t h blows i f t h o u
didst not warn him?"

"Haste! O haste! We—we may catch them
yet!" Baloo panted.

" A t that speed! I t would not tire a wounded

cow. Teacher of the Law, cub-beater—a mile of

that rolhng to and fro would burst thee open. Sit

still and t h i n k ! M a k e a plan. This is no t i m e for

chasing. They may drop him if we follow too close."

"Arrula! Whoo! T h e y m a y have dropped h i m

already, being tired of carrying him. Who can

trust the Bandar-log? Put dead bats on m y head!

Give me black bones to eat! Roll me into the hives

o f t h e w i l d bees t h a t I m a y be stung t o death, and

bury me with the hyena; for I am the most miserable

o f bears! Arulala! Wahooa! O M o w g l i , M o w g h !

W h y did I not warn thee against the Monkey Folk

instead of breaking t h y head? N o w perhaps I may

have knocked the day's lesson out of his mind, and

he w i n be alone in the jungle w i t h o u t the Master

Words!"

Baloo clasped his paws over his ears and rolled
to and fro, moaning.

" A t least he gave me all the Words correctly a

little time ago," said Bagheera, impatiently. " B a -

62 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

loo, thou hast neither memory nor respect. W h a t
would the jungle think if I , the. Black Panther,
curled myself up like Ikki, the Porcupine, and

howled?"
" W h a t do I care what the jungle thinks? He

may be dead by now."
"Unless and until they drop him from the branches

in sport, or kill h i m out of idleness, I have no fear
for the man-cub. He is wise and well-taught, and,
above all, he has the eyes t h a t make the Jungle
People afraid. B u t (and i t is a great evil) he is i n
the power of the Bandar-log, and they, because
they live in trees, have no fear of any of our people."
Bagheera Ucked his one fore paw thoughtfully.

"Fool that I am! Oh, fat, brown, root-digging
fool that I a m ! " said Baloo, uncoiling himself with
a jerk. " I t is true what H a t h i , the W i l d Elephant,
says: 'To each his own fear'; and t h e y , t h e B a n d a r -
log, fear K a a , the R o c k Snake. H e can c l i m b as
weU as t h e y can. H e steals t h e y o u n g monkeys i n
the night. The mere whisper of his name makes
their wicked tails cold. L e t us go t o K a a . "

" W h a t w i l l he do f o r us? H e is n o t o f our t r i b e ,
being footless and with most evil eyes," said
Bagheera.

KAA'S HUNTING 63

" H e is very old and very cunning. Above all,
he is.always hungry," said Baloo, hopefully. " P r o m -
ise h i m m a n y goats."

" H e sleeps f o r a f u l l m o n t h after he has once
eaten. H e may be asleep now, and even were he
awake, what i f he would rather kill his own goats?"
Bagheera, who did not know much about Kaa, was
naturally suspicious.

" T h e n i n t h a t case, t h o u and I together, old
h u n t e r , m a y make h i m see reason." Here Baloo
rubbed his faded brown shoulder against the panther,
and they went offto look for Kaa, the Rock Python.

They found h i m stretched out on a w a r m ledge
in the afternoon sun, admiring his beautiful new
coat for he had been i n retirement for the last ten
days changing his skin, and now he was very splen-
did—darting his big blunt-nosed head along the
ground, and twisting the t h i r t y feet of his body
into fantastic knots and curves, and licking his
lips as he t h o u g h t o f his dinner t o come.

" H e has not eaten," said Baloo, w i t h a grunt of
relief, as soon as he saw t h e b e a u t i f u l l y m o t t l e d
brown and yellow jacket. "Be careful, Bagheera!
H e is always a l i t t l e b l i n d a f t e r he has changed his

gkjn, and very quigk t o strike,"

64 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

K a a was not a poison snake—in fact he rather
despised the Poison Snakes for cowards; but his
strength lay i n his hug, and when he had once
lapped his huge coils round anybody there was no
more to be said. " G o o d h u n t i n g ! " cried Baloo,
sitting up on his haunches. Like all snakes of his
breed Kaa was rather deaf, and did not hear the
call at first. T h e n he curled up ready f o r any acci-
dent, his head lowered.

" G o o d h u n t i n g for us a l l , " he answered. " O h o ,
Baloo, what dost thou do here? Good hunting,
Bagheera. One of us at least needs food. Is there
any news of game afoot? A doe now, or even a
y o u n g buck? I am as e m p t y as a dried w e U . "

" W e are h u n t i n g , " said Baloo, carelessly. Pie
knew t h a t y o u must not h u r r y Kaa. He is too big.

" G i v e me permission to come with y o u , " said
K a a . " A b l o w more or less is n o t h i n g t o thee,
Bagheera or Baloo, but I — I have to wait and wait
for days in a wood path and chmb half a night
on the mere chance o f a y o u n g ape. Pss nawl
The branches are not what they were when I was
young. Rotten twigs and dry boughs are they a l l . "

" M a y b e t h y great weight has something to do
w i t h the matter," said Baloo.

KAA'S HUNTING 65

" I am a fair length—a fair length," said- Kaa,
w i t h a little pride. " B u t for all that, i t is the
fault of this new-grown timber. I came very near
to falling on my last hunt,—very near indeed,—
and the noise of m y sHpping, for m y tail was not
tight wrapped round the tree, waked the Bandar-
log, and they called me most evil names."

Footless, yellow earthworm,'" said Bagheera
under his whiskers, as t h o u g h he were t r y i n g t o
remember something.

" Sssss! H a v e t h e y ever called me that ? " said K a a .
"Something of that kind it was that they shouted
to us last moon, but we never noticed them. T h e y
will say anything—-even that thou hast lost all
thy teeth, and dare not face anything bigger than
a k i d , because (they are indeed shameless, these
Bandar-log)—because thou art afraid of the he-
goats' horns," Bagheera went on sweetly.
N o w a snake, especially a wary old python hke
K a a , very seldom shows t h a t he is angry, but Baloo
and Bagheera could see the big swallowing muscles
on either side of Kaa's throat ripple and bulge.
" T h e Bandar-log have shifted their grounds," he
said, qtiietly. " W h e n I came up into the sun to-
day I heard them whooping among the tree-tops."

66 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

I t _ i t is the Bandar-log t h a t we follow now,"
said Baloo; but the words stuck in his throat, for
t h i s was the first t i m e i n his m e m o r y t h a t one ot
the Jungle People had owned to being interested m

the doings of the monkeys. ,• i

" B e y o n d doubt, then, i t is no small t h m g that

takes two such hunters-leaders i n their own .jun-

gle I am c e r t a i n - o n the trail of the Bandar-log,

K a a rephed, courteously, as he swelled w i t h c u r i o s i t y .

