Evening star., 1894-12-15

gle, and the human words brought Bag
heera to full STOP flung back on his
launches that quivered under him, his
eyes just on the level of Mowgli's Once
more Mowgl stared as he had stared at
the rebellious cubs, full into the beryl-
green eyes till the red hair behind their
green went out like the light of a light
house shut off twenty miles across the sea;
till the eyes dropped and the big head
with them-dropped lower and lower. and
the red rasp of tongue grated on Now
gli's instep.
Brother - brother - brother! the boy
whispered, stroking steadily and lightly
from the neck along the heaving back. BE
still, be STILL 1t is the fault of the night,
and no fault of thine"
1T was the smells of the night" said
Bagheera, penitently. This air cries
aloud to me. But how dost thou know"
or course. the air round an Indian village
Is full of all kinds OF smells, and to any
creature who does nearly all his thinking
through his nose, smells are maddening
as music and drugs are to human beings.
Mowgh gentied the panther for a few min
utes longer, and he lay down like cat be-
iore fire, his paws tucked under his
breast, and his eyes half shut.
Ihou art of the jungle and not of the
jungle" he said at last. "And 1 am only
black panther But I love thee, little
brother"
They are very long at that council under
the tree Mowgli said, without noticing
the last sentence. "Buldeo must have told
many tales. They should come soon to
drag the woman and her man out of the
trap and put them in the Red Flower
They VIII find that trap sprung. Ho! ho!'
Nay. listen," said Bagheera. 1.-The fever
is out of my blood now. Let them find me
there! Few would leave their houses after
meeting me. 1t Is not the first time have
bind me with cords"
BE WISE then" said Mowgh, laughing
for he was beginning to feel as reckless as
the panther, who had glided into the hut
hpa
place Is heavy with man, but here is just
such bed as they gave me to lie upon in
the kings cages at Oodeypore. Now l am
lying down." Mowgli heard the strings of
the cot crack under the great brute's
weight. "By the Broken Lock that freed
me, they will think they have caught big
game! Come and sit beside me. little
brother we will give them good hunting
together:
mo. I have another thought in my
stomach. The man-pack shall not know
what share have in the sport Make thy
own hunt. / do hot wish to see them"
BE it So" said Bagheera. "Ah, now
they came"
The conference under the peepul tree had
been growing noisier and noisier, at the
far end Of the village 1t broke into wild
yells and rush up the street of men and
women waving clubs and bamboos and
sickles and knives. Buldeo and the Brah-
min were at the head of 1t, but the mob
was close at their heels and they cried:
The witch and the wiZard Let us see If
hot coins will make them confess! Burn
the hut over their heads! We will teach
them to shelter wolf devils Nay. Beat
them first. Torches! More torches! Bull
dec, heat the gun barrelr'
Here was some little difficulty with the
catch of the door, 1t had been very firmly
fastened, but the crowd tore 1T away bod
lily and the light of the torches streamed
into the room, where. lying at full length
on the bed, his paws crossed and lightly
hung down over one end, black as the pit
&c Do
There was one-half minute of terrible 81
lenee as the front ranks of the crowd
clawed and tore their way back from that
threshold. and in that minute Bagheera
raised his head and yawned-elaborately,
carefully and ostentatiously-as he would
yawn when he wished to insult an equal.
The fringed lips drew back and up, the
red tongue curled; the lower jaw dropped
and dropped till you could see halfway
down the hot gulJct, and the gigantic dog
teeth stood clear to the pit of the gums till
they ran together. upper and under, with
the snick of steel-faced wards shooting
home round the edges of a safe. Next
minute the street was empty; Bagheera
had leaped back through the window and
stood at Mowglis side, while a yelling
screaming torrent scrambled and tumbled
over one another in their panic haste to
get to their hutS.
''They will not stir till the day comes"
said Bagheera quietly. And now?'
The silence of the afternoon sleep seemed
to have overtaken the village, but they
listened they could hear the sound of
heavy grain boxes being dragged over the
earthern floors and set down against doors.
Bagheera was quite right the village
would not stir till daylight. Mowgli sat
still and thought, and his face grew darker
and darker.
What have I done?" said Bagheera, at
last coming to his feet, fawning.
Nothing but great good. Watch them
now till the day, 1 must go to sleep" And
Mowgn ran off into the jungle and dropped
like dead man across a rock, and slept
and slept the day round and the night
back again.
When he walked Bagheera was at his
side, and there was a newly killed buck
at his feet. Bagheera watched curiously
while Mowgli went to work with his skin
ming knife, ate and drank, and turned
over with his chin in his hands.
THE man and the woman came safe
within eye-shot of 'Kanhiwara," Bagheera
said. Thy mother sent the word back to
Chill the kite. They found a horse before
midnight of the night. They were freed
and went very quickly. Is not that well ?''
THAT is WELL" said Mowgli.
And the man-pack in the village did not
stir till the sun was high this morning.
Then they ate their food and ran back
quickly to their houses"
Did they by chance see thee?"
TT may have been. L was rolling in the
dust before the gate at dawn, and may
have sung also little song to myself.
Now, little brother, there Is nothing more
He has new hives that he wishes to show
and we all desire thee back again as of
| old. The man and the woman will not be
put into the Red Flower, and all goes well
in the jungle. Is it not true? Let us for
get the man-pack"
'"They shall be forgotten in little while.
Where does HATH feed tonight?"
where he chooses. Who can answer
for the Silent One? But why? What is
there HATH can do which we cannot?'
bid him and his three sons come here
| to me-"
But, indeed, and truly, Little Brother, 1t
| is not-It is not seemly to say Come and Go
| to HATH. Remember, he is the Master of
| the Jungle, and before the man-pack
| changed the look on thy face he taught
| the master-words of the Jungle"
This IS all one. i have a master word
| for him now. Bid him come to Mowgli the
freq, and IL he does not hear at first, bid
| him come because of the sack of the fields
| of Bhurtpore."
1.-The sack of the fields of Bhurtpore" "
Bagheera repeated two or three times 20
make sure Il go. HATH can be very
angry at the worst, and 1 would give a
moons hunting to hear the master-word
that compels the silent one."
He went away, leaving Mowgli stabbing
| furiously with his skinning knife into the
| earth. Mowgli had never seen human
blood in his life before till he had seen and
| what meant much more to him-smelt
| Messua's blood on the thongs that bound
| her. And Messua had been kind to him