JUNGLE BOOK TALES
of the
Seeonee Wolf Pack
and the
Monkey People
Based on the first two stories in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling,
Adapted for the stage by
Jeff Taylor
Draft 8-19-2010
© by Jeff Taylor, 8-19-2010
1-712-707-7094
[email protected]
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Dedicated To:
My mother, Dr. Frances D. Taylor, M.D., who loved to read aloud to her family.
Special Thanks To:
my wife Sue who gave up yet another summer to encourage me in this project.
Hannah Sauerwein who did the final formatting, proofreading and general cleanup of the manuscript.
Adaptor‘s Note:
I had not planned to direct a version of Rudyard Kipling‘s Jungle Book that was my own adaptation;
however, as I studied other available scripts, I became discontent with the lack of Kipling‘s driving
poetic language in some versions. When his language was featured in other versions, the scripts were
too long for our one-hour venue. As it turned out, Kipling‘s first two stories, ―Mowgli‘s Brothers‖ and
―Kaa‘s Hunting‖ along with their transitional poetry—―Hunting-song of the Seeonee Pack‖ and ―Roadsong of the Bandar-log―lend themselves to a tight, fast-paced, one-hour show. In those stories Kipling
provides most of the dialogue, except for the Bandar-log kidnapping of Mowgli, where he provides most
of the action, leaving the dialogue up to the adaptor.
The world premier for Jungle Book Tales was October 2nd, 2009 at Northwestern College, Orange City,
Iowa in the R. Keith Allen Black Box Theatre set for a 215 seat arena venue. The 14-performance run
was sold out.
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CAST
(The spelling of the names reflect Kipling‘s phonetic pronunciation guide.)
MOWGLI‘S MOTHER
MOWGLI / NUT-TOO
RUCKSHER, Mowgli‘s wolf-mother
CUB 1 of Rucksher and the adult CUB 1
CUB 2 of Rucksher and the adult CUB 2
AKAYLA, the Head Wolf of the Seeonee Pack, husband to Rucksher
WOLF MOTHER 2
CUB 3 (Wolf Mother 2‘s cub) and the adult CUB 3
BALOO, the bear and teacher of The Law
BAGEERA, the Black Panther
KAA, the python ( A 16‘ long rod puppet manipulated & voiced by three women. They could also
double as wolves 3, 8 & 9)
CHEEL, the hawk (A puppet swung from a long curved pole, voiced by the fully visible manipulator.
Can be doubled with Mowgli‘s Mother.)
MANG, the bat (a rigged puppet that swoops across the stage once)
SHERE KHAN, the rogue tiger
TABARKEE, the jackal, lackey to Shere Khan
WOLF 7 (can double with Kaa articulation)
WOLF 8 (can double with Kaa articulation)
WOLF 9 (can double with Kaa articulation)
HIC
Monkey (can double with Wolf mother 2)
HIKE
Monkey (can double with Cub 1)
HOKE Monkey (can double with Cub 2)
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AT RISE:
The lights slowly fade down to the jungle‘s dark, mottled night with its
auditory cacophony. The black silhouette of BAGEERA bounds on and
she expectantly positions herself on a rock. )
SHERE KHAN
(The actor‘s voice, but amplified and from off stage)
Rooaarrrah!
MOWGLI’S MOTHER
(Screams. She runs through the jungle searching for Nut-too. She is observed by BAGEERA, who then
bounds off in the direction from which the mother came)
NUT-TOO! MY SON! Nut-toooo? Did he get you? Nut-too…where are you? Nooo!
(She exits. A bold, primal beat swells and the lights fade to a bold nighttime jungle for CHEEL‘S
opening.)
CHEEL
(Flying above)
Kee Kee Kee Keeeee!
Now Cheel the hawk brings home the night
Brings home the night,
That Mang the Bat sets free free free
(Bats fly above.)
That Mang the Bat sets free
Kee kee keeee!
(CHEEL exits as BAGEERA, WOLVES and BALOO enter.)
BAGEERA & WOLVES & BALOO
The herds are shut in byre and hut
For loosed till dawn are we.
For loosed till dawn are we!
The herds are shut in byre and hut
For loosed till dawn are we.
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For loosed till dawn are we!
BAGEERA
This is the hour of pride and power
Of talon and tooth and claw!
ALL
Of talon and tooth and claw!
BAGEERA
Oh hear the call! Good hunting all that keep the jungle law!
ALL
That keep the jungle law!
AKAYLA
If ye kill before midnight, be silent,
ALL
And wake not the woods with your bay,
AKAYLA
Lest ye frighten the deer from the crops,
ALL
And the brothers go empty away.
AKAYLA
Ye may kill for yourselves, and your mates, and your cubs as they need, and ye can;
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ALL
But kill not for pleasure of killing,
AKAYLA
and seven times never kill Man
ALL
and seven times never kill Man!
(The jungle folk start to exit.)
AKAYLA
Seven times never kill man!
(The moonlight brightens as the two wolf CUBS tumble on followed by their proud mother
RUCKSHER.)
RUCKSHER
(Stretching)
Augrrr-err-err-ah. It is time to hunt again.
(TABARKEE enters)
TABARKEE
(Whining)
Good luck go with you, oh Mother of the Great Wolf‘s cubs. And strong white teeth go with the noble offspring
that they may not forget the hungry in this world.
RUCKSHER
There is no food here.
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TABARKEE
For a wolf, no, but for so mean a beast as Tabarkee the Jackal a dry bone is a good feast.
RUCKSHER
Enter, then, and look.
TABARKEE
(Finding a dry bone)
Aaah. Thanks for this good meal. How beautiful are the noble children! How large their eyes!
RUCKSHER
Shhh—thou knowest it is unlucky to compliment cubs in their presence!
TABARKEE
Oh, I know.
RUCKSHER
Now thou must leave.
TABARKEE
Shere Khan, the Big One, will hunt among these hills for the next moon, so he has told me, Tabarkee the
Jackal.
RUCKSHER
He has no right! By the Law of the Jungle he has no right to change his quarters without due warning.
TABARKEE
So what?
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RUCKSHER
He kills the villager‘s cattle, and, and he steals away the village children at night! The villagers will scour the
jungle for him, they will drive us all into a shooting circle with gongs, and rockets, and, and the red flower.
Indeed I am very grateful to Shere Khan.
TABARKEE
Shall I tell him of your gratitude?
RUCKSHER
Out! Out and hunt with thy master. Thou hast done harm enough for one night.
(SHERE KHAN roars off stage)
TABARKEE
Ha! Hear Shere Khan stalking his pray!
(As he exits.)
He promised me ankle bones! Yum!
CUB 2
Grrrrrrr.
CUB 1
I am scared.
RUCKSHER
My cubs, fear not. Am I not Rucksher, thy mother?
SHERE KHAN
(Still off stage)
Rooaarrrah!
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MOWGLI’S MOTHER
(Screams off stage)
NUT-TOO! MY SON ! DID HE GET YOU? NUT-TOO, WHERE ARE YOU? NOOO!
SHERE KHAN
(Off stage)
Owwwww! Ahhhhh! Ouch Hot Hot Hot Ahhhhh.
RUCKSHER
Ha. Shere Khan, ―the great tiger.‖ He has missed. The fool has had no more sense than to jump at the
woodcutter‘s campfire, and he has burned his feet.
WOLF CUB 1
Mother, Something is coming!
WOLF CUB 2
(Attempting to attack the approaching threat)
Grrrrr-raaaool!
RUCKSHER
Get back! Lie low!
(She prepares herself to pounce on one side of a rock while baby MOWGLI craws up its opposite side
to the top. RUCKSHER leaps with a loud growl, but stops short, transfixed by MOWGLI‘s playful stare.)
Man! A man‘s cub! Look, children!
CUB 1
Is that a man‘s cub?
CUB 2
I have never seen one. Bring it here, Mother, please.
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MOWGLI
Ha, ha!
(He presses his nose against RUCKSHER's, and she drops her eyes; she cannot maintain his gaze.)
RUCKSHER
How bold—how little!
CUB 2
Pleease, Mother?