"Indeed," Baloo began, " I am no more than

the old, and sometimes very foohsh. Teacher of

the L a w t o the Seeonee wolf-cubs, and Bagheera

ere— , , i.

" I s Bagheera," said the Black Panther, and his

jaws shut w i t h a snap, for he did not believe m

being humble. " T h e trouble is this, Kaa. Those

nut-stealers and pickers of palm-leaves have stolen

away our man-cub, of whom thou hast perhaps

heard." . ... ,

" I heard some news f r o m I k k i (his quills make

him presumptuous) of a man-thing that was entered

into a wolf-pack, but I did not believe I k k i

is f u l l of stories half heard and very badly t o l d .

" B u t i t is t r u e . H e is such a man-cub as never

was," said Baloo. " T h e best and wisest and bold-.

KAA'S HUNTING 67

est o f man-cubs. M y own pupil, who shall make
the name of Baloo famous through all the jungles;
and besides, I—we—love h i m , K a a . "

"Ts! Ts!" said K a a , shaking his head t o and
fro. " I have also known what love is. There are
tales I could tell t h a t — "

" T h a t need a clear night when we are all well
fed to praise properly," said Bagheera, quickly.
" O u r man-cub is in the hands of the Bandar-log
now, and we know that of all the Jungle People
they fear Kaa alone."

"|They fear me alone. They have good reason,"
said Kaa. "Chattering, foohsh, vam—vain, foohsh,
and chattering—are the monkeys. But a man-thing
in their hands is i n no good luck. They grow
tired of the nuts they pick, and throw them down.
They carry a branch half a day, meaning to do
great things w i t h i t , and then snap it in two.
T h a t manhng is not t o be envied. T h e y called me
a l s o — ' y e l l o w fish,' was i t not.?" r

"Worm—-worm—earthworm," said Bagheera; "as
well as other things w h i c h I cannot n o w say f o r
shame."

" W e must remind them to speak well of their
master. Aaa-sssh! W e m u s t help t h e i r w a n d e r i n g

68 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

memories. Now, whither went they w i t h thy

cub?"
" T h e jungle alone knows. Toward the sunset,

I believe," said Baloo. " W e had thought that
thou wouldst know, Kaa."

" I ? How? I take them when they come in m y
way, but I do not hunt the Bandar-log—or frogs—or
green scum on a water-hole, for that matter."

" U p , u p ! U p , u p ! Hillo! Illo! Ilh! L o o k
up, Baloo of the Seeonee W o l f Pack!"

Baloo looked up t o see where t h e voice came f r o m ,
and there was Rann, the Kite, sweeping down
w i t h the sun shining on the u p t u r n e d flanges o f his
wings. I t was near Rann's bedtime, but he had
ranged all over the jungle looking for the bear, and
missed him in the thick foliage.

" W h a t is i t ? " said Baloo.
" I have seen M o w g h among the Bandar-log.
He bade me tell you. I watched. The Bandar-
log have taken him beyond the river to the Monkey
City—to the Cold Lairs. They may stay there for
a night, or ten nights, or an hour. I have told the
bats to watch through the dark time. T h a t is
m y message. Good hunting, all you below!"
" F u l l gorge and a deep sleep to y o u , R a n n ! "

KAA'S HUNTING 69

cried Bagheera. " I will remember thee in. my
next kill, and put aside the head for thee alone, O
best of kites!"

" I t is nothing. I t is nothing. The boy held
the Master Word. I could have done no less,"
and Rann circled up again to his roost.

" H e has n o t f o r g o t t e n t o use his tongue," said
Baloo, w i t h a chuckle of pride. " T o think of one
so y o u n g remembering the M a s t e r W o r d f o r the
birds while he was being pulled across trees!"

" I t was most firmly d r i v e n i n t o h i m , " said Bag-
heera. " B u t I am proud of h:m, and now we must
go to the Cold Lairs."

They all knew where that place was, but few of
the Jungle People ever went there, because what
they called the Cold Lairs was an old deserted city,
lost and buried i n the j u n g l e , and beasts seldom use
a place that men have once used. The wild boar
will, but the hunting-tribes do not. Besides, the
monkeys lived there as m u c h as t h e y could be
said to live anywhere, and no self-respecting animal
would come within eye-shot of i t except in times of
drouth, when the half-ruined tanks and reservoirs
held a little water.

" I t is half a night's journey—at f u l l speed," said

70 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

Bagheera. Baloo looked very serious. " L will
go as fast as I c a n , " he said, anxiously.

" W e dare not wait for thee. Follow, Baloo.
W e must go on the quick-foot—Kaa and L "

"Feet or no feet, I can keep abreast of all t h y
four," said Kaa, shortly.

Baloo made one effort to hurry, but had to sit
d o w n p a n t i n g , and so t h e y l e f t h i m t o come on
later, while Bagheera hurried forward, at the rock-
ing panther-canter. Kaa said nothing, but, strive
as Bagheera m i g h t , the huge R o c k P y t h o n held
level w i t h him. When they came to a hill-stream,
Bagheera gained, because he bounded across while
Kaa swam, his head and two feet of his neck clear-
ing the water, but on level ground Kaa made up
the distance.

" B y the Broken Lock that freed me," said Bag-
heera, when twilight had fallen, " t h o u art no slow-
goer."

" I am hungry," said Kaa. "Besides, they called
me speckled frog."

"Worm—earthworm, and yellow to boot."
" A l l one. L e t us go o n , " and K a a seemed t o
pour himself along the ground, finding the shortest
road w i t h his steady eyes, and keeping to i t .

KAA'S HUNTING 71

I n the Cold Lairs the Monkey People were not
thinking of Mowgli's friends at all. They had
brought the boy to the Lost City, and were very
pleased w i t h themselves for the time. Mowgli
had never seen an I n d i a n c i t y before, and t h o u g h
this was almost a heap of ruins i t seemed very
wonderful and splendid. Some king had built it
long ago on a little hill. Y o u could still trace the
stone causeways that led up to the ruined gates
where the last sphnters of wood hung to the worn,
rusted hinges. Trees had grown into and out of the
walls; the battlements were tumbled down and
decayed, and wild creepers hung out of the windows
of the towers on the wahs in bushy hanging clumps.

