Red Dog (Rudyard Kipling)
Encyclopedia
"Red Dog" is a Mowgli
story by Rudyard Kipling
.
Written at Kipling's home in Brattleboro, Vermont
between February and March 1895, it was first published as "Good Hunting: A Story of the Jungle" in The Pall Mall Gazette
for July 29 and 30 1895 and McClure's Magazine
for August 1895 before appearing under its definitive title as the 7th and penultimate story in The Second Jungle Book
later the same year. It was also the penultimate Mowgli story to be written.
is about 16 years old and living contentedly with his brother wolves
in the Seeonee jungle when the peace is disturbed by the arrival of Won-tolla, a battle-scarred wolf whose mate and cubs have been killed by dhole
, the red dogs of the title. Won-tolla warns the Seeonee wolves that the dhole-pack will soon overrun their territory and urges the wolves to flee for their lives, but Mowgli persuades them to stay and defend their territory, vowing to fight beside them despite having previously been cast out of the pack.
Later that night Mowgli meets Kaa
, the huge old python
, and tells him the news. Kaa does not believe that Mowgli and the pack will survive a direct assault by the dhole, and enters a trance
to search his century-long memory for an effective strategy. When he awakens Kaa takes Mowgli up the Waingunga river to the Bee Rocks, a gorge where huge hives produced by millions of wild bee
s overhang the river. Mowgli and Kaa devise a plan to lure the dhole to the gorge so that the bees will attack them.
Mowgli lays in wait for the dhole in a tree-branch and smears himself with garlic
to repel the bees. When the dhole arrive he taunts their leader into a furious rage and then cuts off the leader's tail before fleeing toward the top of the gorge. Just before leaping into the water Mowgli kicks piles of stones down into the beehives, having strategically placed them there earlier. The garlic prevents the bees from attacking Mowgli, and he dives safely into the river where Kaa swiftly coils around his body to prevent the current from sweeping him away.
The dhole chasing Mowgli are less fortunate. Some of them are stung to death by the enraged bees, while others drown in the raging torrent. The rest flee downstream, pursued by Mowgli and his knife. Eventually Mowgli and the surviving dhole reach shallower water, where the wolf pack is waiting for them. Kaa refuses to fight alongside the wolves and departs. On the riverbank Mowgli and the wolves fight a ferocious and bloody battle with the remaining dhole, but the dhole's numbers have been thinned enough to turn the tide of the battle. Won-tolla kills the dhole's leader before dying of his own wounds.
As the battle comes to its end Mowgli finds Akela
mortally wounded. The dying Lone Wolf tells Mowgli that he has paid his debt to the wolf pack and must soon return to the man-pack. When Mowgli asks who will drive him, Akela replies, "Mowgli will drive Mowgli. Go back to thy people. Go to Man."
The story of how this occurs is told in "The Spring Running".
- a prequel to the Disney movie of the series-, a two-part episode featured the Cubs driving the Red Dogs out of the jungle by themselves; with the dogs attempting to attack Khan in the temple where the Cubs hung out, Bagheera, Kaa, Hathi and Louie lure the red dogs into a chase, each one hiding after a certain distance to allow another to take over, culminating in Baloo tricking them into falling into a gorge filled with bees.
Mowgli
Mowgli is a fictional character from India who originally appeared in Rudyard Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" and then went on to become the most prominent and memorable character in his fantasies, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book , which also featured stories about other...
story by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
.
Written at Kipling's home in Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
between February and March 1895, it was first published as "Good Hunting: A Story of the Jungle" in The Pall Mall Gazette
Pall Mall Gazette
The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood...
for July 29 and 30 1895 and McClure's Magazine
McClure's
McClure's or McClure's Magazine was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with creating muckraking journalism. Ida Tarbell's series in 1902 exposing the monopoly abuses of John D...
for August 1895 before appearing under its definitive title as the 7th and penultimate story in The Second Jungle Book
The Second Jungle Book
The Second Jungle Book is a sequel to The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. First published in 1895, it features five stories about Mowgli and three unrelated stories, all but one set in India, most of which Kipling wrote while living in Vermont...
later the same year. It was also the penultimate Mowgli story to be written.
