在印度南部的群山之中,一个人类的婴儿躺在山洞里,又温暖又安全。他挤在小狼崽们中间,旁边卧着狼妈妈,可是他一点儿也不害怕。洞穴外,食人虎希尔汗正愤怒地咆哮着,想要杀死那个婴儿。“没门儿!”狼妈妈说道,“这个人崽儿是我的,他会活下去,和狼群一起奔跑,并且成为我的儿子。我要叫他莫格利。” 许多年过去了,那个人崽儿莫格利和小狼们一起成长起来。在他的老师老棕熊巴鲁和黑豹巴格拉的教导下,他懂得了“森林法则”。在森林中他屡入险境,可也交到了不少动物朋友。 当然他还有个敌人。食人虎希尔汗对他耿耿于怀。老虎在等待机会,期待着有一天能够抓住这个人崽儿,然后杀死他。 In the hills of Southern India a baby lies warm and safe in a cave. He lies among wolf-cubs, next to Mother Wolf’s side, and he is not afraid. Outside the cave Shere Khan, the man-eating tiger, roars angrily, wanting to kill. ’No!’ says Mother Wolf. ’The man’s cub belongs to me. He will live, to run with the other wolves, to be my son. And I will call him Mowgli.’ The years pass, and Mowgli the man’s cub grows up with the wolves. He learns the Law of the Jungle from his teachers, Baloo the old brown bear and Bagheera the black panther. He has many adventures, and many friends among the animals of the jungle. But he still has an enemy. Shere Khan the tiger has not forgotten. He waits for the day when he can catch the man’s cub — and kill him.
Baloo, the old brown bear, loved teaching Mowgli. He taught him how to speak to the different Jungle-People, and he taught him the important Master-Words. But Mowgli sometimes got bored with all the lessons. One day, when he was not listening, Baloo hit him, very softly, on the head, and Mowgli ran away angrily.
Bagheera, the black panther, was not happy about this. ’Remember how small he is,’ he said to Baloo. ’How can his little head hold all your long words?’
These words will keep him safe from the birds, from the Snake-People, and all the animals that hunt,’ said Baloo. ’It is true that he is only small. But no one will hurt him, if he remembers all the Master-Words. Come, Mowgli!’ he called into the trees. ’Come and say the words again.’
Good,’ said Baloo gently. ’One day you will thank me for my lessons. Now you will be safe in the jungle, because no snake, no bird, no animal will hurt you. You do not need to be afraid of anyone.’
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“那么我将拥有我的兄弟,还会和他们一块儿爬到高高的树上。”莫格利叫道。
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And I shall have my people and go with them high up in the trees,’ shouted Mowgli.
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“你说什么,莫格利?”巴鲁吃惊地问道,“你曾经和班达洛,就是那群猴子待在一起吗?”
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What did you say, Mowgli?’ asked Baloo, surprised. ’Have you been with the Bandar-log, the Monkey-People?’
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莫格利听得出巴鲁很生气,他还发现巴格拉绿色的眼睛中闪烁出冷酷的光芒。
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Mowgli could hear that Baloo was angry, and he saw too that Bagheera’s green eyes were cold and hard.
When Baloo hurt my head,’ said Mowgli, ’I went away, and the grey monkeys came down from the trees and talked to me. They were kind to me and gave me nice things to eat. Then they took me up into the trees. They said that I was their brother, and they wanted me to be their leader one day. Why have you never told me about the Monkey-People? Bad old Baloo! They play all day and don’t do lessons, and I will play with them again.’
Listen, man-cub,’ said Baloo angrily. ’I have taught you the Law for all the Jungle-People, but not for the Monkey-People. They have no law. Their ways are not our ways. They are noisy and dirty, and they think that they are a great people, but then they forget everything. The rest of the Jungle-People do not talk to them, or even think about them. Remember what I tell you.’
Mowgli listened, and was sorry. But all this time the Bandar-log were above them in the trees, listening and watching. They followed Mowgli and his friends through the jungle until it was time for the midday rest. Mowgli lay between his friends and went to sleep, saying, ’I will never talk to or play with the Monkey-People again.’
