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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. As 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.
Wash daily from nose-tip to
tail-tip; drink deeply, but never too deep; And remember
the night is for hunting, and forget not the day is for
sleep. The Jackal may follow the Tiger, but, Cub, when
thy whiskers are grown, Remember the Wolf is a Hunter --
go forth and get food of thine own. Keep peace withe
Lords of the Jungle -- the Tiger, the Panther, and Bear.
And trouble not Hathi
the Silent, and mock not the Boar in his lair.
When Pack meets with Pack in the Jungle, and neither
will go from the trail, Lie down till the leaders have
spoken -- it may be fair words shall prevail. When ye
fight with a Wolf of the Pack, ye must fight him alone
and afar, Lest others take part in the quarrel, and the
Pack be diminished by war.
The Lair of the Wolf
is his refuge, and where he has made him his home, Not
even the Head Wolf may enter, not even the Council may
come. The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, but where he
has digged it too plain, The Council shall send him a
message, and so he shall change it again. If ye kill
before midnight, be silent, and wake not the woods with
your bay, Lest ye frighten the deer from the crop, and
your 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 seven times never kill Man!
If ye plunder his Kill from a weaker, devour not all in
thy pride;
Pack-Right is the right of the meanest; so leave him the
head and the hide. The Kill of the Pack is the meat of
the Pack. Ye must eat where it lies; And no one may
carry away of that meat to his lair, or he dies.
The Kill of the Wolf
is the meat of the Wolf. He may do what he will; But,
till he has given permission, the Pack may not eat of
that Kill. Cub-Right is the right of the Yearling. From
all of his Pack he may claim Full-gorge when the killer
has eaten; and none may refuse him the same. Lair-Right
is the right of the Mother.
From all of her year
she may claim one haunch of each kill for her litter,
and none may deny her the same.
Cave-Right is the right of the Father -- to hunt by
himself for his own: He is freed of all calls to the
Pack; he is judged by the Council alone. Because of his
age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw,
In all that the Law leaveth open, the word of your Head
Wolf is Law. Now these are the Laws of the Jungle, and
many and mighty are they; But the head and the hoof of
the Law and the haunch and the hump is -- Obey
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