A great roofless palace crowned the hill, and the
marble of the courtyards and the fountams was
split and stained with red and green, and the very
cobblestones in the courtyard where the king's
elephants used to live had been thrust up and apart
b y grasses and young trees. F r o m the palace
y o u could see the rows and rows of roofless houses
that made up the city, looking hke empty honey-
combs filled w i t h blackness; the shapeless block
of stone that had been an idol in the square where
four roads met; the pits and dimples at street cor-

-71 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

ners where the pubHc wells oncfe stood, and t h e
shattered domes o f temples w i t h w i l d figs s p r o u t i n g

on their sides.
The monkeys called the place their city, and

pretended to despise the Jungle People because they
lived in the forest. A n d yet they never knew
w h a t the buildings were made for nor how t o use
th'em. They would sit in circles on the hall of the
king's council-chamber, and scratch f o r fleas and
pretend to be men; or they would run i n and out
of the roofless houses and collect pieces of plaster
and old bricks in a corner, and forget where they
h a d h i d d e n t h e m , and fight and c r y i n scuflftrng
crowds, and then break off to play up and down
the terraces of the king's garden, where they would

shake the rose-trees and the oranges m sport t o
see the f r u i t and flowers f a l l . T h e y explored all
the passages and dark tunnels i n the palace and
the hundreds of little dark rooms; but they never
remembered w h a t t h e y had seen and w h a t t h e y
had n o t , and so d r i f t e d about i n ones and t w o s
or crowds, telhng one another that they were doing
as men d i d . T h e y d r a n k at the t a n k s and made
the water all muddy, and then they fought over it,
and then they would all rush together in mobs and

KAA'S HUNTING 73

s h o u t : " T h e r e are none i n the j u n g l e so wise and
good and clever and strong and gentle as the Bandar-
log." Then all would begin again till they grew
tired of the city and went back to the tree-tops,
hoping the Jungle People would notice them.

M o w g h , who had been trained under the L a w
of the Jungle, did not hke or understand this kind
of life. The monkeys dragged him into the Cold
Lairs late in the afternoon, and instead of going to
sleep, as M o w g l i w o u l d have done a f t e r a l o n g
journey, they joined hands and danced about and
sang their foohsh songs.

One of the monkeys made a speech, and told his
companions that Mowgh's capture marked a new
thing in the history of the Bandar-log, for Mowgli
was going to show them how to weave sticks and
canes together as a p r o t e c t i o n against rain and cold.
MowgH picked up some creepers and began t o
work them in and out, and the monkeys tried to
imitate; but in a very few minutes they lost interest
and began to pull their friends' tails or jump up
and down on all fours, coughing.

" I want to eat," said MowgH. " I am a stranger
in this part of the jungle. Bring me food, or give
me leave to hunt h e r e "

74 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

Twenty or thirty monkeys bounded away to
bring him nuts and wild pawpaws; but they fell
t o fighting on the road, and i t was too m u c h t r o u b l e
to go back w i t h w h a t was left of the f r u i t . M o w -
g l i was sore and a n g r y as w e l l as h u n g r y and he
roamed through the empty city giving the Strangers'
H u n t i n g Call f r o m time to time, but no one answered
him, and MowgH felt t h a t he had reached a very
bad place indeed.

" A l l that Baloo has said about the Bandar-log
is t r u e , " he thought to himself. " T h e y have
no Lav^, no H u n t i n g Call, and no leaders—nothing
but fooHsh words and little picking, thievish hands.
So i f I am starved or killed here, i t wiU be ah m y
own fault. But I must try to return to my own
jungle. Baloo w i l l surely beat me, but t h a t is better
than chasing silly rose-leaves w i t h the Bandar-log."

B u t no sooner had he walked to the city wall than
the monkeys pulled h i m back, telling h i m t h a t he
did not know how happy he was, and pinching
h i m t o make h i m grateful. He set his teeth and
said nothing, but went with the shouting monkeys
to a terrace above the red sand-stone reservoirs
that were half full of rain-water. There was a
ruined summer-house of white marble in the center

KAA'S HUNTING 75

of the terrace, built for queens dead a hundred years
ago. The domed roof had half fallen in and blocked
up the underground passage f r o m the palace by
which the queens used to enter; but the walls were
made of screens of marble tracery—beautiful, milk-
white fretwork, set w i t h agates and cornelians and
jasper and lapis lazuh, and as t h e moon came up be-
hind the hill i t shone through the openwork, casting
shadows on the ground hke black-velvet embroidery.

Sore, sleepy, and h u n g r y as he was, M o w g l i
could not help laughing when the Bandar-log began,
twenty at a time, to tell h i m how great and wise
and strong and gentle they were, and how foolish
he was to wish t o leave t h e m . " W e are great. W e
are free. W e are wonderful. We are the most
Wonderful people i n all the jungle! We all say so,
and so i t must be t r u e , " t h e y shouted. " N o w as
you are a new hstener and can carry our words back
t o t h e Jungle People so t h a t t h e y m a y notice us i n
future, we will tell you all about our most excellent
selves."

MowgH made no objection, and the monkeys
gathered by hundreds and hundreds on the terrace
to Hsten to their own speakers singing the praises
of the Bandar-log, and whenever a speaker stopped

76 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

for want of br&ath they would all shout together:
" T h i s is t r u e ; we all say so."

M o w g h nodded and blinked, and said " Y e s "
when they asked h i m a question, and his head spun
w i t h the noise. " T a b a q u i , the Jackal, must have
bitten all these people," he said to himself, " a n d
now they have the madness. Certainly this is
dewanee—the madness. D o t h e y never go t o sleep ?
N o w there is a cloud coming t o cover t h a t moon.
I f i t were only a big enough cloud I might t r y to
run away in the darkness. But I am tired."

T h a t same cloud was being watched by t w o good
friends in the ruined ditch below the city wall,
for Bagheera and Kaa, knowing well how dangerous
the Monkey People were in large numbers, did not
w i s h t o r u n any risks. T h e monkeys never fight
unless they are a hundred to one, and few in the
jungle care for those odds.

" I w i n go t o the west w a l l , " K a a whispered, " a n d
come down swiftly w i t h the slope of the ground in
my favour. They will not throw themselves upon
my back i n t h e i r hundreds, b u t — "

" I know i t , " said Bagheera. " W o u l d that
Baloo were here; but we must do what we can.
W h e n t h a t cloud covers the moon I shall go t o the

KAA'S HUNTING 77

terrace. T h e y hold some sort of council there
over the boy."

