Chapter 2. The Monkey People

Baloo – the old brown bear – loved teaching Mowgli. He tought him how to speak to the different jungle people and he tought him the important master words. But Mowgli sometimes got bored with all the lessons. One day when he was not listening, Baloo hit him – very softly, on the head and Mowgli ran away angrily. Baghira, the black panther, was not happy about this.

- Remember how small he is, - he said to Baloo. – How can his little head hold all your long words?

- These words will safe him from the birds, from the Snake People and all the animals that hunt. – said Baloo. – It is true that he is only small, but no one will hurt him if he remembers all the master words. Come, Mowgli, - he called him to the trees. Come and say the words again.

Mowgli climbed down from a tree and came to sit next to them.

- I will say the words to Baghira, not you, fat, old Baloo! - he said crossly.

- Very well, - said Baloo sadly. – Say the words for the Hunting People.

- We are of one blood – you and I – said Mowgli.

- Good. Now – for the birds.

Mowgli said the same words but with the sound of a bird.

- Now – for the Snake People, said Baloo.

Mowgli then made a long ”s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s”- sound, which was like no other noise, only a noise of a snake.

- Good, - said Baloo gently. – One day you will thank me for my lessons. Now you will be safe in the jungle, because no snake, no bird, no animal will hurt you. You do not need to be afraid of anyone.

- And I shall have my people and og with them high up in the trees, - shouted Mowgli.

- Whar did you say? Mowgli? – asked Baloo surprised. – Have you been with banderlog – the Monkey People?

Mowgli could hear that Baloo was angry and he saw too that Baghira’s green eyes were cold and hard.

- When Baloo hurt my head, - said Mowgli, - I went away and the grey monkeys came down from the trees and talked to me. They were kind to me and gave me nice things to eat. Then they took me up into the trees. They said that I was their brother and they wanted me to be thier leader one day. Why have you never told me about the Monkey People? Bad old Baloo! They play all day and do not do lessons. And I will play with them again!

- Listen, man cub, - said Baloo angrily, - I ahve told you the law for all the jungle people, but not for the Monkey People. They have no law. Their ways are not our ways. They are noisy and dirty, and they think that they aret he great people. Butt hen they forget everything. The rest of the jungle people do not talk to them or even think about them. Remember what I tell you.

Mowgli listened and was sorry. But all this time the banderlog were above them in the trees listening and watching. They followed Mowgli and his friends through the jungle until it was time for mid-day rest. Mowgli laid between his friends and went to sleep, saying ”I will never talk or play with the Monkey People again”.

When he woke up he was high in a tree and there were hands holding his legs and arms, hard, strong little hands. Down below Baloo was shouting angrily and Baghira was trying to climb up the tree. But he was too heavy for the thin branches.

The monkeys shouting and laughting carried Mowgli between them and began their jorney along the monkey roads, which are high in the trees. It was a wild exiting jorney. The monkey jumped from treet op to treet op, crashing through the leaves and branches. At first Mowgli was afraid of falling, butt hen he began to think. He must tell Baloo and Baghira where he was. High up in the blue sky he saw Chil – the kite. The big bird saw that the monkeys were carrying a man cub. He flew down to look and was surprised to hear the bird call of the ciots: ”We are of one blood – you and I”.

- Who are you? – called chio.

- Mowgli, the man cub, – came the reply. – Watch where they take me, and tell Baloo and Baghira!

- I will! – called Chil and he flew high above the trees and watched with his far seeing eyes.

Monkeys can travel fast when they want to, and by now Baloo and Baghira were long way behind.

- We can not follow the banderlog through the trees, - said Baloo, - and we will never catch them. But they are afraid of Kaa – the big python. He can climb as easily as the monkeys. And he eats them. Perhaps, he will help us.

And so, Baloo and Baghira went to look for Kaa, the python. They found him laying in the sun – tem meters of brown and yellow snake. Beautiful and dangerous.

- What news-s-s-s-s-s? – called Kaa when he saw them.

- We are looking for food, - said Baloo. He knew that they must not hurry Kaa, he is too big.

- Let me come with you, - said Kaa hungrily. – I have not eaten four days-s-s-s.

- We are following the banderlog, - said Baloo, - those noisy, dirty theaves of stolen our man cub and we love our man cub very much, Kaa.

- The banderlog, - said Baghira cleverly, - are very much afraid of you, Kaa. But they said bad things about you and called you ”old yellow fish”, I hear.

- S-s-s-s-s, s-s-s-s-s – said Kaa, - I will teach them not to call me bad names. Where did they take your man cub? They will be tired of him quickly. And that is bad for him. Up, up, looked up, Baloo!

Baloo looked up and saw Chil, the kite, high in the sky.

- What is it? – called Baloo.

- I have seen Mowgli the man cub with the banderlog. He knew the master word. They have taken him to the Monkey City, the Lost City.

Baloo and Baghira knew of the Monkey City – men lived there once. But they left hundreds of years ago. Nobody went there now, only the banderlog.

- We must leave at once, - said Baghira. – It is a long way.

- I will come as fast as I can, - said Baloo, - but you and Kaa can og faster. I will follow you.

The Lost City was very old. There were many beautiful buildings, butt he walls were broken and full of holes. And there were tall trees in the houses that were now open to the sky. The Monkey People called the place their City, and run around everywhere: in and out of empty houses, up and down the fruit trees in the old gardens. Now Mowgli was in their city and the Monkey People were very pleased with themselves.

- This boy can hel pus, - they said. – He can teach u show to make things, because men are clever with the hands.

But monkeys made many plans and always forget them five minutes later. When Mowgli arrived in the City he was tired and hungry.

- Bring me food, - he said and twenty or thirty monkeys ran to bring him fruit. Then they started fighting and forgot to take any fruit back to Mowgli. Mowgli knew that he was in a bad place. ”Baloo was right” – he thought, ”The banderlog have no law and their ways are not our ways. I must try to get away. Baloo will surely be angry with me. But that is better than life with the banderlog. But when Mowgli went to the walls of the City, the monkeys pulled him back.

- - You are very happy here with us. We are great! We are wonderful! We all say so and so it is true, - they shouted.

”Do not they ever sleep? ” – thought Mowgli. He looked up at the sky. There is a cloud coming over the moon. ”Perhaps, I can run away when it is dark”.