Маугли
Toomai of the Elephants
LittleToomailooked,holdinghisbreath,withhiseyesstartingoutofhishead,andashelooked,moreandmoreandmoreelephantsswungoutintotheopenfrombetweenthetreetrunks.LittleToomaicouldonlycountuptoten,andhecountedagainandagainonhisfingerstillhelostcountofthetens,andhisheadbegantoswim.Outsidetheclearinghecouldhearthemcrashingintheundergrowthastheyworkedtheirwayupthehillside,butassoonastheywerewithinthecircleofthetreetrunkstheymovedlikeghosts.
Therewerewhite-tuskedwildmales,withfallenleavesandnutsandtwigslyinginthewrinklesoftheirnecksandthefoldsoftheirears;fat,slow-footedshe-elephants,withrestless,littlepinkyblackcalvesonlythreeorfourfeethighrunningundertheirstomachs;youngelephantswiththeirtusksjustbeginningtoshow,andveryproudofthem;lanky,scraggyold-maidelephants,withtheirhollowanxiousfaces,andtrunkslikeroughbark;savageoldbullelephants,scarredfromshouldertoflankwithgreatwealsandcutsofbygonefights,andthecakeddirtoftheirsolitarymudbathsdroppingfromtheirshoulders;andtherewasonewithabrokentuskandthemarksofthefull-stroke,theterribledrawingscrape,ofatiger’sclawsonhisside.
Theywerestandingheadtohead,orwalkingtoandfroacrossthegroundincouples,orrockingandswayingallbythemselves—scoresandscoresofelephants.
