Page 97 - THE JUNGLE BOOK

The Jungle Book

watching with the cattle half a mile away, hurried to the
village as fast as their legs could carry them, crying that the
buffaloes had gone mad and run away.
But Mowgli’s plan was simple enough. All he wanted

to do was to make a big circle uphill and get at the head of
the ravine, and then take the bulls down it and catch Shere
Khan between the bulls and the cows; for he knew that
after a meal and a full drink Shere Khan would not be in
any condition to fight or to clamber up the sides of the
ravine. He was soothing the buffaloes now by voice, and
Akela had dropped far to the rear, only whimpering once
or twice to hurry the rear-guard. It was a long, long circle,
for they did not wish to get too near the ravine and give
Shere Khan warning. At last Mowgli rounded up the
bewildered herd at the head of the ravine on a grassy patch
that sloped steeply down to the ravine itself. From that
height you could see across the tops of the trees down to
the plain below; but what Mowgli looked at was the sides
of the ravine, and he saw with a great deal of satisfaction
that they ran nearly straight up and down, while the vines
and creepers that hung over them would give no foothold
to a tiger who wanted to get out.

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