The reason the beasts give among themselves is that Man is the weakest and most defenseless of all living things, and it is not fair 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 roar of "Aaarh!" which is the sound a tiger makes when it charges. Then there was a howl of pain and anger from Shere Khan.

"He has missed his target," said Mother Wolf. "What is it?"

Father Wolf ran out a few paces and heard Shere Khan growling savagely as he rolled about in the bushes. "The fool has had no more sense than to jump at a woodcutter's campfire, and has burned his feet," said Father Wolf. "Tabaqui is with him."

"Something is coming uphill," said Mother Wolf, twitching one ear. "Get ready." The bushes rustled a little, and Father Wolf dropped with his back legs under him, ready for his leap. Then, if you had been watching, you would have seen the most wonderful thing in the world - the wolf stopping himself in mid-spring. He made his bound before he saw what it was he was jumping at, and then he tried to stop himself.