(MOWGLI crawls past RUCKSHER and is welcomed by the CUBS.)
CUB 1
Here, have my bone.
CUB 2
Hey!
(There is a brief tug-of-war, but MOWGLI locks eyes with CUB 2 and he willingly yields.)
Alright, sure, please do.
RUCKSHER
Ahai! He is playing with the bone like the others.
MOWGLI
Smack, yum, ha ha.
(He playfully paws his new siblings)
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RUCKSHER
Ho, ho, he is not afraid! Now, was there ever a wolf that could boast of a man‘s cub among her children?
CUBS 1&2
Can he stay, Mother?
RUCKSHER
I have heard now and again of such a thing, but never in our Pack or in my time.
CUBS 1 & 2
Pleeeese?
(TABARKEE enters, followed by SHERE KHAN)
TABARKEE
My lord, my lord it went in here!
RUCKSHER
Shere Khan does us great honor. What does Shere Khan need?
SHERE KHAN
My quarry. Ouch! Ooo. A man‘s cub went this way. Its parents have run off. Give it to me.
RUCKSHER
The Wolves are a free people. They take orders from Akayka, my husband, the Leader of the Pack – and not
from any striped cattle-killing man-cub chaser.
SHERE KHAN
Ye choose and ye do not choose! What talk is this of choosing? By the cow that I killed, am I to stand nosing
into your dog‘s den for my fair dues? Ha!
(He kicks TABARKEE out from under foot)
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It is I, Shere Khan, who speaks! ARRRAHR!
RUCKSHER
And it is I, RUCKSHER, KNOWN AS THE DEMON WOLF, WHO ANSWERS! The man‘s cub is mine! Mine to
me! He shall not be killed. He shall live to run with the Pack and to hunt with the Pack; and in the end, look
you, hunter of little man-cubs, cow killer, frog-eater—he shall hunt thee! Now get hence, by the Sambhur that I
killed, back thou goest to thy mother, burned beast of the jungle! GO!
SHERE KHAN
Each dog barks in his own yard! We will see what the Pack will say to this fostering of Man-cubs.
MOWGLI
Ha ha!
SHERE KHAN
The cub is mine, and to my teeth he will come in the end, O bush-tailed thieves!
(Exiting with TABARKEE at his heels.)
Ooo. Oww… oww…aah…
(RUCKSHER collapses among her cubs and MOWGLI)
MOWGLI
Ha, ha, ha.
CUB 2
Whoa, Mother! You are fierce!
CUB 1
He is a liar…isn‘t he?
(MOWGLI offers RUCKSHER a dog-like gesture that comes off as a high five.)
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RUCKSHER
Shere Kahn speaks this much truth. Thou, man-cub, like you both, must be shown to the pack.
CUB 2
But we can keep him?
(MOWGLI nestles among them)
RUCKSHER
Assuredly I will keep him. Lie still, little frog. O thou Mowgli—for Mowgli the Frog I will call thee—the time will
come when thou wilt hunt Shere Khan as he has hunted thee.
(The wolf den lights fades and a fire in a pit flares up with MOWGLI‘S MOTHER sitting by it. Unseen by
MOWGLI‘S MOTHER, BAGEERA is watching over her. Perhaps the first impression is that she has
sinister intent.)
MOWGLI’S MOTHER
(She pokes at the fire, then she starts and stands.)
Who calls? Nut-too? Nut-too my son, I come to the edge of the jungle each night for you. By the unseen eyes
that watch me, I believe you are …are…alive.
(The light fades on MOWGLI‘S MOTHER and up on Council Rock. AKAYLA enters, runs and jumps on
council rock. He howls. Rest of WOLF PACK enters as they howl in response, the CUBS yip.)
AKAYLA
Hear ye, hear ye. I am Akayla, the Leader of the Pack, husband to Rucksher. It is the time of the full moon.
(He howls and the rest join)
The Pack Council is assembled. Mothers all, it is time for ye to introduce your new cubs to elders of the pack.
Let them gather in the center of Council Rock.
RUCKSHER
In you go!
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(She sends her two cubs into the center)
MOTHER 2
The pack wants to meet thee, my cubby, go, go.
(CUB 3 whines and clings to his/her mother)
MOTHER 2
They are just going to touch thy nose. And ye can play with the others.
CUB 2
Come on in.
CUB 3
Hello.
CUBS 1 & 2
Hello, hello.
AKAYLA
Ye know the Law—ye know the Law. Look well, O Wolves. Know thy own and give them the protection of the
Pack.
(Each adult wolf present in turn sniffs noses with each of the cubs, then they retire. Then AKAYLA
nudges the cubs off council rock and RUCKSHER nudges MOWGLI on the rock.)
AKAYLA
Ye know the Law. Look well, O Wolves.
SHERE KHAN
(As he enters)
Arrrrah! That cub is mine. Give him to me. What have the Free People to do with a man‘s cub?
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AKAYLA
Look well, O Wolves: what have the Free People to do with the orders of any save the Free People? Look
well!
RUCKSHER, WOLF MOTHER 2 & CUBS
WOLVES 7-9
(Barks & yaps of agreement)
(Growls of disagreement)
WOLF 9
What have the Free People to do with a man‘s cub?
AKAYLA
SILENCE! Who speaks for this cub?
(WOLVES look at one another, but no response. The WOLVES close in to study MOWGLI, and he
stares each of them in the eyes in turn, and each has to glance down and back away, some growling.
RUCKSHER readies to fight, but AKAYLA gestures restraint to her.)
Among the Free People, who speaks for the man-cub?
BALOO
Ummah? Man cub? The man‘s cub? I speak for the man‘s cub.
AKAYLA
State your reason, Baloo.
BALOO
There is no harm in a man‘s cub. I have no gift of words, but I speak the truth. Let him run with the Pack, and
be entered with the others. I, Baloo the Bear, will teach him.
AKAYLA
We need yet another. Baloo has spoken, and he is our teacher for the young cubs. Who speaks besides
Baloo?
(BAGEERA leaps on stage.)
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BAGEERA
O Akayla, and ye the Free People. I have no right in your assembly, but the Law of the Jungle says that if
there is a doubt of acceptance regarding a new cub, then the acceptance of that cub may be gained for a blood
price.
AKAYLA
Bageera the Black Panther speaks true.
BAGEERA
And the Law does not say who may or may not pay that price. Am I right?
(The WOLVES stir, not sure where BAGEERA is going)
WOLF MOTHER 2
WOLF 9
Good, good.
What is she saying?
WOLF MOTHER 2
Listen to Bageera.
WOLF 8
The cub can be bought for a price.
WOLF MOTHER 2
It is the Law!
AKAYLA
Yes, it is the Law.
BAGEERA
Knowing that I have no right to speak here, I ask your leave.
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WOLF 7
Speak then!
WOLVES 8, 9, WOLF MOTHER 2 & RUCKSHER
Speak!, Speak!
(AKAYLA yields council rock to BAGEERA.)
BAGEERA
To kill a lone cub is a shame. Baloo has spoken on his behalf. Now to Baloo‘s word I will add one bull, and a
fat one, newly killed, not half a mile from here, if ye will accept the man‘s cub according to the Law. Is it
difficult?
WOLF MOTHER 2
What harm can a lone frog do us?
WOLF 8
What‘s the matter? He will die in the winter rains.
WOLF 9
He will scorch in the sun.
WOLVES 8
Let him run with the Pack.
WOLF MOTHER 2
Where is the bull, Bageera?
ALL WOLVES
Where? Where?
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WOLF MOTHER 2
Let him be accepted!
(BAGEERA yields council rock back to AKAYLA.)
AKAYLA
Hear ye, hear ye, look well---look well, O Wolves!
(As each wolf sniffs MOWGLI‘S nose; he looks them in the eyes and each in turn must look away.
Wolves 7 through 10 push though first.)
AKAYLA
(While nose-touching is going on)
Look well—look well, O Wolves; ye know the law!
WOLF MOTHER 2
Now which way to the bull, Bageera?
WOLVES 8, 9,
WOLF MOTHER 2
(Eager yips and whines)
Which way?