Story
Mowgli the feral childFeral child
A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, and has no experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language...
is about 16 years old and living contentedly with his brother wolves
Indian Wolf
Indian wolf and Iranian Wolf are two common names for Canis lupus pallipes, a subspecies of grey wolf which inhabits western India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and southern Israel. Some experts have suggested at least some C. lupus pallipes populations be re-classified a canid species...
in the Seeonee jungle when the peace is disturbed by the arrival of Won-tolla, a battle-scarred wolf whose mate and cubs have been killed by dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
, the red dogs of the title. Won-tolla warns the Seeonee wolves that the dhole-pack will soon overrun their territory and urges the wolves to flee for their lives, but Mowgli persuades them to stay and defend their territory, vowing to fight beside them despite having previously been cast out of the pack.
Later that night Mowgli meets Kaa
Kaa
Kaa is a fictional and exceptionally long Python molurus from the Mowgli stories written by Rudyard Kipling. Kaa is one of Mowgli's mentors and friends. He, Baloo and Bagheera sing for Mowgli "The Outsong" of the jungle. First introduced in the story "Kaa's Hunting" in The Jungle Book, Kaa is a...
, the huge old python
Indian Python
Python molurus is a large nonvenomous python species found in many tropic and subtropic areas of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is known by the common names Indian python, black-tailed python, and Indian rock python. Two subspecies are currently recognized: the nominate subspecies and the Burmese...
, and tells him the news. Kaa does not believe that Mowgli and the pack will survive a direct assault by the dhole, and enters a trance
Altered state of consciousness
An altered state of consciousness , also named altered state of mind, is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking beta wave state. The expression was used as early as 1966 by Arnold M. Ludwig and brought into common usage from 1969 by Charles Tart: it describes induced...
to search his century-long memory for an effective strategy. When he awakens Kaa takes Mowgli up the Waingunga river to the Bee Rocks, a gorge where huge hives produced by millions of wild bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s overhang the river. Mowgli and Kaa devise a plan to lure the dhole to the gorge so that the bees will attack them.
Mowgli lays in wait for the dhole in a tree-branch and smears himself with garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
to repel the bees. When the dhole arrive he taunts their leader into a furious rage and then cuts off the leader's tail before fleeing toward the top of the gorge. Just before leaping into the water Mowgli kicks piles of stones down into the beehives, having strategically placed them there earlier. The garlic prevents the bees from attacking Mowgli, and he dives safely into the river where Kaa swiftly coils around his body to prevent the current from sweeping him away.
The dhole chasing Mowgli are less fortunate. Some of them are stung to death by the enraged bees, while others drown in the raging torrent. The rest flee downstream, pursued by Mowgli and his knife. Eventually Mowgli and the surviving dhole reach shallower water, where the wolf pack is waiting for them. Kaa refuses to fight alongside the wolves and departs. On the riverbank Mowgli and the wolves fight a ferocious and bloody battle with the remaining dhole, but the dhole's numbers have been thinned enough to turn the tide of the battle. Won-tolla kills the dhole's leader before dying of his own wounds.
As the battle comes to its end Mowgli finds Akela
Akela (Jungle Book)
Akela is a character in Rudyard Kipling's stories, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book. He is the leader of the Seeonee pack of Indian wolves and presides over the pack's council meetings...
mortally wounded. The dying Lone Wolf tells Mowgli that he has paid his debt to the wolf pack and must soon return to the man-pack. When Mowgli asks who will drive him, Akela replies, "Mowgli will drive Mowgli. Go back to thy people. Go to Man."
The story of how this occurs is told in "The Spring Running".
Jungle Cubs
In the Disney show Jungle CubsJungle Cubs
Jungle Cubs is an animated series produced by Disney for ABC in 1996. It was based on their 1967 feature film The Jungle Book, but set in the youth of the animal characters. The show was a hit, running for two seasons in syndication before moving its re-runs to the Disney Channel...
- a prequel to the Disney movie of the series-, a two-part episode featured the Cubs driving the Red Dogs out of the jungle by themselves; with the dogs attempting to attack Khan in the temple where the Cubs hung out, Bagheera, Kaa, Hathi and Louie lure the red dogs into a chase, each one hiding after a certain distance to allow another to take over, culminating in Baloo tricking them into falling into a gorge filled with bees.