forbids every beast to eat Man except when he is killing to show his
children how to kill, and then he must hunt outside the
hunting-grounds of his pack or tribe. The real reason for this is
that man-killing means, sooner or later, the arrival of white men on
elephants, with guns, and hundreds of brown men with gongs and
rockets and torches. Then everybody in the jungle suffers. The reason
the beasts give among themselves is that Man is the weakest and most
defenceless of all living things, and it is unsportsmanlike to touch
him. They say too--and it is true--that man-eaters become mangy, and
lose their teeth.

The purr grew louder, and ended in the full-throated 'Aaarh!' of the
tiger's charge.

Then there was a howl--an untigerish howl--from Shere Khan. He has
missed,' said Mother Wolf. 'What is it?'

Father Wolf ran out a few paces and heard Shere Khan muttering and
mumbling savagely, as he tumbled about in the scrub.

'The fool has had no more sense than to jump at a woodcutters'
camp-fire, and has burned his feet,' said Father Wolf, with a grunt.
'Tabaqui is with him.'

'Something is coming up hill,' said Mother Wolf, twitching one ear.
'Get ready.'

The bushes rustled a little in the thicket, and Father Wolf dropped
with his haunches under him, ready for his leap. Then, if you had
been watching, you would have seen the most wonderful thing in the