(BAGEERA points and the WOLVES race off.)
SHERE KHAN
He is mine! Rooaarah!
AKAYLA
Ye know the law!
SHERE KHAN
(Entering)
Rooaarrah!
18
(He lunges at MOWGLI but immediately retreats off, roaring, when faced with the combined front of
MOWGLI‘s defenders.)
BAGEERA
Aye, roar well, for the time will come when this man cub will make thee roar to another tune, or I know nothing
of man.
AKAYLA
It was well done. Men and their cubs are very wise. He may be a help in time.
BALOO
No one can hope to lead the Pack forever.
AKAYLA
The Law states when the Leader‘s strength ebbs he can be challenged by a stronger wolf, and IF he succeed,
he may the kill old leader—the Dead Wolf—ha!
BAGEERA
Thy man-cub will not be a cub for long. Truly he will be a help in time of need.
AKAYLA
Rucksher, my wife, and good mother to our cubs, turn the man cub over to Baloo, so he can train him as befits
one of the Free People.
(The lights black out on Council Rock followed by a flash of lightening and a crash of thunder and the
sound of rain. Another flash reveals MOWGLI‘S MOTHER, dripping wet, holding a fire pot for warmth.
Again, BAGEERA stands guard. She stands shivering then turns to leave, pauses and calls out with a
weak hope.)
MOWGLI’S MOTHER
Nut-too… 10 years…10 long years…I am losing hope.
(With the low rumble of thunder, her light fades and a sunny day in the jungle floods the stage. BALOO
is teaching the Law to MOWLGLI.)
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MOWGLI
―Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.‖
BALOO
That is perfect, little brother.
MOWGLI
I do not want to die.
BALOO
Ho, ho, nor do I. That is why I know the Law. The Law is like, is like…
―Like the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back—
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.‖
Now repeat.
MOWGLI
I do not know it yet.
BALOO
Try it.
MOWGLI
But I have learned so much today, my head is bursting and my bottom is tender.
(Whining.)
I know all the Master Words…
BALOO
Thou art a man-cub and more than any other, ye need to learn all the Law of the Jungle.
20
MOWGLI
All right, but if ye give me one more of thy ―memory pats,‖ I will run away.
BALOO
Recite the verse, Mowgli.
MOWGLI
The Law runneth forward and back—For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is
the Pack.
BALOO
Bend over, ye forgot the ―Like the creeper that girdles the…‖ Mowgli! Come back here!
(MOWGLI runs out of striking distance. BAGEERA enters)
BALOO (continued)
Bageera!
BAGEERA
Why has thy pupil fled?
BALOO
He has learned so much, but he flees the discipline.
BAGEERA
But think how small he is.
BALOO
You would have me spoil the Man Cub if ye had thy way.
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BAGEERA
How can his little head carry all thy long talk?
BALOO
Is there anything in the jungle too little to be killed? No. That is why I teach him these things, and that is why I
pat him very softly, when he forgets.
BAGEERA
Call Mowgli and let him show off the fruit of thy discipline--if he will come to thee.
BALOO
Come, Little Brother.
MOWGLI
My butt is stinging like bee stings. I come for Bageera and not for thee, fat old Baloo!
BALOO
That is all the same to me…Tell Bageera then the Master Words of the Jungle that I have taught thee this day.
MOWGLI
(More brightly, ready to show off)
Master Words for which people? The Jungle has many tongues, and I know them all.
BALOO
A little thou knowest, but not much. Say the words for the Hunting-People, then—great scholar.
MOWGLI
(Mimicking BALOO‘S voice)
We be of one blood, ye and I.
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BALOO
Good. Now for the birds.
MOWGLI
We be of one blood, ye and I -- Kee kee!
BALOO
Now for the Snake-People.
(MOWGLI responds by stalking BAGEERA, making hisses punctuated with rattles and spitting noises
and pounces upon the approving BAGEERA. He drums his hands on BAGEERA's side while making
the worst faces he can at BALOO)
BALOO
(Tenderly)
There—there! That was worth a little discipline. See, o Bageera, they never thank their teacher. Not one
small wolfling has ever come back to thank old Baloo for his teachings. Some day thou wilt remember me. He
is now reasonably safe against all accidents from others in the jungle, Bageera, —no one then is to be feared.
BAGEERA
Except for his own Pack. Have care for my ribs, Little Brother! What is all this pummeling about?
MOWGLI
And I shall have a pack of my own, and lead them through the branches all day long!
BAGEERA
What is this new folly, little dreamer of dreams?
MOWGLI
Yes, and throw branches and dirt at old Baloo. They have promised me this. Ha!
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BALOO
Mowgli, thou hast been talking with the Bunder-log—the Monkey People.
BAGEERA
Thou hast been with the Monkey People, the people without The Law—that is great shame.
MOWGLI
When Baloo hurt my butt, I went away and the monkeys came down from the trees and had pity on me. No
one else cared.
BALOO
(Snorting)
The pity of the Monkey People! Are black birds white? Are white birds black?
BAGEERA
And then, Man-cub?
MOWGLI
And then…and then, they gave me nuts and tasty things to eat, and they—and they carried me in their arms up
to the top of the trees and said I was their blood brother except that I had no tail, and, and, that I should be
their leader some day!
BAGEERA
They have no leader. They lie. They have always lied.
(Some monkeys might be seen eavesdropping)
BALOO
Listen, Man-Cub. I have taught thee all the Law of the Jungle for all the peoples of the jungle—except the
Bunder-log who live in the trees. They have no law. They are outcasts. They have no speech of their own,
but use the stolen words which they overhear when they listen and spy.
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BAGEERA
Their way is not our way.
BALOO
They are without leaders. They boast and chatter and pretend that they are a great people
BAGEERA
They puff themselves up at others' expense.
BALOO
We of the jungle have no dealings with them. We do not drink where the monkeys drink; we do not go where
the monkeys go; we do not hunt where they hunt, we do not die where they die. Hast thou ever heard me
speak of the Bunder-log till today?
MOWGLI
(Contrite)
No.
BAGEERA
The Bunder-log are evil, dirty, shameless and they have only one fixed desire, to be puffed up--they want to be
noticed by us Jungle People. But we do not notice them even when they throw nuts and branches on our
heads.
(A shower of nuts and twigs spatter down around the three. HIC, HIKE, and HOKE howl and screech
and bang on the tree trunks and whatever other rude noise they can make)
BALOO
The Monkey People are forbidden to the Jungle People. Remember.
MOWGLI
I will.
BALOO
Come.
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(They cross to another part of the stage. HIC, HIKE and HOKE become silent, but continue to spy on
the three below.)
BAGEERA
I think Baloo should have warned thee against the Bunder-log.
BALOO
I…I? How was I to guess he would play with such dirt? The Monkey People, the Bunder-log! Faugh!
MOWGLI
I did not know, Baloo, my stomach hurts, I am sorry.
BALOO
(BALOO opens his arms and MOWGLI flies into them)
There, there, my little frog.
BAGEERA
(Stretching lazily)
Thou knowest this part of the Law, you two? ―Wash daily from nose-tip to tail –tip: drink deeply, but never too
deep‖
(She takes a draft from an imaginary pool.)
Ahhh. ―And remember the night is for hunting, and forget not the day is for sleep‖
MOWGLI
The Law is good.
(He yawns.)
BAGEERA
Lay down between us, Little Brother. Ye will be safe there.
MOWGLI
(Leisurely nestling against BAGEERA, as BALOO lays down next to him)
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Good sleeping, Bageera. Good sleeping, Baloo
BAGEERA & BALOO
Good sleeping, Little Brother.
(Above the sleeping trio, HIC, HIKE AND HOKE whisper conspiratorially, clearly up to no good and are
delighting in it. HIC pushes HIKE and HIKE swings down to the sleeping trio. HIC then signals HIKE to
tip-toe to MOWGLI, BAGEERA, and BALOO. HIC and HOKE continue to urge HIKE on from their
roost. All act like silly kids thrilled at their own boldness.)
HIC
(Whispering loudly)
Grab him and bring him up.
(HIKE reaches to grab BALOO)
HIC
No, no, no! The Man-Cub!
