The Jungle Book, part 16 · page 21 2101“Remember, though, that Keddahs are not good for children to play in,” Petersen Sahib went on.102“Must I never go there, Sahib?” asked Little Toomai with a big gasp.103“Yes.”104Petersen Sahib smiled again.105“When thou hast seen the elephants dance.106That is the proper time.107Come to me when thou hast seen the elephants dance, and then I will let thee go into all the Keddahs.”108There was another roar of laughter, for that is an old joke among elephant-catchers, and it means just never.109There are great cleared flat places hidden away in the forests that are called elephants’ ball-rooms, but even these are only found by accident, and no man has ever seen the elephants dance.checked by a teacher110When a driver boasts of his skill and bravery the other drivers say, “And when didst thou see the elephants dance?”111Kala Nag put Little Toomai down, and he bowed to the earth again and went away with his father, and gave the silver four-anna piece to his mother, who was nursing his baby brother, and they all were put up on Kala Nag’s back, and the line of grunting, squealing elephants rolled down the hill path to the plains.112It was a very lively march on account of the new elephants, who gave trouble at every ford, and needed coaxing or beating every other minute.113Big Toomai prodded Kala Nag spitefully, for he was very angry, but Little Toomai was too happy to speak.114Petersen Sahib had noticed him, and given him money, so he felt as a private soldier would feel if he had been called out of the ranks and praised by his commander-in-chief.115“What did Petersen Sahib mean by the elephant dance?” he said, at last, softly to his mother.116Big Toomai heard him and grunted.117“That thou shouldst never be one of these hill buffaloes of trackers.118That was what he meant.119Oh, you in front, what is blocking the way?”120An Assamese driver, two or three elephants ahead, turned round angrily, crying: “Bring up Kala Nag, and knock this youngster of mine into good behavior.121Why should Petersen Sahib have chosen me to go down with you donkeys of the rice fields?122Lay your beast alongside, Toomai, and let him prod with his tusks.123By all the Gods of the Hills, these new elephants are possessed, or else they can smell their companions in the jungle.”124Kala Nag hit the new elephant in the ribs and knocked the wind out of him, as Big Toomai said, “We have swept the hills of wild elephants at the last catch.125It is only your carelessness in driving.checked by a teacher126Must I keep order along the whole line?”127“Hear him!” said the other driver.128“We have swept the hills!129Ho!130Ho!131You are very wise, you plains people.132Anyone but a mud-head who never saw the jungle would know that they know that the drives are ended for the season.133Therefore all the wild elephants to-night will--but why should I waste wisdom on a river-turtle?”134“What will they do?”135Little Toomai called out.136“Ohe, little one.137Art thou there?138Well, I will tell thee, for thou hast a cool head.139They will dance, and it behooves thy father, who has swept all the hills of all the elephants, to double-chain his pickets to-night.”140“What talk is this?” said Big Toomai.141“For forty years, father and son, we have tended elephants, and we have never heard such moonshine about dances.”142“Yes; but a plainsman who lives in a hut knows only the four walls of his hut.143Well, leave thy elephants unshackled tonight and see what comes.144As for their dancing, I have seen the place where--Bapree-bap!145How many windings has the Dihang River?146Here is another ford, and we must swim the calves.147Stop still, you behind there.”148And in this way, talking and wrangling and splashing through the rivers, they made their first march to a sort of receiving camp for the new elephants.149But they lost their tempers long before they got there.150Then the elephants were chained by their hind legs to their big stumps of pickets, and extra ropes were fitted to the new elephants, and the fodder was piled before them, and the hill drivers went back to Petersen Sahib through the afternoon light, telling the plains drivers to be extra careful that night, and laughing when the plains drivers asked the reason.1 2← previousThe Jungle Book, part 15next →The Jungle Book, part 17↑ back to The Jungle BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg236/16/page/2/