Page 141 - THE JUNGLE BOOK

The Jungle Book

a place, and when he looked back at the cliffs even Kotick
could hardly believe that he had been under them.
He was six days going home, though he was not
swimming slowly; and when he hauled out just above Sea

Lion’s Neck the first person he met was the seal who had
been waiting for him, and she saw by the look in his eyes
that he had found his island at last.
But the holluschickie and Sea Catch, his father, and all
the other seals laughed at him when he told them what he
had discovered, and a young seal about his own age said,
‘This is all very well, Kotick, but you can’t come from no
one knows where and order us off like this. Remember
we’ve been fighting for our nurseries, and that’s a thing
you never did. You preferred prowling about in the sea.’
The other seals laughed at this, and the young seal
began twisting his head from side to side. He had just
married that year, and was making a great fuss about it.
‘I’ve no nursery to fight for,’ said Kotick. ‘I only want
to show you all a place where you will be safe. What’s the
use of fighting?’
‘Oh, if you’re trying to back out, of course I’ve no
more to say,’ said the young seal with an ugly chuckle.

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