" G o o d , hunting," said Kaa, grimly, and ghded
away to the west wall. T h a t happened t o be the
least ruined of any, and the big snake was delayed
a while before he could find a w a y up the stones.

T h e cloud h i d the m o o n , and as M o w g H wondered
w h a t would come next he heard Bagheera's light
feet on the terrace. The Black Panther had raced
up the slope almost without a sound, and was
striking—he knew better than to waste time in
biting—right and left among the monkeys, who were
seated r o u n d M o w g l i i n circles fifty and s i x t y deep.
T h e r e was a h o w l o f f r i g h t and rage, and t h e n as
Bagheera tripped on the rolling, kickmg bodies
beneath h i m , a monkey shouted: "There is only
one here! K i l l h i m ! K i l l ! " A scuffling mass
of monkeys, biting, scratching, tearing, and pulHng,
closed over Bagheera, w h i l e five or six laid h o l d o f
Mowgli, dragged him up the wall of the summer-
house, and pushed h i m through the hole of the
broken dome. A man-trained boy would have been
badly bruised, for the fall was a good ten feet, but
M o w g l i f e l l as Baloo had t a u g h t h i m t o f a l l , and
landed light.

78 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

"Stay there," shouted the monkeys, " t i l l we
have kiUed t h y friend. Later we will play with
thee, if the Poison People leave thee alive."

" W e be of one blood, ye and I , " said M o w g l i ,
quickly giving the Snake's Call. He could hear
rustling and hissing in the rubbish all round him,
and gave the Call a second time to make sure.

" D o w n hoods all," said half a dozen low voices.
Every old ruin i n India becomes sooner or later a
dwelUng-place of snakes, and the old summer-house
was alive with cobras. "Stand stiU, Little Brother,
lest t h y feet do us h a r m . "

M o w g h stood as q u i e t l y as he could, peering
through the openwork and hstening to the furious
d i n o f t h e fight r o u n d t h e B l a c k P a n t h e r - t h e yells
and chatterings and scufflings, and Bagheera's deep,
hoarse cough as he backed and bucked and t w i s t e d
and plunged under the heaps of his enemies. For
t h e first t i m e since he was b o r n , Bagheera was
fighting f o r his life.

" B a l o o must be at hand; Bagheera would not
have come alone," M o w g h thought; and then he
called aloud: " T o the tank, Bagheera! Roll to
the water-tanks! Roll and plunge! Get to the
water!"

KAA'S HUNTING 79

Bagheera heard, and the cry that told him Mowgli

was safe gave h i m new courage. He worked his

way desperately, inch by inch, straight for the

reservoirs, hitting in silence.

Then from the ruined wall nearest the jungle

rose up the rumbling war-shout of Baloo. T h e

old bear had done his best, but he could not come

before. "Bagheera," he shouted, " I am here!

I c l i m b ! I haste! Ahuwora! The stones shp

under my feet! Wait my coming, O most infamous

Bandar-log!"

He panted up the terrace only to disappear to

the head in a wave of monkeys, but he threw himself

squarely on his haunches, and spreading out his fore

paws, hugged as m a n y as he could hold, and t h e n

began t o h i t w i t h a regular bat-hat-bat, Hke the

flipping strokes o f a paddle-wheel.

A crash and a splash told MowgH that Bagheera

had fought his way to the tank, where the monkeys

could not follow. The panther lay gasping for

breath, his head just out of water, while the monkeys

stood three deep on the red stone steps, dancing

up and down w i t h rage, ready to spring upon him

f r o m all sides i f he came out t o help Baloo. I t

was t h e n t h a t Bagheera l i f t e d up his dripping chin.

8o T H E J U N G L E B O O K

and in despair gave the Snake's Call for protection
_ " W e be of one blood, ye and I , " - f o r he beheved
that Kaa had turned tail at the last minute. Even
Baloo, half smothered under the monkeys on the:
edge o f t h e terrace, could n o t help chuckhng as
he heard the big Black Panther asking for help.

Kaa had only just worked his way over the
west wall, landing with a wrench that dislodged
a coping-stone into the ditch. He had no mtention
of losing any advantage of the ground, and coiled
and uncoiled himself once or twice, to be sure t h a t
every foot of his long body was in working order.

A l l t h a t w h i l e the fight w i t h Baloo w e n t on, and
the monkeys yelled in the tank round Bagheera,
and M a n g , t h e B a t , flying t o and f r o , earned t h e
news of the great battle over the jungle, till even
Hathi, the Wild Elephant, trumpeted, and, far
away, scattered bands of the Monkey Folk woke
and came leaping along the tree-roads to help
their comrades i n the Cold Lairs, and the noise of
t h e fight roused all the day-birds f o r miles r o u n d .

Then Kaa came straight, quickly, and anxious
t o k i l l . T h e fighting strength of a p y t h o n is i n
the driving blow of his head, backed by all the
strength and weight of his body. I f you can i m -

KAA'S HUNTING 8i

agine a lance, or a battering-ram, or a hammer,
weighing nearly half a ton driven by a cool, quiet
mind hving in the handle of i t , you can imagine
roughly what Kaa was like when he fought. A
python four or live feet long can knock a man down
if he hits him fairly in the chest, and Kaa was
t h i r t y feet long, as y o u k n o w . H i s first stroke
was delivered into the heart of the crowd round
Baloo—was sent home w i t h shut mouth in silence,
and there was no need of a second. The monkeys
scattered w i t h cries of " K a a ! I t is Kaa! R u n !
Run!"

Generations of monkeys have been scared into
good behaviour by the stories their elders told tl";m
of Kaa, the night-thief, who could slip along the
branches as q u i e t l y as moss grows, and steal away
the strongest monkey that ever lived; of old Kaa,
w h o could make himself look so Hke a dead branch
or a rotten stump that the wisest were deceived
tin the branch caught them, and then—

Kaa was everything that the monkeys feared
in the jungle, for none of them knew the Hmits
of his power, none of them could look him in the
face, and none had ever come alive out of his hug.
A n d so t h e y f a n , s t a m m e r i n g w i t h terror, t o the

82 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

walls and the roofs of the houses, and Baloo dre^,
a deep breath of reUef. His f u r was mueh thicke,
than Bagheera's, but he had suffered sorely m the
f i g h t . T h e n K a a opened his m o u t h f o r the first
time and spoke one long hissing word, and the far-
away monkeys, hurrying to the defense of the Cold
Lairs, stayed where they were, cowermg, till the
loaded branches bent and crackled under them.
T h e monkeys on the walls and the empty houses
stopped their cries, and in the stillness that fell

upon the city Mowgli heard Bagheera shakmg his
w e t sides as he came up f r o m t h e t a n k .