(HIKE picks up MOWGLI's foot, then tries an arm, but MOWGLI is too heavy. HIKE motions frantically
for help. HIC pushes HOKE off the perch and HIKE and HOKE begin to tiptoe toward the sleeping trio.
BAGEERA begins to move like a sleeping dog dreaming of pursuing its game. HIKE and HOKE grab
each other in fear, sure they are about to be eaten. BAGEERA's movement dies down and HIKE and
HOKE insist that HIC join them. HIC descends and joins HIKE and HOKE, as they approach the
sleeping trio with more confidence, there are a number of adlibbed complications. For example:
BALOO snorts in his sleep and rolls over snagging a monkey under his arm. Finally HIKE and HOKE
grab Mowgli by the hands and feet and lift him over his friends and begin running to the nearest
rope/vine. HIC runs ahead to align the ropes for the flight.)
MOWGLI
What is going on? Put me down!
HOKE
Whoo hooo! You are on a road trip!
27
HIKE
A tree road trip!
HIC
Of the Bunder-log!
MOWGLI
I do not want…what?...WHERE?
(HIKE and HOKE have clasped his hand onto the first of three ropes and HIKE, HOKE,
and MOWGLI swing in an arc across the stage moving from one rope to the next—giving
them a good head start on BALOO and BAGEERA.)
HOKE
Here we go in a flung festoon ha ha haa!
MOWGLI
Do not drop me!
HIC, HIKE, HOKE
Here we go in a flung festoon, half way up to the jealous moon! HAAA ha! He he!
BAGEERA
BALOO! WAKE UP!
BALOO
HUH? WHAT?
BAGEERA
AFTER THEM!
(She leaps up to the first swing point and attempts to swing on the rope but it slides though her claws.)
28
My claws can‘t grip so thin a vine. Roarrar! Put the Man-Cub down, Bunder-Log!
HIC
Bageera has noticed us! Ha ha!
HIKE
See our skill!
HOKE
See our cunning!
(BAGEERA and BALOO roar in rage)
HIC, HIKE, HOKE
See how clever we are!
(BAGEERA continues the pursuit while BALOO lags behind.)
BALOO
DO NOT HURT THE MAN-CUB!
HIC
HURT? HA HA!
HIKE & HOKE
Hurt our King? Ha ha ha!
(MONKEYS and MOWGLI exit.)
29
BAGEERA
Why didst thou not warn the Man-Cub?
BALOO
Haste! O Haste!—we may catch them yet!
(He lumbers after them, but BAGEERA yanks him back and sits him down)
BAGEERA
At that speed! It would not tire a wounded cow. Sit still and think! Make a plan.
BALOO
A plan, yes.
(But overwhelmed, he lunges in pursuit again!)
BAGEERA
This is no time for chasing! They may drop him if we follow too closely.
BALOO
Arrula! Whoo! They may have dropped him already, being tired of carrying him. Put dead bats on my head!
Give me black bones to eat for I am most miserable of bears! Arulala! Oh Mowgli, Mowgli! Why did I not warn
thee against the Bunder-log, instead of paddling thy butt? Now perhaps he will forget all the Master Words and
he will be alone at the mercy of the monkeys.
BAGEERA
(Impatiently)
At least he gave me all the words correctly a little time ago.
BALOO
Arulala!
30
BAGEERA
Baloo, thou hast neither memory nor respect! What would the jungle think if I, the Black Panther, curled myself
like you and howled?
BALOO
What do I care what the jungle thinks? He may be dead by now.
BAGEERA
THINK! Mowgli is in the power of the Bunder-log and because they live in the trees they have no fear of the
Jungle People.
BALOO
But the Law says ―To each his own fear‖.
BAGEERA
What do the Bunder-log fear?
BALOO
(Triumphantly)
They fear Kaa, the Python! He can climb as well as they can. He steals the young monkeys in the night. The
whisper of his name makes their wicked tails cold. Let us go to Kaa.
BAGEERA
What will he do for us? He is not of our tribe, being footless—and with most evil eyes.
BALOO
He is very old and very cunning. Above all, if he has slept off his last meal …
BAGEERA
IF?
31
BALOO
If he slept off his last meal he will be hungry, very hungry—promise him many goats.
BAGEERA
And if he wants to catch his own goats?
BALOO
Then, thee and I together, old hunter, might make him see reason. Come, I know where he dwells.
(They exit as the MONKEYS with MOWGLI enter. They have MOWGLI‘S hands tied to two vines so
they can rush ahead then pull MOWGLI to catch up with them like a sling shot and/or whip him around
in circles. It should be quite physical to emulate the sense of pell-mell hurtling through the trees.
HIC,HIKE and HOKE make lots of monkey noises and howls of laughter.)
CHEEL
(Entering from above)
Ahh, the Bunger-log are carrying something. Perhaps something good to eat?
(As she flies near, MOWGLI calls to her.)
MOWGLI
―We be of one blood, ye and I! Kee kee!‖
CHEEL
The Master Words! ―We be of one blood, ye and I! Kee kee!‖
MOWGLI
Mark my trail! Tell Baloo of the Seeonee Pack and Bageera of Council Rock!
CHEEL
In whose name, Brother?
32
MOWGLI
Mowgli, the Frog. Man-cub they call me! Mark my trail!
CHEEL
Kee kee!
(CHEEL flies off. MOWGLI and HIC, HIKE and HOKE all exit. The lighting takes on deep mottled
shadows of the bottom layer of the jungle and a low bass slithering music swells with KAA‘s entrance.
He hungrily inspects the audience as BAGEERA and BALOO enter.)
BAGEERA
Whew! He is awake.
BALOO
Therefore hungry.
BAGEERA
Be careful, Baloo! He is always a little blind after he has changed his skin, and very quick to strike.
BALOO
Good hunting!
KAA
Good hunting for us all. Ohoo, Baloo, what dost thou do here? Good hunting Bageera.
BAGEERA
Good hunting, Kaa.
KAA
One of us at least needs food. Is there any news of game afoot? A goat now or even a tender young sambhur
buck? I am as empty as a dried well.
33
BALOO
(Carelessly)
We are hunting.
KAA
Give me permission to come with you. I have to wait and wait for days over a wood-path or climb half the night
just for a young monkey. Sssshaw! The branches are not what they were when I was young.
BAGEERA
Maybe thy great weight has something to do with the matter.
KAA
I am a fair weight, a fair length. But for all that on my last hunt I came very near to falling because of a broken
limb, and the noise woke the Bunder-log and they called me most evil names.
BAGEERA
Footless, yellow earth-worm.
KAA
SSSS! Have they ever called me that?
BAGEERA
(Sweetly)
Something of that kind it was that they shouted to us last moon, but we never noticed them. They will say
anything—even that thou hast lost all thy teeth, and wilt not face anything bigger than a kid goat because—
they are indeed shameless, these Bunder-log—because thou art afraid of the he-goat‘s… horns.
KAA
Hasssssssss…!
(She speaks more quietly)
The Bunder-log have shifted their grounds. When I came up into the sun today I heard them whooping among
the tree-tops.
34
BALOO
(Shamefully)
It…It is the Bunder-log that we follow now.
KAA
Beyond doubt then it is no small thing that takes two such hunters—leaders in their own jungle I am certain—to
admit being on the trail of the Bunder-log.
BALOO
Indeed. I am no more than the old and sometimes very foolish Teacher of the Law and Bageera here…
BAGEERA
Is Bageera. The trouble is this, Kaa. Those jabbering hangers-from-trees have stolen away our man-cub of
whom thou hast perhaps heard.
KAA
I heard some news of this, but did not count it for much.
BALOO
But it is true. He is such a man-cub as never was. The best and wisest and boldest of man-cubs—my own
pupil—who shall make the name of Baloo famous through all the jungles, and besides, I—we—love him, Kaa.
KAA
Ts! Ts! I also have known what love is. There are tales I could tell…
BAGEERA
…that need a clear night when we are all well fed to praise properly.
BALOO
Our man-cub is in the hands of the Bunder-log now and we know that of all the Jungle-People they fear Kaa
alone.
