. The jungle book. him thetusk !) Somalo ! Somalo ! (Careful, careful!)Maro! Mar! (Hit him, hit him !) Mind thepost! Arre! Arre! Hai! Yai! Kya-a-ak!he would shout, and the big fight between KalaNag and the wild elephant would sway to and froacross the Keddah, and the old elephant-catcherswould wipe the sweat out of their eyes, and findtime to nod to Little Toomai wriggling with joyon the top of the posts. He did more than wriggle. One night he sliddown from the post and slipped in between theelephants, and threw up the loose end of a rope,which had dropped, to a driver who was trying toget a p
. The jungle book. him thetusk !) Somalo ! Somalo ! (Careful, careful!)Maro! Mar! (Hit him, hit him !) Mind thepost! Arre! Arre! Hai! Yai! Kya-a-ak!he would shout, and the big fight between KalaNag and the wild elephant would sway to and froacross the Keddah, and the old elephant-catcherswould wipe the sweat out of their eyes, and findtime to nod to Little Toomai wriggling with joyon the top of the posts. He did more than wriggle. One night he sliddown from the post and slipped in between theelephants, and threw up the loose end of a rope,which had dropped, to a driver who was trying toget a purchase on the leg of a kicking youngcalf (calves always give more trouble than full-grown animals). Kala Nag saw him, caughthim in his trunk, and handed him up to BigToomai, who slapped him then and there, andput him back on the post. Next morning he gave him a scolding, andsaid: Are not good brick elephant-lines and alittle tent-carrying enough, that thou must needsgo elephant-catching on thy own account, little. TOOMAI OF THE ELEPHANTS 231 worthless ? Now those foolish hunters, whosepay is less than my pay, have spoken to PetersenSahib of the matter. Little Toomai was fright-ened. He did not know much of white men, butPetersen Sahib was the greatest white man inthe world to him. He was the head of all theKeddah operations—-the man who caught all theelephants for the Government of India, and whoknew more about the ways of elephants than anyliving man. What—what will happen? said LittleToomai. Happen ! the worst that can happen. Peter-sen Sahib is a madman. Else why should he gohunting these wild devils? He may even requirethee to be an elephant-catcher, to sleep anywherein these fever-filled jungles, and at last to betrampled to death in the Keddah. It is well thatthis nonsense ends safely. Next week the catch-ing is over, and we of the plains are sent back toour stations. Then we will march on smoothroads, and forget all this hunting. But, son, Iam angry that thou should
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectanimals, bookyear1894
