Letting in the Jungle facts for kids

"Letting In the Jungle" is an exciting short story by Rudyard Kipling. It continues the adventures of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves in the jungle. This story follows what happened after "Mowgli's Brothers" and "Tiger! Tiger!". Kipling wrote this particular Mowgli story at his parents' home in Tisbury, Wiltshire, which makes it special because most of his other Mowgli tales were written in Vermont.

The story first appeared in magazines like the Pall Mall Gazette in December 1894 and McClure's Magazine in January 1895. Later, it became the third story in Kipling's book, The Second Jungle Book, published in 1895.

The Story of "Letting In the Jungle"

Mowgli's Return to the Jungle

In the story before this one, Mowgli kept his promise to defeat the fierce tiger Shere Khan. He even placed Shere Khan's hide on the wolf pack's Council Rock. However, the chief hunter of the human village, Buldeo, found out about Mowgli's friendship with the wolves. Buldeo accused Mowgli of using magic, and Mowgli was forced to leave the village.

Mowgli went back to live in the jungle, trying to forget about humans. But Akela, a wise wolf, warned him that Buldeo was still looking for him. Grey Brother, another wolf, even suggested they should get rid of Buldeo. Mowgli, however, strongly told him not to.

Mowgli and the wolves secretly followed Buldeo. They listened in on his conversation with some people who made charcoal. Mowgli was shocked by what he heard. The villagers had put his human adoptive parents, Messua and her husband, in prison. They were planning to harm them because they had taken care of Mowgli.

A Daring Rescue

Mowgli quickly told the wolves to bother Buldeo and stop him from going back to the village. Then, Mowgli rushed back to the village to save his parents. He found that his adopted wolf mother, Raksha, had also arrived. Mowgli warned her to stay hidden while he freed Messua and her husband.

Messua was very grateful that her son had returned to save them. Her husband, however, was upset about losing most of his money and belongings. He didn't show much warmth towards Mowgli.

Messua and her husband started walking towards a town called Khanhiwara, which was about thirty miles away. Raksha followed them, keeping a safe distance to protect them. Meanwhile, Bagheera the panther arrived at the village. He took the place of Mowgli's parents in their hut. So, when the villagers came to get the prisoners, they were in for a big surprise!

Mowgli's Plan for Revenge

The next day, Mowgli told Bagheera about his plan to get back at the villagers. His plan involved Hathi the elephant and his sons. Bagheera doubted that Hathi would come when Mowgli called, but he was surprised when Hathi actually appeared.

Mowgli reminded Hathi of a story Buldeo once told. It was about an elephant that escaped from a trap and got revenge on its captors by destroying their fields and villages. Hathi confirmed Mowgli's guess that he was indeed the elephant in that story. Mowgli then asked Hathi to destroy Buldeo's village too, but to take more time doing it.

The Jungle Takes Over

Over several weeks, many wild animals invaded the village fields. Herds of pigs, deer, and Wild Asian Water buffalo trampled the crops. Wolves bothered the villagers' farm animals. The elephants destroyed the places where the villagers stored their grain. While all this was happening, Mowgli stayed hidden. He didn't want the villagers to suspect that he was involved.

Finally, as the rainy season began, the elephants tore down the village huts. Any villagers who hadn't already left ran away to save themselves. Six months later, the remains of the village were completely covered by the wild jungle. Mowgli's revenge was complete.

Images for kids

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  An illustration from "Letting in the Jungle" in Rudyard Kipling's The Second Jungle Book.