Page 13

The Jungle book

A conference

And then Akela called again in his deep voice: "Look well - look well, you Wolves!" Mowgli was still very interested in the pebbles, and he did not notice when the wolves came and looked at him one after another. At last all the wolves went down the hill for the dead bull, and only Akela, Bagheera, Baloo, and Mowgli's own parents stayed behind. Shere Khan was still roaring in the night, for he was very angry that Mowgli had not been handed over to him. "Yes, you should roar," said Bagheera to himself, "for the time will come when this naked thing will make you roar in a different way. And if I am wrong about this, then I don't know men as well as I think I know them."

"You did the right thing," said Akela. "Men and their cubs are very wise. He may be able to help us one day."

"Truly, a help when we need him. No-one can lead the Pack forever," said Bagheera. Akela said nothing. He was thinking of the time that comes to every leader of every pack when his strength goes from him. He gets weaker and weaker, and at last he is killed by the wolves. Then they have a new leader and he is killed in his turn.

"Take him away," Akela said to Father Wolf, "and train him to be one of the Free People." And that is how Mowgli joined the Seeonee Wolf Pack for the price of a bull and on Baloo's good word.

Vocabulary:

Conference: A discussion, a conversation about what to do
For: Because
Handed over: Given
Truly: Indeed
At last: In the end
Train: To teach and give practice
Good word: To say that someone or something is good

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