Jungle Book 4 - Аудиокнига Книга Джунглей Маугли English Stage 2
текст песни

Mowgli always went to the meetings of the Wolf-Pack,
and there he learnt something new one day. If he looked
hard at any wolf, the wolf could not meet his eyes and
looked away. Mowgli thought this was funny; he did
not understand that he was different from the wolves.
All the Jungle-People were his friends - but not Shere
Khan, of course. Mother Wolf told him that the tiger
wanted to kill him. 'One day you must kill Shere Khan.
If you don't kill him, he will kill you.' But Mowgli forgot.
He was only a boy, not a wolf.
Shere Khan still came often to that part of the jungle.
-Akela was older now and not so strong, and Shere Khan
made friends with some of the younger wolves. Akela
could not stop them, and Shere Khan began to make
trouble for Mowgli. 'I hear you can't look into the mancub's
eyes,' he said, laughing, to the young wolves. And
the young wolves began to get angry.
Bagheera, who had eyes and ears everywhere, knew
something of this and told Mowgli. Mowgli laughed,
but Bagheera went on, 'Open your eyes, Little Brother.
Remember that Akela is old and he will not always be
the leader of the Pack. Shere Khan has taught the
younger wolves that a man-cub has no place with them.
And soon you will be a man, not a man-cub.'
'But the wolves are my brothers. Why will they want
to send me away?'
'Look at me,' said Bagheera, and Mowgli looked at
him hard between the eyes. The big black cat turned his
head away quickly. 'That is why,' he said. 'Not even I
can look in your eyes. That is why they want to kill
you. You are clever. You are a man.'
'I did not know these things,' said Mowgli quietly.
'Now listen. The day will soon come when Akela
cannot kill his deer in the hunt. Then at the next meeting
of the Pack the younger wolves will be against Akela
and against you. When that time comes, go to the men's
houses in the village and take some of their Red Flower.
That will be a stronger friend to you than I or Baloo.'
The Red Flower was fire. All animals are afraid of it
and do not call it by its name. 'I will get some,' said
Mowgli. 'I will go and get it now, and keep it ready,'
and he ran through the jungle to the village.
On his way he heard the sounds of the Wolf-Pack
hunting a big deer. 'Show us that you are strong, Akela,'
came the voices of the young wolves. 'Kill it!'
Mowgli stopped and listened, and he could hear that
Akela did not kill the deer. 'So the time has come
already,' he thought, and hurried to the village. He
watched and waited, and soon he saw a child who was
carrying a fire-pot. Mowgli jumped up, took the pot from
him, and quickly ran away, back to the jungle. All that
day he kept his fire alive with leaves and pieces of wood.
In the evening Tabaqui came and told him that the
wolves wanted him at the meeting. Mowgli laughed,
and went. When he arrived, he saw that Akela was not
in his special place, on top of the rock, but beside it.
That meant that another wolf could try to take Akela's
place. Shere Khan was there, too, with all the younger
wolves around him. Mowgli sat down, with the fire-pot
between his legs. Bagheera lay beside him.
Shere Khan began to speak and Mowgli jumped up.
'Free People, is Shere Khan your leader? Does a tiger
belong in the Wolf-Pack?'
'There is no wolf on the rock,' began Shere Khan,
but the other wolves said, 'Let Akela speak.'
Akela looked up, old and tired. 'Free People, I have
been your leader for many years. In all that time no wolf
has died in the hunt. But this time I did not kill my deer.
The Law of the Jungle says that you can kill me now,
but the Law also says that you must come one by one.'
No one spoke. Akela was old, but nobody wanted to
fight Akela alone.
Then Shere Khan spoke. 'Bah! This old wolf is not
important. He will die soon. It is the man-cub who has
lived too long. Give him to me.'
'A man! A man!' cried most of the younger wolves
angrily. 'A man does not belong in the Wolf-Pack.'
'Mowgli is our brother,' said Akela. 'He has eaten
our food. He has slept with us. He has done nothing
wrong. Let him go to his own place.'
'He is a man,' cried Shere Khan and most of the wolves.
Mowgli stood up, the fire-pot in his hands. He was
very angry, and very sad.
'You have said many times that I am a man. I was
your brother, but I will not call you my brothers again.
I will decide on my life or my death, not you. I am a
man, and to show you, I have brought the Red Flower
with me.'
He dropped the fire-pot on the ground and some of
the fire fell out. The wolves were very afraid and moved
back. Mowgli held a long piece of wood in the fire and
the end began to burn brightly.
'You are the leader now,' said Bagheera softly. 'Help
Akela. He was always your friend.'
'Good,' said Mowgli. He looked at the frightened
wolves. 'I go from you to my people - the world of
men. But first ... ' and Mowgli went to Shere Khan.
'This killer of cows wanted to kill me. This is what men
do to killers of cows,' and he hit Shere Khan on the head
with the burning stick. The tiger was very frightened.
'Go now,' said Mowgli to Shere Khan. 'The next time
I come to this rock, it will be with your dead body. I tell
you this also, my brothers, you will not kill Akela -
because I do not want that. Akela is free to live.'
And Mowgli jumped at the young wolves with his
burning stick and they all ran away. In the end there
were only Akela, Bagheera, and a few older wolves left.
Then something began to hurt Mowgli inside him and,
for the first time in his life, tears ran down his face.
'What is it? What is it? Am I dying, Bagheera?'
'No, Little Brother. You are a man, and these are
men's tears. But you must go - the jungle is closed to
you now.'
'Yes,' said Mowgli. 'I will go to men. But first I must
say goodbye to my mother.' And he went to the cave
and cried on Mother Wolf's coat.
'You will not forget me?' Mowgli said to his wolffamily.
'Never,' said his wolf-brothers. 'Come to the foot of
the hill when you are a man, and we will talk with you.'
'Come soon, little frog,' said Father Wolf, 'because
your Mother and I are getting old.'
'I will surely come,' said Mowgli, 'and I will bring
the coat of Shere Khan and put it on the Meeting Rock.'
And in the morning Mowgli went down the hill alone
to meet those strange things that are called men.