Page 131 - THE JUNGLE BOOK

The Jungle Book

‘Go and find out,’ said Sea Vitch, shutting his eyes.
‘Run away. We’re busy here.’
Kotick made his dolphin-jump in the air and shouted as
loud as he could: ‘Clam-eater! Clam-eater!’ He knew that

Sea Vitch never caught a fish in his life but always rooted
for clams and seaweed; though he pretended to be a very
terrible person. Naturally the Chickies and the
Gooverooskies and the Epatkas—the Burgomaster Gulls
and the Kittiwakes and the Puffins, who are always
looking for a chance to be rude, took up the cry, and—so
Limmershin told me—for nearly five minutes you could
not have heard a gun fired on Walrus Islet. All the
population was yelling and screaming ‘Clam-eater! Stareek
[old man]!’ while Sea Vitch rolled from side to side
grunting and coughing.
‘Now will you tell?’ said Kotick, all out of breath.
‘Go and ask Sea Cow,’ said Sea Vitch. ‘If he is living
still, he’ll be able to tell you.’
‘How shall I know Sea Cow when I meet him?’ said
Kotick, sheering off.
‘He’s the only thing in the sea uglier than Sea Vitch,’
screamed a Burgomaster gull, wheeling under Sea Vitch’s
nose. ‘Uglier, and with worse manners! Stareek!’

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