“Come soon!” said Father Wolf.  “Oh, wise little frog, come again soon; for we be old, thy mother and I.”

“Come soon,” said Mother Wolf, “little naked son of mine.  For, listen, child of man, I loved thee more than ever I loved my cubs.”

“I will surely come,” said Mowgli.  “And when I come it will be to lay out Shere Khan’s hide upon the Council Rock.  Do not forget me!  Tell them in the jungle never to forget me!”

The dawn was beginning to break when Mowgli went down the hillside alone, to meet those mysterious things that are called men.

Hunting-Song of the Seeonee Pack

     As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled
        Once, twice and again! 
     And a doe leaped up, and a doe leaped up
     From the pond in the wood where the wild deer sup. 
     This I, scouting alone, beheld,
        Once, twice and again!

     As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled
        Once, twice and again! 
     And a wolf stole back, and a wolf stole back
     To carry the word to the waiting pack,
     And we sought and we found and we bayed on his track
        Once, twice and again!

     As the dawn was breaking the Wolf Pack yelled
        Once, twice and again! 
     Feet in the jungle that leave no mark!

     Eyes that can see in the dark—­the dark! 
     Tongue—­give tongue to it!  Hark!  O hark! 
        Once, twice and again!

Kaa’s Hunting

     His spots are the joy of the Leopard:  his horns are the
        Buffalo’s pride. 
     Be clean, for the strength of the hunter is known by the
        gloss of his hide. 
     If ye find that the Bullock can toss you, or the heavy-browed
        Sambhur can gore;
     Ye need not stop work to inform us:  we knew it ten seasons
        before. 
     Oppress not the cubs of the stranger, but hail them as Sister
        and Brother,
     For though they are little and fubsy, it may be the Bear is
        their mother. 
     “There is none like to me!” says the Cub in the pride of his
        earliest kill;
     But the jungle is large and the Cub he is small.  Let him
        think and be still. 
                                 Maxims of Baloo

All that is told here happened some time before Mowgli was turned out of the Seeonee Wolf Pack, or revenged himself on Shere Khan the tiger.  It was in the days when Baloo was teaching him the Law of the Jungle.  The big, serious, old brown bear was delighted to have so quick a pupil, for the young wolves will only learn as much of the Law of the Jungle as applies to their own pack and tribe, and run away as soon as they can repeat the Hunting Verse—­“Feet that make no noise; eyes that can see in the dark; ears that can hear the winds in their lairs, and sharp