35
KAA
They fear me alone. They have good reason. They called me also—―yellow fish‖ was it not?
BAGEERA
Worm, worm…earth worm, as well as other things which I cannot now say for shame.
KAA
We must remind them to speak well of their master. Aaa-ssp! We must help their wandering memories. Now
whither went they with the man-cub?
BALOO
The jungle alone knows.
BAGEERA
We thought that thou wouldst know, Kaa.
KAA
I? How? I take them when they come in my way, but I do not hunt the Bunder-log, or frogs—or green scum on
a water hole, for that matter.
CHEEL
(Flying above)
Up, Up! Up, Up! Look, look up, Baloo of the Seeonee Wolf Pack!
BALOO
What is it?
CHEEL
I have seen Mowgli among the Bunder-log. He bade me tell you. I watched. The Bunder-log have taken him
beyond the river. That is my message. Good hunting, all you below!
36
BAGEERA
Full gorge and a deep sleep to you, Cheel. I will remember thee in my next kill, and put aside the head for thee
alone, O best of hawks!
CHEEL
It is nothing. The boy held the Master Words. I could have done no less. Kee, Kee.
(CHEEL flies off)
BALOO
To think of one so young remembering the Master Words for the birds, too, while he was being pulled across
trees!
BAGEERA
Baloo, your stern discipline may save his life yet. We must make hast.
KAA
It is half a night‘s journey—at full speed.
BALOO
I will go as fast as I can.
BAGEERA
We dare not wait for thee. Follow, Baloo. We must go on the quick-foot—Kaa and I.
(They start off)
KAA
Feet or not feet, I can keep abreast of all thy four.
37
BAGEERA
Come. ..By the Broken Lock that freed me, Thou art no slow goer!
KAA
(As she exits)
I am hungry, besides, they called me speckled frog
BAGEERA
Worm—earth-worm, and yellow to boot.
(A winded BALOO follows them off as the lights change to across the river)
HIC
(From off stage)
Woo Hoo!
HIKE
Come on, come on, come on!
HOKE
Make way for our king!
HIC
(Slapping MOWGLI on the back to thrust him on stage)
King!
MOWGLI
Aff!
38
HIKE
(Dancing on and bowing down to MOWGLI)
King!
HOKE
Kingy-
HIC
That‘s it, King, Kingy!
HIKE
(Singing and motioning for HIC and HOKE to join in)
King Kingy, King Kingy…
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
King Kingy, King Kingy, King King Karoo…
MOWGLI
Ha haa! A real king!
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
(HIKE mock conducting the other two)
You think you are great, but now you are poo!
(HIC, HIKE, and HOKE burst into laughter.)
MOWGLI
That‘s not funny!
39
HIC
Yes it is!
HIKE
Funny, funny, funny!
HOKE
Funny…
MOWGLI
Am I your king or not?
(MOWGLI looks at each one in turn)
Am I? Am I? Am I?
(HIC, HIKE, and HOKE each reply with a bow bigger and more ludicrous than the last)
MOWGLI
That‘s better. Your king is hungry. I wish to eat.
HIKE
Food for our King!
HOKE
(As if being passed down a chain of command)
Food for our King!
HIC
Food for our King-Kingy!
HIC
40
Mangos!
HIKE
Paw Paws!
HOKE
Gooshy- gooshy guavas!
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
(Beginning an energetic march chant)
Food, food, food, food,
Food, food, food, food,
Food, food, food, food, FOOD!
(HIC, HIKE, and HOKE's chant then becomes a frenetic, mad-cap, drill routine of fetching & passing
about the food.)
HIC
From the Super Chef to the..
HIKE
…Sous Chef; the Sous Chef to the…
HOKE
…Soup Chef; the Soup Chef to the…
HIC
…Salad Chef; the Salad Chef to the…
HIKE
…Sushi Chef!
41
HIC,HIKE & HOKE
MANGOS! PAW PAWS! GOOSHY GOOSHY GUAVAS!
HOKE
From the Sushi Chef
HIKE
To the Head Waiter
HIC
To the Hick Waiter
HIKE
Hike it to the waiting waiter
HOKE
Then the Hokey-Pokey Waiter
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
One fruit in, One fruit out, One fruit in, and you shake them all about, all about, all about !
HIKE
MANGOS!
HIC
PAW PAWS!
HOKE
GOOSHY GOOSHY GUAVAS!
42
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
And you shake them all about, all about, all about!
HIKE
Marvelous mangos for my mighty king!
MOWGLI
Thank you Hoke.
HIKE
I‘m Hic.
MOWGLI
Oh, I‘m sorry Hic.
HIKE
No I‘m not! I‘m Hike! Got you! Ha, ha, ha!
MOWGLI
But…
HIC
(Quickly stepping forward)
Perfectly palatable paw paws for our King!
(HIC drops to his knees to offer the food)
MOWGLI
Thank you, er, ah Hic? Hike, no… Hoke?
43
HIC
Hic
MOWGLI
Hic, up...
(HIC hiccups and they all laugh)
MOWGLI (continued)
That was really funny!
(HIC bows out and HOKE steps forward)
HOKE
Guavas for the king-kingy, king kingy, king king ka-roh.
MOWGLI
Well, serve them up.
HOKE
Up, up they go!
(HOKE tosses one up high for MOWGLI to catch, but then in rapid succession he throws more up so
that MOWGLI is frantically racing about trying to catch them.)
MOWGLI
No, stop! Slow down! They will bruise; split open…they be ruined!
(The MONKEYS have picked up the scattered fruit and are tossing them to each other playing keepaway. MOWGLI sits down in a huff of anger and exhaustion)
44
MOWGLI
This is no longer fun! Toss them TO ME!
(The MONKEYS, each with several guavas, pelt MOWGLI.)
HOKE
Sure!
HIKE
Why not?
HIC
To the king!
MOWGLI
Aaarh! Bunder-log! That‘s NOT funny! And I‘m not your king! I am going to hunt my own food! Good bye!
(He attempts to storm off.)
HIC
Don‘t leave!
(MOWGLI shoves past him)
HIKE
Don‘t leave!
(MOWGLI shoves past him too while gaining momentum)
HOKE
45
Don‘t…
(He ducks down on all fours so that MOWGLI tumbles over him)
…leave!
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
(Joining hands and, circling around MOWGLI, contritely herding him back on)
We‘re sorry for the rough, we‘re sorry for the tough, we‘re sorry for the tumble.
HIC
This was…was..our…our…
HIKE
Initiation!
HOKE
Initiation to show you…
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
(Locking arms and swaying like a repentant paper doll chain, as KAA and BAGEERA enter unnoticed)
There is no one in the jungle so funny, so clever, so wise and so gentle as the Bunder-log.
MOWGLI
I am not so sure of that.
HIC
You are our king.
HIKE
Our king, and king over the jungle!
46
HOKE
King over bumbling bears and kitty-cats,
BAGEERA
RAA-ER!
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
King over all the jungle!
MOWGLI
And you really want me to be your king?
BAGEERA
(Preparing to spring)
Liars!
KAA
Wait! We need Baloo.
HIC
(Fawning, seriously)
Your highness, we lack but the official ceremony.
HIKE
We have your high throne prepared for you .
HOKE
Once you are up there, you will be king.
47
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
You will be the king over all the jungle!
MOWGLI
I want to see this throne!
BALOO
(Entering breathlessly)
Throne, what throne?
KAA & BAGEERA
Shhhh!
KAA
When they get distracted showing the throne, we will attack.
BALOO
Ah, the old diversion technique.
KAA & BAGEERA
SHHH!
(Meanwhile HIC has led MOWGLI to a spot while the other two have gone to release a vine which
lowers the throne—a vine with couple of loops in it.)
HIC
The high throne of the Jungle!
MOWGLI
It looks like a vine.
48
HIC
Have you ever seen a throne before?
MOWGLI
Well, no…
HIC
We are the Bunder-log! We will rule the jungle from the trees and vines, we have a high throne that suits us,
and suits you, oh King. You shall be raised up on high over all of us!
MOWGLI
I, Mowgli will be King!
