Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-08


for their speech began below the lowest
end of the scale that unframed human be-
ings can hear. The other end is bounded
by the high squeak of Mang, the bat, which
very many people cannot hear at all. From
that note all the bird and bat and insect
talk takes on.
This is better than any KILL said Grey
Brother as the old man stopped and peered
and pulled He looks like a lost pig in the
tungles by the river. What does he say"
Buldeo was muttering savagely.
Mowgli translated HE says that packs
of wolves most have danced round me. He
says that he never saw such a trail In his
life He says he is tired"
He will be rested before he picks 1t up
again, said Bagheera coolly, as he slipped
round tree trunk, in the game of blind
mans buff that they were playing. Now
what does the lean thing do?'
Eat or blow smoke out of his mouth.
Men always play with their mouths" said
Mowgli; and the silent trailers saw the old
man NIL and light and puff at a waterpipe,
and they took good note Of the smell Of the
tobacco, so as to be sure of Buldeo in the
darkest night, If things fell out that way.
Then little knot Of charcoal burners
came down the PATH and naturally halted
to speak to Buldeo, whose fame as a hunter
reached for at least twenty miles round.
Then they all sat down and smoked, and
Bagheera and the others came up and
watched while Buldeo began to tell the
story of Mowgli, the devil-child, from one
end to another with additions. How he
himself had really killed Shere Khan; and
how Mowgli had turned himself into a wolf
and fought with him all the afternoon, and
changed into a boy again and bewitched
Buldeo's rifle, so that the bullet turned the
corner when he pointed 1t at Mowgli and
killed one of Buldeo's own buffaloes; and
now the village, knowing him to be the
bravest hunter in Seeonee, had sent him
out to kill this devil child. But meantime
the village had got hold of Messua and her
husband, who were undoubtedly the father
NJ chi he
knew was sorceress. Had known it for
years. but lad not cared to make bad blood
in the village by talking about it, and had
barricaded them in their own hut and
presently would torture them to make them
confess they were witch and Wizard, and
then they would be beaten to death.
"When?" said the charcoal burners. be-
cause they would very much like to be
present at the ceremony.
Buldeo said that nothing would be done
till he returned, because the village wished
him to kill the Jungle boy first After that
they would dispose of Messua and her hus-
band, and divide their lands and buffaloes
among the village. Messua's husband had
some remarkably fine buffaloes too. 1t was
an excellent thing to clear out Wizards,
Buldec thought; and people who entertain
ed wolf children out Of the jungle were
clearly the worst kind of witches
But" said the charcoal burners. what
would happen If the English heard of it?"
The English, they had heard, were per-
fectly mad people, who would not let honest
farmers kill witches in peace.
Why, said Buldeo, the head man of the
village would report that Messua and her
husband had died of snake bite. That was
all arranged, and the only thing now was
to kill the wolf child. They did not happen
to have seen anything of such creature?
The charcoal burners looked round eau
uously and thanked their stars they had
not; but they had no doubt that so brave a
man as Buldeo would find him If any one
could. The sun was getting rather low, and
they had an idea that they would push on
to Buldeos village and see that wicked
witch. Buldeo said, though 1t was his duty
to kill the devil child, ne could not let
party of unarmed men go through the jun
gle, which might produce the wolf demon
at any minute. without his escort. He
therefore would accompany them, and IL
the sorcerer's child appeared-well, he
would show them how the best hunter in
Seeonee dealt with such things. The Brah-
min. he said, had given him a charm
against the creature that made everything
perfectly safe.
What says he? What says he? What
minutes; and Mowgli translated until he
came to the witch part of the story. which
was little bit beyond him. and then he
said that the man and woman who had
been so kind to him were trapped.
do men trap menY said Bagheera.
so he says. / cannot understand the
talk. They are all mad together. What
have Messua and the man to do with me
what is all this talk about the Red Flower?
1 must look to this. Whatever they would
do to Messua they will not do till Buldeo
returns And So" Mowgli thought
hard with his fingers playing round the
haft of the skinning knife. while Buldeo
and the charcoal burners went off very
yaliantly in single file.
Il am going hot-foot back to the man.
pack, he said at last.
And those?" said Grey Brother, looking
hungrily after the brown backs, charcoal
burners.
Sing them home" said Mowgli. with a
grin; Il do not wish them to be at the viii
lage gate till 1t is dark. Can you hold
themY'
Grey Brother barred his white teeth in
contempt I'VE can head them round and
round In circles like tethered goats|f /
know men,"
THAT 1 do not need Sing to them a
little less they be lonely on the road, and
Grey Brother, the song need not be the
sweetest. Go with them, Bagheera, and
help make that song. When the night is
well down meet me by the village. Grey
Brother knows the place."
TT Is no light hunting to work for man.
cub. When shall 1 sleep?' said Bagheera
yawning, though his eyes showed he was
delighted with the amusement Me to sing
to naked men. But let us see"
He lowered his head so that the sound
would travel well, and cried a long long
good hunting"-a midnight call in the
afternoon which was quite awful enough
10 DeSln with. MOWgn heard 1t rumble
and rise and fall and die off in a creepy
sort OF whine behind him, and laughed to
himself as he ran through the jungle He
could see the charcoal-burners huddled In a
knot, with old BuJdeos gunbarrel waving
like a banana leaf to every point of the
compass at once. Then Grey Brother gave
the Ya-la-hi, Yalahai call for the buck
driving. when the pack drives the Nilghai
the rig Blue Cow, before them and 1t
seemed to come from the very ends of the
earth. nearer and nearer and nearer till IL
ended in a shrek snapped off short The
other three answered till even MowgIi
could have vowed that the full pack was
In full cry, and when they all broke into
the magnificent morning song in the Jun
gle with every turn and flourish and grace
note that deep-mouthed wolf of the pack
knows. This is a rough rendering of the
song, and you must imagine what II
sounds like when 1t breaks the afternoon
hush of the jungle:
One moment past our bodies cast
No shadow on the plain;
Now clear and black they stride our track
And we run home again.
In morning hush, each rock and bush
Stands hard and high and raw;
Then give the call: Good rest to all
That keep the Jungle Law"
Ho! Get to lair, the suns afiare
Behind the breathing grass;
And creaking through the young bamboo