Then the clamour broke out agam. The mon-
keys leaped higher up the walls; they clung round
t h e necks o f the b i g stone idols and shrieked as
they skipped along the battlements; while Mowgh,
dancing i n the summer-house, put his eye to the
screenwork and hooted owl-fashion between his
f i o n t teeth, to show his derision and contempt.

" G e t the man-cub out of that trap; I can do
no more," Bagheera gasped. " L e t us take the
man-cub and go. They may attack again.

"They will not move till I order them. Stay you
sssso'" Kaa hissed, and the city was silent once
more " I could not come before. Brother, but

KAA'S HUNTING 83

I think I heard thee c a l l " — t h i s was t o Bag-
heera.

" I — I may have cried out i n the battle," Bagheera
answered. "Baloo, art thou hurt?"

" I am not sure that they have not pulled me into a
hundred little bearlings," said Baloo, gravely shaking
one leg after the other. " W o w ! I am sore. K a a ,
we owe thee, I t h i n k , o u r lives—Bagheera and I . "

" N o matter. Where is the manling?"
"Here, in a trap. I cannot climb out," cried
Mowgli. T h e curve of the broken dome was above
his head.
" T a k e h i m away. H e dances like M a o , the
Peacock. H e w i l l crush our y o u n g , " said the
cobras inside.
" H a h ! " said Kaa, with a chuckle, "he has friends
everywhere, this manhng. Stand back, Manling;
and hide you, O Poison People. I break down the
wall.''
K a a looked carefully t i l l he f o u n d a discoloured
crack in the marble tracery showing a weak spot,
made two or three hght taps w i t h his head to get the
distance, and then lifting up six feet of his body clear
of the ground, sent home half a dozen full-power,
smashing blows, nose-first. The screenwork broke

THE JUNGLE BOOK

and fell away in a cloud of dust and rubbish, and

M o w g l i leaped t h r o u g h t h e opening and flung h i m -

self between Baloo and Bagheera—an arm round

each big neck.

' " A r t thou h u r t ? " said Baloo, hugging h i m softly.

" I am sore, hungry, and not a little bruised; b u t ,

>oh, t h e y have handled ye grievously, m y B r o t h e r s !

Ye bleed."

"Others also," said Bagheera, licking his hps

and looking at the monkey-dead on the terrace

and round the tank.

" I t is n o t h i n g , i t is n o t h i n g i f t h o u art safe, O

my pride of all little frogs!" whimpered Baloo.

• " O f that we shall judge later," said Bagheera,

in a dry voice that M o w g h did not at all like. " But

;here is Kaa, to w h o m we owe the battle and thou

owest thy hfe. Thank him according to our customs,

:Mowgh." ;

MowgU turned and saw the great python s head

swaying a foot above his own.

"So this is the manling," said Kaa. " V e r y

s o f t is his skin, and he is n o t so unUke the Bandar-

log. Have a care, Manling, that I do not mistake

thee for a monkey some twiUght when 1 have newly

-chariged m y coat."

KAA'S HUNTING 85:

"'We be of one blood, thou and I , " M o w g h . an-
swered. " I take my life from thee, to-night. M y
k i l l shall be t h y kill i f ever t h o u art hungry, O K a a . "

" A U thanks, Little Brother," said Kaa, though
his eyes t w i n k l e d . " A n d w h a t m a y so bold a
hunter HU? I ask that I may follow when next
he goes abroad."

" I kiU nothing,—I am too little,—but I drive
goats t o w a r d such as can use t h e m . W h e n t h o u ,
a r t e m p t y come t o me and see i f I speak the t r u t h .
I have some skiU i n these [he held out his hands], and
if ever thou art in a trap, I may pay the debt which
I owe to thee, to Bagheera, and to Baloo, here.
Good hunting to ye all, my masters."

"WeU said," growled Baloo, for MowgU had
returned thanks very prettily. The python dropped
his head hghtly for a minute on Mowgli's shoulder.
" A brave heart and a courteous tongue," said he.
" T h e y shaU carry thee far through the jungle,
M a n h n g . B u t now go hence quickly w i t h t h y
friends. Go and sleep, for the moon sets, and what
follows i t is not weU that thou shouldst see."

T h e moon was sinking behind the hiUs and the
Hues o f t r e m b l i n g monkeys huddled together on

the walls and battlements looked Uke ragged, shaky

86 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

fringes of things. Baloo went down to the tank

for a drink, and Bagheera began to put his fur m

order, as K a a glided o u t i n t o t h e center of t h e

terrace and brought his jaws together with a ringing

snap t h a t drew all the monkeys' eyes upon h i m

" T h e moon sets," he said. " I s there yet hght

"to see ^ •J '

From the walls came a moan like the wind m

t h e tree-tops: " W e see, O K a a ! "
" G o o d ' Begins now the D a n c e - t h e Dance ot

the Hunger of Kaa. Sit still and watch."

He turned twice or thrice in a big circle, weavmg

his head from right to left. Then he began making

loops and figures of eight w i t h his b o d y , and sof ,

oozy triangles that melted into squares and t^ve-

side figures, and coiled mounds, never resting,

ever hurrymg, and never stopping his low, humming

song. I t grew darker and darker, till at last the

dragging, shifting coils disappeared, but they could

hear the rustle of the scales.

Baloo and Bagheera stood s t i l l as stone g r o w h n g

in their throats, their neck-hair bristhng, and
MowgU watched and wondered. can

"Bandar-log," s a i d t h e v o i c e o f K a a at ast,

ye stir foot or hand without my order? Speak!

KAA'S HUNTING 87

" W i t h o u t t h y order we cannot stir foot or hand,
O Kaa!"

" G o o d ! Come all one pace nearer to me."
The lines of the monkeys swayed forward help-
lessly, and Baloo and Bagheera took one stiff step
forward with them.
" N e a r e r ! " hissed Kaa, and they all moved again.
M o w g h laid his hands on Baloo and Bagheera
to get them away, and the t w o great beasts started
as t h o u g h t h e y had been w a k e d f r o m a dream.
"Keep t h y hand on my shoulder," Bagheera
whispered. " K e e p i t there, or I must go back—
m u s t go back t o K a a . Aah!"
" I t is only old K a a making circles on the dust,"
said M o w g h ; " l e t us g o " ; and the three slipped off
through a gap i n the walls to the jungle.
"Whoof!" said Baloo, w h e n he stood under the
still trees again. " N e v e r more wiU I make an ally
of Kaa,". and he shook himself all over.
" H e knows more than we," said Bagheera,
trembling. " I n a little time, had I stayed, I should
have walked down his throat."