When he woke up, he was high in a tree and there were hands holding his legs and arms — hard, strong, little hands. Down below Baloo was shouting angrily, and Bagheera was trying to climb up the tree, but he was too heavy for the thin branches. The monkeys, shouting and laughing, carried Mowgli between them and began their journey along the monkey roads, which are high in the trees.
It was a wild, exciting journey. The monkeys jumped from treetop to treetop, crashing through the leaves and branches. At first Mowgli was afraid of falling, but then he began to think. He must tell Baloo and Bagheera where he was. High up in the blue sky he saw Chil the kite. The big bird saw that the monkeys were carrying a man-cub. He flew down to look, and was surprised to hear the birdcall of the kites: ’We are of one blood, you and I!’
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“你是谁?”奇尔喊道。
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Who are you?’ called Chil.
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“莫格利,就是那个人类的小孩!”莫格利回答道,“看看他们把我带到哪儿了,然后告诉巴鲁和巴格拉。”
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Mowgli, the man-cub!’ came the reply. ’Watch where they take me, and tell Baloo and Bagheera.’
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“我会的。”奇尔叫道,接着他飞到森林上空,用那双犀利的眼睛观察着动静。
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I will,’ called Chil, and he flew high above the trees and watched with his far-seeing eyes.
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因为猴子们可以随心所欲地快速前进,现在巴鲁和巴格拉已经被他们远远地抛在了后面。
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Monkeys can travel fast when they want to, and by now Baloo and Bagheera were a long way behind.
We cannot follow the Bandar-log through the trees,’ said Baloo, ’and we will never catch them. But they are afraid of Kaa, the big python. He can climb as easily as the monkeys, and he eats them. Perhaps he will help us.’ And so Baloo and Bagheera went to look for Kaa the python.
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他们找到卡阿的时候,他正躺着晒太阳。卡阿是一条身长十米、棕黄相间的大蛇,既美丽又危险。
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They found him, lying in the sun — ten metres of brown-and-yellow snake, beautiful and dangerous.
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“有事吗?”卡阿看到他们问道。
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What news?’ called Kaa when he saw them.
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“我们正在觅食。”巴鲁说。他知道不能催促卡阿,他实在是太大了。
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We are looking for food,’ said Baloo. He knew that you must not hurry Kaa. He is too big.
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“让我一起去吧,”卡阿饥肠碌碌地说,“我已经好些天没有吃过东西了。”
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Let me come with you,’ said Kaa hungrily. ’I have not eaten for days.’
The Bandar-log,’ said Bagheera cleverly, ’are very much afraid of you, Kaa. But they say bad things about you, and call you "old yellow fish", I hear.’
Tss! Tss!’ said Kaa. ’I will teach them not to call me bad names. Where did they take your man-cub? They will be tired of him quickly, and that is bad for him. ’
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“上面!上面!快看上面,巴鲁!”
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Up! Up! Look up, Baloo!’
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巴鲁抬起头,看见那只名叫奇尔的鸢正在高空中盘旋。
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Baloo looked up and saw Chil the kite, high in the sky.
The Lost City was very old. There were many beautiful buildings, but the walls were broken and full of holes, and there were tall trees in houses that were now open to the sky. The Monkey-People called the place their city, and ran around everywhere, in and out of the empty houses, up and down the fruit trees in the old gardens.
Now Mowgli was in their city, and the Monkey-People were very pleased with themselves. ’This boy can help us,’ they said. ’He can teach us how to make things, because men are clever with their hands.’ But monkeys make many plans, and always forget them five minutes later.
When Mowgli arrived in the city, he was tired and hungry. ’Bring me food,’ he said, and twenty or thirty monkeys ran to bring him fruit. But they started fighting and forgot to take any fruit back to Mowgli.
Mowgli knew that he was in a bad place. ’Baloo was right,’ he thought. ’The Bandar-log have no Law and their ways are not our ways. I must try to get away. Baloo will surely be angry with me, but that is better than life with the Bandar-log.’
But when Mowgli went to the walls of the city, the monkeys pulled him back. ’You are very happy here with us. We are great. We are wonderful. We all say so, and so it is true,’ they shouted.
Don’t they ever sleep?’ thought Mowgli. He looked up at the sky. ’There’s a cloud coming over the moon. Perhaps I can run away when it’s dark. But I am tired.’