he saw the beautifully mottled brown and yellow jacket. "Be careful,
Bagheera! He is always a little blind after he has changed his skin, and
very quick to strike."

Kaa was not a poison snake--in fact he rather despised the poison snakes
as cowards--but his strength lay in his hug, and when he had once
lapped his huge coils round anybody there was no more to be said. "Good
hunting!" cried Baloo, sitting up on his haunches. Like all snakes of
his breed Kaa was rather deaf, and did not hear the call at first. Then
he curled up ready for any accident, his head lowered.

"Good hunting for us all," he answered. "Oho, Baloo, what dost thou do
here? Good hunting, Bagheera. One of us at least needs food. Is there
any news of game afoot? A doe now, or even a young buck? I am as empty
as a dried well."

"We are hunting," said Baloo carelessly. He knew that you must not hurry
Kaa. He is too big.

"Give me permission to come with you," said Kaa. "A blow more or less is
nothing to thee, Bagheera or Baloo, but I--I have to wait and wait for
days in a wood-path and climb half a night on the mere chance of a
young ape. Psshaw! The branches are not what they were when I was young.
Rotten twigs and dry boughs are they all."

"Maybe thy great weight has something to do with the matter," said
Baloo.

"I am a fair length--a fair length," said Kaa with a little pride. "But
for all that, it is the fault of this new-grown timber. I came very