" M a n y w i l l w a l k t h a t road before the moon rises
again,," said Baloo. " H e will have good h u n t i n g -
after his own fashion."

88 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

" B u t what was the meaning of i t all?" said
Mowgli, who did not know anything of a python's
powers of fascination. " I saw no more than a
big snake making foohsh circles till the dark
came. A n d his nose was all sore. H o ! Ho!'!

" M o w g U , " said Bagheera, angrily, " h i s nose was
sore on thy account; as m y ears and sides and paWs,
and Baloo's neck and shoulders are b i t t e n on thy
account. Neither Baloo nor Bagheera w i l l be able
to hunt w i t h pleasure for many days."

" I t is n o t h i n g , " said Baloo; " w e have the man-
cub again."

" T r u e ; b u t he has cost us most heavily i n t i m e
which might have been spent in good hunting, in
wounds, in hair,—I am half plucked along my
back,—and last of all, in honour. For, remember,
MowgU, I , who am the Black Panther, was forced
to caU upon K a a for protection, and Baloo and I
were b o t h made s t u p i d as Uttle birds b y the H u n -
ger-Dance. AU this, Man-cub, came of t h y playing
with the Bandar-log."

" T r u e ; i t is t r u e , " said M o w g h , sorrowfully.
" I am an e v i l man-cub, and m y stomach is sad in
me."

"MJ! W h a t says t h e L a w o f t h e Jungle, Baloo ?"

KAA'S HUNTING 89

Baloo did not wish to bring Mowgli into any
more trouble, but he could not tamper w i t h the
L a w , so he m u m b l e d , " S o r r o w never stays punish-
ment. B u t remember, Bagheera, he is very little."

" I w i l l remember; but he has done mischief;
and blows must be dealt now. M o w g l i , hast thou
anything to say?"

"Nothing. I did wrong. Baloo and thou art
wounded. I t is j u s t . "

Bagheera gave him half a dozen love-taps; from
a panther's point of view they would hardly have
Waked one o f his o w n cubs, b u t f o r a seven-year-
i)ld boy t h e y amounted t o as severe a beating as
you could wish to avoid. When it was all over
M o w g l i sneezed, and picked himself up w i t h o u t
a word.

" N o w , " said Bagheera, " j u m p on m y back,
L i t t l e Brother, and we w i l l go home."

One of the beauties of Jungle L a w is t h a t punish-
ment settles all scores. There is no nagging after-
ward.

Mowgh laid his head down on Bagheera's back
and slept so deeply t h a t he never w a k e d w h e n
he was put down by Mother Wolf's side i n the
home-cave.

"Tiger! Tiger!"

N o w we must go back to the last tale but one.
W h e n M o w g h l e f t t h e w o l f ' s cave a f t e r the fight w i t h
t h e Pack at the Council Rock, he went down to the
plowed lands where the villagers lived, but he would
not stop there because it was too near to the jungle,
and he knew t h a t he had made at least one bad enemy
at the C o u n c i l . So he hurried on, keeping t o the
rough road that ran down the valley, and followed
It at a steady jog-trot for nearly t w e n t y miles, t i l l he
came t o a country t h a t he did not know. The valley
! opened out into a great plain dotted over with rocks

93

94 T H E J U N G L E BOOK

and cut up b y ravines. A t one end stood a little
village, and at the other the thick jungle came down
in a sweep t o the grazing-grounds, and stopped there
as t h o u g h i t had been c u t off w i t h a hoe. A l l over the
plain, cattle and bulFaloes were grazing, and when
the little boys i n charge of the herds saw M o w g l i they
shouted and ran away, and the yellow pariah dogs
that hang about every Indian village barked. Mow-
gli walked on, for he was feehng hungry, and when he
came to the village gate he saw the big thorn-bush
that was drawn up before the gate at twilight, pushed

to one side.
" U m p h ! " he said, for he had come across more

t h a n one such barricade i n his night rambles after
things t o eat. " So men are a f r a i d o f t h e People of
the Jungle here also." He sat down by the gate,
and when a man came out he stood up, opened his
mouth, and pointed down i t to show that he wanted
food. The man stared and ran back up the one
street of the village shouting for the priest, who was
a big, fat man dressed in white, w i t h a red and yellow
mark on his forehead. The priest came to the gate,
and w i t h h i m at least a hundred people who stared
and talked and shouted and pointed at Mowgh.

" T h e y have no manners, these M e n Folk," said

"TIGER! TIGER!" 95

M o w g l i t o himself. " O n l y the gray ape w o u l d be-
have.as t h e y d o . " So he t h r e w back his long hair
and frowned at the crowd.

" W h a t is there t o be afraid of.?" said the priest.
" L o o k at t h e marks on his arms an,d legs. T h e y are
the bites o f wolves. He is b u t a wolf-child r u n away
from the jungle."

Of course, i n playing together, the cubs had often
nipped Mowgli harder than they intended, and there
were w h i t e scars all over his arms and legs. B u t he
w o u l d have been t h e K3t person i n the w o r l d t o call
these bites; for he knew w h a t real biting meant.

" Arre ! Arre !" said t w o or three w o m e n t o -
gether. " T o be b i t t e n b y wolves, poor child! He is
a handsome b o y . H e has eyes like red fire. B y m y
honour, Messua, he is not unhke t h y boy t h a t was
taken by the tiger."

" L e t me look," said a woman with heavy copper
rings o n her wrists and ankles, and she peered at
M o w g h under the p a l m of her hand. " I n d e e d he is
not. H e is thinner, but he has the very look of m y
boy."

The priest was a clever man, and he knew t h a t
Messua was wife to the richest villager in the place.
So he looked up at t h e s k y f o r a m i n u t e , and said

g6 T H E J U N G L E B O O K

solemnly: " W h a t the jungle has taken the jungle has

restored. Take the boy into t h y house, m y sister,

and forget n o t t o honour t h e priest w h o sees so far

into the Hves of men."
" B y the Bull that bought me," said M o w g h to

himself, " b u t all this t a l k i n g is Hke another looking-
over by the Pack! Well, if I am a man, a man I
must become."