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
KING! You will be KING OVER THE JUNGLE!
BAGEERA
Now!
KAA
NO! They are too alert!
MOWGLI
Show me how it works!
HIC
(Elaborately bowing in slow motion)
Yes, Oh King.
MOWGLI
Hurry up!
49
HIC
Just step a leg through here,
HIKE & HOKE
N-i-ce… and… another through here…N-i-ce…
HIC
and…
HIKE & HOKE
And…
MOWGLI
and?
HIC
You don‘t have to do anything!
(HIC gives an ―up‖ flourish to HIKE and HOKE and they raise MOWGLI five or so feet off the floor.)
MOWGLI
Wow! I am floating like a cloud!
(HIC, HIKE, and HOKE are stifling their laughter.)
See! I‘m walking on air!
HIC HIKE & HOKE
You are, you are!
MOWGLI
There is no one in the jungle so wise, and good and clever and strong as I, not even you!
50
HIC
Heh, heh, heh, oh, man-kingy? If you‘re so clever and strong, and wise, try to get down!
MOWGLI
How dare you…
(He begins to struggle)
These loops are hurting my thighs! My legs are going to sleep!
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
Lullaby kingy in the tree tops…
MOWGLI
Put me down! NOW!
HIC
Our man kingy is mad!
HIKE & HOKE
Mad, mad, mad!
MOWGLI
Help, help, HELP!
(Calling to the open jungle)
WE BE OF ONE BLOOD, YE AND I ! HELP MEEE!
(HIC, HIKE & HOKE hang on to the purchase-rope, laughing and dancing as if around a maypole.)
KAA
Ye two attack the monkeys and get the rope so he does not fall…
51
BALOO
Right!
BAGEERA
And you?
KAA
You will see. Good hunting.
BALOO & BAGEERA
Good hunting all.
MOWGLI
PUT ME DOWN! OR I WILL...WILL…
HIC, HIKE, HOKE
YOU WILL SHOW US THAT EVEN MAN CANNOT OUTWIT THE BUNDER-LOG!
HOKE
YOU WILL HANG THERE FOR ALL TO SEE--
KAA
NOW!
(BAGEERA & BALOO rush the three monkeys at the purchase rope, roaring and bellowing as KAA
slithers over to just the far side of the dangling MOWGLI)
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
(Jumping)
Ahhhh!
52
HIC
Look out!
HIKE
I‘m getting out of here!
(HIKE runs but forgets to release the rope and it jerks him back)
HOKE
(Taking the rope)
I got it!
HIC
It‘s just two of them! Ha! Ha!
(There commences a race around the circle of the purchase rope, the MONKEYS passing it back and
forth among them and teasing BAGEERA and BALOO with it while BAGEERA and BALOO alternately
try to grab either a monkey or the rope while they roar and bellow.)
HIKE
Yea yea yeeeaa yea!
HOKE
This is fun!
(Sweet, soft, snake charmer-flute music fades up and KAA rears up and noses MOWGLI so that he
swings side to side in rhythm with the music. KAA sways as well. The MONKEYS, BALOO, and
BAGEERA slow to slip into a trance, swaying in rhythm with KAA and MOWGLI. MOWGLI is
unaffected by the hypnosis.)
MOWGLI
Kaa, what are you doing?
53
KAA
Shhh, little brother. Hold still.
(The babbling of the MONKEYS, BALOO, and BAGEERA quiets as the hypnosis takes effect.)
Bageera, Baloo, take hold of the vine.
(They obey mechanically.)
And hang on! Bunder-log, ye are in my power, answer ―yes, oh Master‖.
HIC, HIKE, HOKE
Yes, oh Master
KAA
Know now that Kaa loves thee. Answer.
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
Yes, oh Master.
KAA
Then hold hands and take a step toward thy dear Kaa.
HIC, HIKE, HOKE
Yes, Oh master.
KAA
Bageera, Baloo, lower ―the King of the Jungle‖ down to the ground—gently.
BAGEERA & BALOO
Yes, oh master.
KAA,
Go to thy friends, Mowgli!
54
MOWGLI
Baloo! Bageera!
(MOWGLI hugs BALOO and BAGEERA, and at his touch they awake from the trance)
My dear, faithful, friends!
BAGEERA
Do not let go of me…
BALOO
OR me.
BAGEERA
We will slip back under Kaa‘s spell.
KAA
Bunder-log. Hold hands in a tight circle.
HIC, HIKE & HOKE
Yes, oh master.
KAA
(Slithering over to monkeys)
Kaa loves her little monkeys. She invites you to dine with us.
(KAA begins to circle the MONKEYS and they rotate with her. BAGEERA and BALOO also begin to
rotate in place, but MOWGLI gives them a stern shake.)
MOWGLI
It is only old Kaa making circles on the dust!
55
BALOO
Look at him!
MOWGLI
Baloo! Bageera! Let us go.
KAA
(Rotating more tightly around the three monkeys and oozing them off stage)
Kaa just loves her little Bunder-logs who are so clever… she just wants to hug them…before dinner.
MOWGLI
Keep your eyes on me!
BALOO
(Shaking himself all over.)
Whoof! Never more will I make an ally of Kaa.
BAGEERA
She knows more than we. She will have good hunting.
(She shivers.)
After her own fashion.
MOWGLI
But what was the meaning of it all? I saw no more than a big snake making foolish circles—and, ha, ha!-- two
friends ready to walk down her throat if I had let them!
BAGEERA
Mowgli! Your friends have feared for you! Our love has cost us our honor! For remember, Mowgli, I who am
the Black Panther was forced to ask Kaa for help and Baloo and I were both made stupid as little birds by the
Hunger Trance! All this, man-cub, came of thy playing with the Bunder-log.
56
MOWGLI
True, it is true. I am an evil man-cub and my stomach is sad in me.
BAGEERA
Ff! What says the Law of the Jungle, Baloo?
BALOO
(Muttering sorrowfully)
Sorrow never stays punishment for willful disobedience.
BAGEERA
Mowgli, come here. Do you have anything to say?
MOWGLI
Nothing. I did wrong. Baloo and thou are wounded. Are…are you both going to punish me?
BALOO
Yes.
BAGEERA
NO!
BALOO
No?
BAGEERA
Nooo. For though you and I, good friend, are humiliated and dishonored, Mowgli did not willfully disobey you,
for you never warned him of the Bunder-log.
BALOO
No, I did not.
BAGEERA
What does the Law of the Jungle say about that?
57
BALOO
The Law says…AROOLA!
(Bending over)
beat me until my bottom is bare!
(BAGEERA and MOWGLI tackle BALOO, knocking him over in a great hug)
BAGEERA
You silly bear, you already have a ―bear‖ bottom!
(They roll about laughing and tickling BALOO until they‘re tired, then MOWGLI climbs on top of them
both and passionately hugs them.)
MOWGLI
(Giving a great sob)
Oh, thank you, dear, dear friends.
TABARKEE
(Entering)
I hesitate to interrupt such a touching moment.
BALOO
Tabarkee!
BAGEERA
How is it that Tabarkee found his way here so quickly?
TABARKEE
I thought I would witness the coronation of the ―high king of the Jungle‖.
MOWGLI
Ye knew what the Bunder-log were going to do?
58
(BAGEERA and BALOO step forward threateningly with deep throaty growls)
TABARKEE
Before you do anything rash, I come to deliver a summons to the ―King of the Jungle‖ to come to Council Rock.
MOWGLI
Only Akayla, head of my Pack, Leader of the Free People, my Father, has the authority to summon me.
TABARKEE
Akayla is not for long the ―Head Wolf,― but rather ―The Dead Wolf,‖ for he will not make the new challenge…
MOWGLI
Raahw! I will spin thee, spinner of tales!
(MOWGLI dodges around TABARKEE and grabs his tail whips him around in circles)
TABARKEE
…nothing rash! Not my tail! Whooooah! Let me finish….. My tail…. My tail Yiyyy-waaah! Ouch! What I
meant was…dizzy, DIZZY! Let goo…OOOOh! Yeekes!
(MOWGLI does release TABARKEE, but he continues to spin and stagger dizzily.)
