broke
beneath his weight, and he slipped down, his claws full of bark.

"Why didst thou not warn the man-cub?" he roared to poor Baloo, who had
set off at a clumsy trot in the hope of overtaking the monkeys. "What
was the use of half slaying him with blows if thou didst not warn him?"

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

"At that speed! It would not tire a wounded cow. Teacher of the
Law--cub-beater--a mile of that rolling to and fro would burst thee
open. Sit still and think! Make a plan. This is no time for chasing.
They may drop him if we follow too close."

"Arrula! Whoo! They may have dropped him already, being tired of
carrying him. Who can trust the Bandar-log? Put dead bats on my head!
Give me black bones to eat! Roll me into the hives of the wild bees
that I may be stung to death, and bury me with the Hyaena, for I am most
miserable of bears! Arulala! Wahooa! O Mowgli, Mowgli! Why did I not
warn thee against the Monkey-Folk instead of breaking thy head? Now
perhaps I may have knocked the day's lesson out of his mind, and he will
be alone in the jungle without the Master Words."

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

"At least he gave me all the Words correctly a little time ago," said
Bagheera impatiently. "Baloo, thou hast neither memory nor respect. What
would the jungle think if I, the Black Panther, curled myself up like
Ikki the Porcupine, and howled?"

"What 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 him
out of idleness, I have no fear for the man-cub. He is wise and well
taught, and above all he has the eyes that make the Jungle-People
afraid. But (and it is a great evil) he is in the power of the
Bandar-log, and they, because they live in trees, have no fear of any of
our people." Bagheera licked one forepaw thoughtfully.

"Fool that I am! Oh, fat, brown, root-digging fool that I am," said
Baloo, uncoiling himself with a jerk, "it is true what Hathi the Wild
Elephant says: `To each his own fear'; and they, the Bandar-log, fear
Kaa the Rock Snake. He can climb as well as they can. He steals the
young monkeys in the night. The whisper of his name makes their wicked
tails cold. Let us go to Kaa."

"What will he do for us? He is not of our tribe, being footless--and
with most evil eyes," said Bagheera.

"He is very old and very cunning. Above all, he is alwa