T h e crowd parted as t h e w o m a n beckoned M o w g h
to her hut, where there was a red lacquered bedstead,
a great earthen grain-chest w i t h curious raised pat-
terns on i t , half a dozen copper cooking-pots, an image
of a Hindu god in a little alcove, and on the wall a
real looking-glass, such as t h e y sell at t h e c o u n t r y

fairs. ,,

She gave h i m a long d r i n k of m i l k and some bread .

and t h e n she laid her hand on his head and looked:

i n t o his eyes; f o r she t h o u g h t perhaps t h a t he m i g h t

be her real son come back f r o m the jungle where the

tiger had t a k e n h i m . So she said: " N a t h o o , O

N a t h o o ! " M o w g l i did not show t h a t he knew the

name "Dost thou not remember the day when I

gave thee t h y new shoes?" She touched his f o o l ,

and i t was almost as h a r d as h o r n . " N o , ' she said

sorrowfully; "those feet have never worn shoes, b u t

"TIGER! TIGER!" 97

• t h o u art very hke m y N a t h o o , and t h o u shalt be my
son."

M o w g h was uneasy, because he had never been
under a roof before; b u t as he looked at the t h a t c h ,
he saw t h a t he could tear i t out any t i m e i f he wanted
to get away, and that the window had no fastenings.
" W h a t is the good of a m a n , " he said to himself at
last, " i f he does not understand man's talk? N o w
I a m as silly and d u m b as a m a n w o u l d be w i t h us i n
the jungle. I must learn their talk."

I t was n o t f o r f u n t h a t he had learned while he was
with the wolves to imitate the challenge of bucks in
t h e j u n g l e and the g r u n t o f the l i t t l e w i l d p i g . So as
soon as Messua pronounced a w o r d M o w g l i w o u l d
i m i t a t e i t almost perfectly, and before dark he had
learned the names of many things in the hut.

There was a difficulty at bedtime, because M o w g l i
w o u l d n o t sleep under a n y t h i n g t h a t looked so like a
p a n t h e r - t r a p as t h a t h u t , and w h e n t h e y shut the
door he went t h r o u g h the window. " G i v e h i m his
w i l l , " said Messua's husband. " Remember he can
never t i l l now have slept on a bed. I f he is indeed
sent in the place of our son he w i l l not run away.'^

So M o w g h stretched himself i n some long, clean
grass at t h e edge o f t h e field, b u t before he had closed

g% T H E J U N G L E B O O K
his eyes a soft gray nose poked h i m under t h .

^ ^ ' T h e w ! " said Gray Brother (he was the eldest of
M o t h e r W o l f ' s cubs). " T h i s is a poor reward f o r
following thee twenty miles. T h o u smellest of wood-
smoke and cattle-altogether like a man already.
Wake, Little Brother; I bring news."

" A r e all well i n the jungle?" said MowgU, huggmg

him. •1 u

" A U except the wolves that were burned with the

Red Flower. N o w , Usten. Shere K h a n has gone

away t o h u n t far olF t i U his coat grows again, f o r he is

badly singed. W h e n he returns he swears t h a t he

w i l l lay t h y bones i n the Waingunga."

" T h e r e are t w o words t o t h a t . I also have made

a little promise. B u t news is always good. I am

tired t o - n i g h t , - v e r y tired w i t h new things, Gray

Brother,—but bring me the news always."

" T h o u wilt not forget that thou art a wolf? Men

will not make thee forget?" said Gray Brother,

anxiously.

"Never. I wiU always remember that I love thee

and aU i n our cave; b u t also I w i U always remember

that I have been cast out of the Pack."
" A n d t h a t t h o u mayest be cast out of another

"V

AKE, LITTLE BROTHER; I BRING NEIV^'"

"TIGER! TIGER!" loi

pack. M e n are only men, L i t t l e Brother, and their
t a l k is hke the t a l k of frogs i n a pond. When I come
down here again, I wiU wait for thee in the bamboos
at the edge of the grazing-ground."

For three months after that night Mowgh hardly
ever l e f t t h e viUage gate, he was so busy learning the
ways and customs of men. First he had t o wear a
cloth round him, which annoyed him horribly; and
t h e n he had t o learn about money, w h i c h he d i d not
in the least understand, and about plowing, of which
he d i d n o t see the use. T h e n t h e l i t t l e children i n
the village made him very angry. Luckily, the Law
o f the Jungle had taught h i m to keep his temper, for
i n t h e j u n g l e , life and f o o d depend on keeping y o u r
temper; but when they made f u n of h i m because
he w o u l d not p l a y games or fly kites, or because he
mispronounced some word, only the knowledge that
it was unsportsmanhke to kill little naked cubs kept
him from picking them up and breaking them in two.

Fie did not know his own strength in the least.
I n the jungle he knew he was weak compared w i t h
t h e beasts, b u t i n the viUage, people said he was as
strong as a b u l l .

A n d Mowgh had not the faintest idea of the differ-
ence that caste makes between man and man. When

loa T H E JUNGLE BOOK

the potter's donkey sUpped in the clay-pit, Mowgli
hauled i t out by the tail, and helped to stack the pots
for their journey to the market at Khanhiwara.
T h a t was v e r y shocking, too, for the potter is a low-
caste man, and his donkey is worse. W h e n the priest
scolded him, MowgU threatened to put h i m on the
donkey, too, and the priest told Messua's husband
t h a t M o w g h h a d better be set t o w o r k as soon as
possible; and the viUage head-man told. MowgU that
he would have t o go out w i t h the buffaloes next day,

and herd them while they grazed. N o one was more
pleased t h a n M o w g h ; and t h a t night, because he had
been appointed a servant o f t h e viUage, as i t were,
he went off to a circle that met every evening on a
masonry p l a t f o r m under a great fig-tree. I t was t h e
viUage club, and the head-man and the watchman
and t h e barber (who knew aU the gossip o f t h e v i l -
lage), and old Buldeo, the viUage hunter, who had a
Tower musket, met and smoked. The monkeys sat
and talked in the upper branches, and there was a
hole under the p l a t f o r m where a cobra lived, and he

had his little platter of m i l k every night because he
was sacred; and the old men sat around the tree and
t a l k e d , and p u l l e d at t h e b i g huqas (the water-pipes)
till far into the night. They told wonderful tales of

"TIGER! TIGER!" 103

gods and men and ghosts; and Buldeo told even more
w o n d e r f u l ones of the ways of beasts i n the jungle,
t i l l the eyes of the children sitting outside the circle
bulged out of their heads. Most of the tales were
about animals, for the jungle was always at their
door. The deer and the w i l d pig grubbed up their
crops, and now and again the tiger carried off a man
at twihght, w i t h i n sight of the village gates.