My Master, ohhh, Shere Khan summons thee to….to… Council Rock!
MOWGLI
Ye dirt-licking, carrion-carcass eater, go back to your Master before I slam thee against a tree!
(MOWGLI spins TABARKEE by his tail again then releases him so he careens towards an exit)
TABARKEE
Yee…. be sorr-eeee…. My Master will eat thee at last …and I will have thy ankle bones…he promised them to
meeee….
59
(TABARKEE exits.)
BAGEERA
Ho, ho! Tabarkee the spinner of tales, thy tail has spun thee this time!
BALOO
Ye should not have done that, Mowgli.
MOWGLI
Why not?
BALOO
The Law says ―Learn more than thy enemy intends ye to learn
His will and his plan are for thee to discern.‖
BAGEERA
Baloo is right, Mowgli. For though Tabarkee is a mischief-maker, he would have told thee of something that
concerned thee closely.
BALOO
Did you not hear Tabarkee say ―Akayla is not for long the ―Head Wolf,― but rather ‗The Dead Wolf‖…?
MOWGLI
Yes, I heard that with my eyes, they saw red.
BALOO
And what else did he say?
MOWGLI
―My tail…. My tail Yiyyy-waaah! ― Ha ha!
60
BAGEERA
(Sternly)
―…His will and his plan are for thee to discern.‖
BALOO
He also said ―Akayla is not for long the ―Head Wolf,― but rather ‗The Dead Wolf‖ for he will not make the new
challenge…
BAGEERA
There is an evil plan afoot. Baloo, make haste to rally the Free People who uphold Akayla, Rucksher and, and
Mowgli. Though they be few, get them to the Council Rock post haste!
MOWGLI
By the bull that bought me, I will go with thee, Baloo.
BAGEERA
No, you must stay with me…
MOWGLI
Baloo, I will not abandon you…
BALOO
I love thee, Little Brother, and you know ―the Laws of the Jungle, and many and mighty are they, but the head
and hoof of the Law… is…to…Obey!‖
(BALOO exits.)
MOWGLI
Bageera, what did ye mean when ye said, ―Though they be few?‖
BAGEERA
How many times have I told thee that Shere Khan is thy enemy?
61
MOWGLI
As many times as there are nuts on that palm. But what of that? I have the Pack and they be not ―few‖. The
Law says ―The strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack‖.
BAGEERA
Open those eyes, Little Brother. Shere Khan dare not kill thee in the jungle. But remember, Akayla is very old,
and soon he cannot kill his buck, and then he will be leader no more—he will be ―The Dead Wolf‖.
MOWGLI
But…but…
BAGEERA
The Dead Wolf, that is what Tabarkee said. Listen on. Many of the wolves that looked thee over when thou
wast brought to the Council first are old too, and the young wolves believe, as Shere Khan has taught them,
that a man-cub has no place with the Pack. In a little time thou wilt be a man.
MOWGLI
And what is a man that he should not run with his brothers? I was born in the jungle. I have obeyed the Law
of the Jungle, and there is no wolf of ours from whose paws I have not pulled a thorn. Surely they are my
brothers!
BAGEERA
(Very tenderly)
Oh, thou art a man-cub. In a little time thou wilt be a man. And Shere Khan has instilled in the young and
restless wolves his hate for man.
MOWGLI
They are my brothers…
BAGEERA
Little Brother, feel under my jaw.
(To MOWGLI‘s shock, BAGEERA lays submissively on her back exposing her neck.)
62
MOWGLI
No hair—a smooth bald spot.
BAGEERA
There is no one in the jungle that knows that I, Bageera, carry that mark—the mark of the collar: and yet Little
Brother, I was born among men, and it was among men that my mother died—in the cages of the king‘s palace
at Oodeypore. It was because of this that I paid the price of a bull for thee when thou wast a little naked cub.
Yes, I too, was born among men. I had never seen the jungle. They fed me behind bars from an iron pan till
one night I felt that I was Bageera—the Panther—and no man’s plaything. I broke the silly lock with one blow
of my paw and came away. And because I had learned the ways of men, I became more terrible in the jungle
than Shere Khan. Is it not so?
MOWGLI
Yes, all the jungle fear Bageera—all except Mowgli.
BAGEERA
Oh, thou art a man‘s cub, and even as I returned to my jungle, so thou must go back to men at last—to the
men who are thy brothers—if thou art not killed in the Council.
MOWGLI
But why…but why should any wish to kill me?
BAGEERA
Look at me.
(MOWGLI looks BAGEERA steadily in the eyes, and in a beat the panther turns her head away.)
That is why. Not even I can look thee between the eyes, and I was born among men, and I love thee, Little
Brother. The others they hate thee because their eyes cannot meet thine; because thou art wise; because
thou hast pulled out thorns from their pads… because thou art a man.
MOWGLI
My stomach hurts at this.
(Off stage: The yell of the Pack hunting swells up as they approach. There are the bays of the wolves,
the thud of hooves of the Sambhur buck, the crashes of flight through thick undergrowth and the
wicked, bitter howls from the young wolves.)
63
CUB 3
Akayla! Akayla!
WOLF 8
Let the Head Wolf show his strength!
WOLF 9
Room for the leader of the Pack!
CUB 3
Spring, Akayla, Spring!
(The Sambhur bellows, and AKAYLA yelps as though kicked.)
CUB 3
HE MISSED THE THROAT!
(The WOLVES howl.)
He failed the challenge!
WOLF 8
He flees!
CUB 3
Follow him to Council Rock! After him!
WOLVES 8 & 9
After him! After him!
(All WOLVES bay in pursuit of AKAYLA)
MOWGLI
64
Akayla!
(MOWGLI throws himself into BAGEERA‘S embrace)
What do we do?
BAGEERA
Go down quickly to the edge of the Jungle, where I have told thee never to venture. There you will see one of
your kind, a woman. Get from her the Red Flower.
MOWGLI
The Red Flower? That grows outside men's huts in the twilight?
BAGEERA
They tame it in little pots. Get the pot and take it with you to Council Rock.
MOWGLI
By the bull that bought me, I will get it.
(He begins to leave.)
BAGEERA
Mowgli, the woman is thy mother.
(They stare at each other for a beat—BAGEERA drops his eyes and Mowgli runs off.)
BAGEERA
Go swiftly, Mowgli, meet thy Mother and save thy father wolf, Akayla.
(The lighting cross-fades; it is becoming twilight.)
MOWGLI’S MOTHER
(Stooping over a glowing pot for warmth.)
65
For ten years I have done vigil here…
Tonight will be my last…
(MOWGLI appears, unseen by his MOTHER.)
Many times I have felt eyes upon me…
If it were the tiger that sprung into our fire long ago , I wished he would eat me,
But those eyes have protected me…
(MOWGLI purposefully makes a noise so that MOWGLI‘S MOTHER turns to face him. MOWGLI steps
into his MOTHER's view and they stare each other. Finally, he points to her fire pot. MOWGLI‘S
MOTHER picks it up and gives it to him, she caresses his face and something happens deep within
MOWGLI.)
Nut-too?
MOWGLI
Wait.
Wait for me.
MOWGLI’S MOTHER
Nut-too…I have waited.
(They hug. And the lights lower on MOWGLI‘S MOTHER, who remains in place. RUCKSHER helps
wounded AKAYLA to council rock. BALOO enters with pro – MOWGLI forces.)
BALOO
(Breathlessly)
Akayla, we are here!
SHERE KHAN
(Entering with anti – MOWGLI wolves.)
Roooaaarrrrah!
BAGEERA
(Whispering to MOWGLI)
He has no right. Say so. He is a dog‘s son. He will be frightened.
66
MOWGLI
Free People! Does Shere Khan lead the Pack? What has a tiger to do with our leadership?
(The approving woofs of the WOLVES respond first dominating the angry growls of dissent)
SHERE KHAN
Seeing that the leadership is open, and being asked to speak…
MOWGLI
By whom? Are we all jackals, to fawn on this cattle butcher? The leadership of the Pack is with the Pack
alone.
BALOO
Arula!
