Kaa's Hunting
Encyclopedia
"Kaa's Hunting" is an 1893 short story
by Rudyard Kipling
featuring Mowgli
. Chronologically the story falls between the first and second halves of Mowgli's Brothers
, and is the second story in The Jungle Book
(1894) where it is accompanied by the poem "Road Song of the Bandar-log
".
n jungle
, is being tutored in the Law of the Jungle
by Baloo
the bear
, but runs off in a temper when Baloo cuffs him for not paying attention. Bagheera
the panther
, who disapproves of Baloo's use of corporal punishment
, persuades Mowgli to return and recite his lessons. These include the "Master Words" for various species that identify the speaker as a friend .
Bagheera is impressed with Mowgli's progress, but they are both horrified when the man-cub then reveals that he has been seeing the Bandar-log
(Monkey
-People) who have promised to make him their leader. Baloo and Bagheera insist that the Bandar-log are a boastful and ignorant race who have no leader and no laws, which is why they are shunned by the rest of the jungle.
Mowgli is suitably chastened, but soon afterward he is abducted by the Bandar-log who take him on a terrifying but exhilarating rush through the treetops. Seeing Chil the Kite
flying above, Mowgli gives the kites' Master Word and tells Chil to find Baloo and Bagheera.
The bear and the panther are attempting to follow at ground level but cannot keep up. Realising that the monkeys' only fear is Kaa
the python the two set off to find him. Bagheera cunningly goads the python into helping them by repeating (or inventing) some of the Bandar-log's insults against him.
At this point Chil finds them and tells them Mowgli has been taken to the Cold Lairs, an abandoned human
city
, and they set off to rescue him.
In the Cold Lairs Mowgli soon realises that Bagheera was right. The monkeys can never keep their mind on any one thing and only captured him as an amusing novelty. They soon become bored with him but refuse to let him go. When Kaa and Bagheera arrive the monkeys throw Mowgli into an abandoned summer house that has been taken over by cobra
s. Mowgli hastily uses the snakes' Master Word to prevent them from striking. When the bear and panther arrive, a furious battle ensues. Baloo and Bagheera are by far the more powerful fighters, but they are vastly outnumbered. Kaa is delayed by a large section of city walls but gets through, breaks down the wall of the summer house and frees Mowgli, who thanks him courteously. Then he scatters the crowd of monkeys fighting Baloo and Bagheera and performs his "hunger dance", hypnotising
the Bandar-log so they cannot run away. Baloo and Bagheera are also hypnotised, but Mowgli, being human, is immune and snaps them out of their trances.
Baloo is all for letting the matter rest, but Bagheera is insistent that Mowgli must be punished for all the trouble he has caused. It is now Bagheera who advocates corporal punishment and Baloo who opposes it. But after half a dozen "love-taps" from Bagheera the score is settled and the three of them go home.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
featuring Mowgli
Mowgli
Mowgli is a fictional character from India who originally appeared in Rudyard Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" and then went on to become the most prominent and memorable character in his fantasies, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book , which also featured stories about other...
. Chronologically the story falls between the first and second halves of Mowgli's Brothers
Mowgli's Brothers
"Mowgli's Brothers" is a short story by Rudyard Kipling. Chronologically it is the first story about Mowgli although it was written after "In the Rukh" in which Mowgli appears as an adult.The story first appeared in the January 1894 issue of St...
, and is the second story in The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893–4. The original publications contain illustrations, some by Rudyard's father, John Lockwood Kipling. Kipling was born in India and spent the first six...
(1894) where it is accompanied by the poem "Road Song of the Bandar-log
Bandar-log
Bandar-log , a term used in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book to describe monkeys - specifically, Langur monkeys.In Hindi, Bandar means 'monkey' and log means 'people'. The Bandar-log feature most prominently in the story "Kaa's Hunting", where their scatterbrained anarchy causes them to be treated...
".
Story
The seven-year-old "man-cub" Mowgli, raised by wolves in the IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
, is being tutored in the Law of the Jungle
The Law of the Jungle
"The Law of the Jungle" is an expression that means "every man for himself", "anything goes", "might makes right", "survival of the strongest", "survival of the fittest", "kill or be killed", "dog eat dog" and "eat or be eaten".- The Jungle Book :...
by Baloo
Baloo
Baloo is the fictional bear featured in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book from 1894 and The Second Jungle Book from 1895.-Name and species:He is described in Kipling's work as "the sleepy brown bear"...
the bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, but runs off in a temper when Baloo cuffs him for not paying attention. Bagheera
Bagheera
Bagheera the black-toned Indian Leopard is an animal fictional character in Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli stories in The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book...
the panther
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
, who disapproves of Baloo's use of corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
, persuades Mowgli to return and recite his lessons. These include the "Master Words" for various species that identify the speaker as a friend .
Bagheera is impressed with Mowgli's progress, but they are both horrified when the man-cub then reveals that he has been seeing the Bandar-log
Bandar-log
Bandar-log , a term used in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book to describe monkeys - specifically, Langur monkeys.In Hindi, Bandar means 'monkey' and log means 'people'. The Bandar-log feature most prominently in the story "Kaa's Hunting", where their scatterbrained anarchy causes them to be treated...
(Monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
-People) who have promised to make him their leader. Baloo and Bagheera insist that the Bandar-log are a boastful and ignorant race who have no leader and no laws, which is why they are shunned by the rest of the jungle.
Mowgli is suitably chastened, but soon afterward he is abducted by the Bandar-log who take him on a terrifying but exhilarating rush through the treetops. Seeing Chil the Kite
Kite (bird)
Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey.They are birds of prey which, along with hawks and eagles, are from the family Accipitridae....
flying above, Mowgli gives the kites' Master Word and tells Chil to find Baloo and Bagheera.
The bear and the panther are attempting to follow at ground level but cannot keep up. Realising that the monkeys' only fear is Kaa
Kaa
Kaa is a fictional and exceptionally long Python molurus from the Mowgli stories written by Rudyard Kipling. Kaa is one of Mowgli's mentors and friends. He, Baloo and Bagheera sing for Mowgli "The Outsong" of the jungle. First introduced in the story "Kaa's Hunting" in The Jungle Book, Kaa is a...
the python the two set off to find him. Bagheera cunningly goads the python into helping them by repeating (or inventing) some of the Bandar-log's insults against him.
At this point Chil finds them and tells them Mowgli has been taken to the Cold Lairs, an abandoned human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, and they set off to rescue him.
In the Cold Lairs Mowgli soon realises that Bagheera was right. The monkeys can never keep their mind on any one thing and only captured him as an amusing novelty. They soon become bored with him but refuse to let him go. When Kaa and Bagheera arrive the monkeys throw Mowgli into an abandoned summer house that has been taken over by cobra
Cobra
Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...
s. Mowgli hastily uses the snakes' Master Word to prevent them from striking. When the bear and panther arrive, a furious battle ensues. Baloo and Bagheera are by far the more powerful fighters, but they are vastly outnumbered. Kaa is delayed by a large section of city walls but gets through, breaks down the wall of the summer house and frees Mowgli, who thanks him courteously. Then he scatters the crowd of monkeys fighting Baloo and Bagheera and performs his "hunger dance", hypnotising
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
the Bandar-log so they cannot run away. Baloo and Bagheera are also hypnotised, but Mowgli, being human, is immune and snaps them out of their trances.
Baloo is all for letting the matter rest, but Bagheera is insistent that Mowgli must be punished for all the trouble he has caused. It is now Bagheera who advocates corporal punishment and Baloo who opposes it. But after half a dozen "love-taps" from Bagheera the score is settled and the three of them go home.