Mowgh, who naturally knew something about
what they were talking of, had t o cover his face not
t o show t h a t he was laughing, while Buldeo, the
T o w e r musket across his knees, climbed on f r o m one
wonderful story to another, and Mowgh's shoulders
shook.

Buldeo was explaining how the tiger that had
carried away Messua's son was a ghost-tiger, and
his body was inhabited by the ghost of a wicked old
money-lender, who had died some years ago. " A n d
I k n o w t h a t this is t r u e , " he said, "because P u r u n
Dass always hmped f r o m the blow t h a t he got in a
riot when his account-books were burned, and the
tiger t h a t I speak o f he hmps, t o o , f o r the tracks o f his
pads are unequal."

" T r u e , true; that must be the t r u t h , " said the
graybeards, nodding together.

I04 T H E J U N G L E BOOK

" A r e all these tales such cobwebs and moon-talk?"
said M o w g l i . " T h a t tiger Umps because he was
b o r n lame, as every one knows. T o t a l k o f t h e soul
of a money-lender in a beast that never had the cour-
age o f a j a c k a l is child's t a l k . "

Buldeo was speechless w i t h surprise for a moment,
and the head-man stared.

" O h o ! I t is the jungle brat, is i t ? " said Buldeo.
" I f t h o u art so wise, better b r i n g his hide t o K h a n h i -
wara, for the Government has set a hundred rupees
[$30] on his hfe. Better still, do not talk when t h y
elders speak."

M o w g h rose to go. " A l l the evening I have lain
here hstening," he called back over his shoulder,
" a n d , except once or twice, Buldeo has not said one
w o r d of t r u t h concerning t h e jungle, w h i c h is at his
very doors. How, then, shall I beheve the tales of
ghosts and gods and goblins which he says he has

" I t is f u l l t i m e t h a t boy went t o herding," said the
head-man, while Buldeo puffed and snorted at M o w -
gh's impertinence.

T h e custom of most I n d i a n villages is for a few
boys to take the cattle and buffaloes out t o graze
•>n t h e early m o r n i n g , and b r i n g t h e m back at n i g h t ;



"TIGER! TIGER!" 107

and the very cattle that would trample a white man
to death allow themselves t o be banged and bullied
and shouted at by children that hardly come up to
t h e i r noses. So long as the boys keep w i t h the herds
t h e y are safe, for not even the tiger w i l l charge a mob
o f c a t t l e . B u t i f t h e y straggle t o pick flowers or h u n t
lizards, t h e y are sometimes carried off". M o w g l i
went through the village street in the dawn, sitting
on the back of Rama, the great herd bull; and the
slaty-blue buffaloes, with their long, backward-
sweeping horns and savage eyes, rose out of their
byres, one by one, and followed h i m , and MowgH
made i t very clear t o the children w i t h h i m t h a t he
was the master. He beat the buffaloes with a long
poHshed bamboo, and told K a m y a , one of the boys,
t o graze the cattle b y themselves, while he went on
w i t h the buff"aloes, and t o be v e r y careful not t o stray
away from the herd.

A n I n d i a n grazing-ground is all rocks and scrub
and tussocks and little ravines, among which the
herds scatter and disappear. The buffaloes generally
keep t o the pools and m u d d y places, where t h e y he
wallowing or basking in the warm mud for hours.
M o w g l i drove t h e m on t o the edge of the plain where
the Waingunga River came out of the jungle; then he

io8 T H E JUNGLE BOOK

dropped from Rama's neek, trotted off to a bamboo
clump, and found Gray Brother. " A h , " sard Gray
B r o t h e r , ' " ! have waited here very many days.
W h a t is the meaning of this cattle-herdmg work?

" I t is an order," said M o w g U . " I am a viUage
herd for a while. W h a t news of Shere K h a n ? "

" H e has come back t o this country, and has waited
here a long time for thee. N o w he has gone off again,
for the game is scarce. B u t he means t o kiU thee.

" V e r y g o o d , " said M o w g U . " S o long as he is
away do t h o u or one of the brothers sil OP t h a t rock,
so t h a t I can see thee as I come o u t o f tht viUage
W h e n he comes back w a i t for me m the ravme b^
t h e dhdk^tree i n t h e center of t h e p l a i n . W e need n o t
walk into Shere Khan's m o u t h . "

Then MowgU picked out a shady place, and lay
down and slept while the buffaloes grazed round him.
H e r d i n g i n I n d i a is one of the laziest things m the
world. The cattle move and crunch, and he down,
and move on again, and they do not even low. They
only grunt, and the buffaloes very seldom say any-
t h i n g , but get down into the muddy pools one alter
another, and work their way into the mud tiU only
t h e i r noses and staring china-blue eyes show above
the surface, and there they he Uke logs. T h e sur.

"TIGER! TIGER!" 109

makes the rocks dance in the heat, and the herd-
children hear one kite (never any more) whistling
almost out of sight overhead, and they know that i f
they died, or a cow died, t h a t kite would sweep down,
and t h e next k i t e miles away w o u l d see h i m drop and
follow, and the next, and the next, and almost before
t h e y were dead there w o u l d be a score of hungry kites
come out of nowhere. T h e n t h e y sleep and wake
and sleep again, and weave little baskets o f dried
grass and put grasshoppers i n t h e m ; or catch t w o
praying-mantises and make t h e m fight; or s t r i n g a
necklace of red and black jungle-nuts; or watch a
lizard basking on a rock, or a snake hunting a frog
near the wallows. Then they sing long, long songs
tvith odd native quavers at the end of them, and the
day seems longer t h a n most people's whole lives, and
perhaps t h e y make a m u d castle w i t h m u d figures o f
men and horses and buffaloes, and put reeds i n t o
the men's hands, and pretend that they are kings
and the figures are t h e i r armies or t h a t t h e y are
gods t o be worshiped. T h e n evening comes, and
the children call, and the buffaloes lumber up out of
the sticky mud w i t h noises like gun-shots going off
one after the other, and they all string across the
gray plain back to the twinkling village lights.

i

n o T H E JUNGLE BOOK
D a y after day M o w g l i would lead t h e bulFaloes

out t o their wallows, and day after day he would
see G r a y Brother's back a mile and a h a l f away across
the plain (so he knew t h a t Shere K h a n had not come
back), and day after day he would lie on the grass

listening to the noise round him, and dreaming of
old days in the jungle. I f Shere K h a n liad made a
false step w i t h his lame paw up in the jungles by the
Waingunga, Mowgli would have heard him in those
long still mornings.