(WOLVES respond.)
CUB 3
Silence, thou man‘s cub!
WOLF MOTHER 2
Let him speak!
BALOO
He has kept our Law!
RUCKSHER
Let the Dead Wolf—my husband--Speak! , For twelve seasons he has led ye to and from the kill, and in all that
time not one has been trapped or maimed. I ask you, how many of your lives do you owe to Akayla, my
husband, Free People?
67
AKAYLA
Free People, and ye too, jackals of Shere Khan. Yes, I have missed my kill. Ye know how that plot was made.
Ye know how ye brought me up to an untried buck to make my weakness known. It was cleverly done. Your
right is to kill me here on the Council Rock, now. Therefore, I ask, who comes to make an end of the Head
Wolf? For it is my right, by the Law of the Jungle, that ye come one by one.
RUCKSHER
Or two by two if I, Rucksher, the Demon Wolf, fights by her husband.
SHERE KHAN
Bah! What have we to do with the stiff old Dead Wolf? He is doomed to die!
(RUCKSHER snarls)
It is the man-cub who has lived too long. Free People, he was my meat from the first. Give him to me. I am
weary of this man-wolf folly. He has troubled the jungle for ten seasons. Give me the man-cub, or I will hunt
here always, and not give you one bone. He is a man, a man‘s cub and from the marrow of my bones I hate
him!
(SHERE KHAN's WOLVES howl approval.)
WOLVES 8 & 9
A man! A man!
CUB 3
What has a man to do with us?
WOLF CUB 7
Let him go!
CUB 2
Yes! Let him go to his own place!
SHERE KHAN
And turn all the people of the villages against us? NO! Give him to me!.
68
(With BAGEERA backing him up, MOWGLI confronts SHERE KHAN and stares him in
the eyes. SHERE KHAN drops his gaze and backs off.)
SHERE KHAN
He is a man, and none of us can look him between the eyes.
AKAYLA
Mowgli has eaten our food. He has slept with us. He has driven game for us. He has broken no word of the
Law of the Jungle.
BALOO
Hear, hear!
BAGEERA
Also I paid for him with a bull according to the law.
CUB 3
A bull paid ten years ago, ha!
BAGEERA
The worth of a bull is little, but its blood has the meaning of Bageera‘s honor that perhaps she will fight for.
CUB 3
What do we care for bones 10 years old?
BAGEERA
Bones with the dried blood of a pledge? Raah! Well are ye called the ―Free‖ People—free from the Law of the
Jungle!
BALOO
For shame! I taught you as cubs…
69
SHERE KHAN
(Interrupting)
No man‘s cub can run with the people of the jungle! Give him to me!
AKAYLA
He is our brother in all but blood, and ye would kill him here! In truth, I have lived too long. Some of ye are
eaters of cattle, and of others I have heard that, under Shere Khan‘s teaching, ye go by dark night and snatch
children from the villager‘s doorstep. Therefore, I know ye to be cowards, and it is to cowards I speak.
SHERE KHAN
Ha! The Dead Wolf speaks!
AKAYLA
It is certain that I must die, and my life is of no worth, or I would offer that in the man-cub‘s place. But for the
sake of the Honor of the Pack…
BALOO
HEAR, HEAR!
AKAYLA
…a little matter that by being without a leader ye have forgotten—I promise that if ye let the man-cub go to his
own place, I will not, when my time comes to die, bare one tooth against ye. I will die without fighting. That
will at least save the Pack three lives. More I cannot do; but if ye will, I can save ye the shame that comes of
killing a brother against whom there is no fault—a brother spoken for and bought into the Pack according to the
Law of the Jungle.
SHERE KHAN
He is a man! RARRR!
(SHERE KHAN and his allies surge forward with roars and howls.)
CUB 3
A man!
70
WOLVES 8 & 9
A man, A man!
BAGEERA
Now the business is in thy hands. We can do no more except fight.
SHERE KHAN
He is mine!
(BAGEERA and BALOO block his attack)
MOWGLI
(Leaping onto a rock.)
Listen Free People! There is no need for this dog‘s jabber. Ye have told me so often tonight that I am a man
that I feel your words are true. So I do not call ye my brothers any more, but dogs as a man should. What ye
will do, and what ye will not do is not yours to say. That matter is with me; and so we may see that matter more
plainly, I, the man, have brought here a little of the Red Flower which ye, dogs, fear.
(MOWGLI pulls out a flaming branch, then whirls it above his head among the cowering, whimpering
WOLVES.)
BAGEERA
Thou art the master.
BALOO
Save Akayla from the death. He is thy father.
MOWGLI
Good! I see that ye are dogs. I go from you to my own people. The jungle is shut to me, and I must forget
your talk and your companionship. But I will be more merciful than ye: I promise that when I am a man among
many men I will not betray ye to men as ye have betrayed me. Arrrah!
(He waves the burning branch in the agony of his words.)
There shall be no war between any of us in the Pack. But here is a debt to pay before I go.
71
(He crosses to SHERE KHAN waving his fire in a hypnotic way before him)
Up, dog! Up, when a man speaks, or I will set thy coat ablaze! This cattle-killer said he would kill me in the
Council because he had not killed me when I was a cub. Thus and thus, then, do we beat dogs when we are
men. Stir a whisker, coward, and I ram the Red Flower down thy gullet!
(TABARKEE flees. SHERE KHAN goes to leave but MOWGLI blocks SHERE KHAN with the burning
branch)
Pah! Singed jungle cat ! Remember this: when next I come to the Council Rock, as a man should come, it
will be with Shere Khan‘s hide on my head. GO!
(SHERE KHAN flees)
For the rest, Akayla goes free to live as he pleases. Ye will not kill him because that is not my will. Nor do I
think that ye will sit here any longer, lolling out your tongues as though ye were somebodies, instead of dogs
whom I drive out—THUS GO! FLEE WITH YOUR TAILS BETWEEN YOUR LEGS! GO!
(MOWGLI harries off all but the friendly WOLVES and his friends. As the last wolf flees, MOWGLI
returns the branch to the fire pot and something begins to hurt MOWGLI as he has never been hurt
before. MOWGLI's breath catches and he sobs.)
What is it? what is it? I do not wish to leave the jungle, and I do not know what this is. Am I dying, Bageera?
Baloo?
BAGEERA
No Little Brother. That is only tears such as men use.
(MOWGLI flings himself on BAGEERA, and BALOO joins the embrace.)
BAGEERA
Now I know thou art a man, and a man‘s cub no longer. The jungle is shut indeed to thee henceforward. Let
them fall, Mowgli. They are only tears.
BALOO
Only tears…
(BALOO starts to cry as well.)
MOWGLI
I will go to men.
(MOWGLI releases BALOO and BAGEERA. Goes to CUBS 1 & 2.)
72
Ye will not forget me?
CUBS 1 & 2
Never while we can follow a trail.
CUB 2
Come to the foot of the hill when thou art a man, and we will talk to thee…
(Both hug MOWGLI)
CUB 1
and we will come into the croplands to play with thee by night.
(MOWGLI releases CUBS. AKAYLA and RUCKSHER hug MOWGLI.)
AKAYLA
Come back to visit, oh, wise little frog, come again soon, for we be old, thy mother and I.
RUCKSHER
Come soon, little man-cub of mine. For listen, child of man, I loved thee more than ever I loved my cubs.
MOWGLI
I will surely come. And when I come it will be to lay out Shere Khan‘s hide upon the Council Rock. Do not
forget me! Tell them in the jungle never…never…to forget…me.
(MOWGLI stumbles away then runs to the clearing where his MOTHER awaits him. He pauses as they
lock eyes for a beat, then he flies into her arms.
MOWGLI’S MOTHER
Nut-too…
73
(MOWGLI and his mother remain in tableaux.)
AKAYLA
(On Council Rock)
―If ye kill before midnight, be silent, and wake not the woods with your bay,
Lest ye frighten the deer from the crops, and the brothers go empty away.
Ye may kill for yourselves, and your mates, and your cubs as they need, and ye can;
But kill not for pleasure of killing, and
ALL
seven times never kill Man.‖
The End