A REAL MOWGLI

Southland Times, Issue 19224, 14 May 1921, Page 3

A REAL MOWGLI

ROMANCE OF NORTH-EAST FRONTIER. Kipling’s “Jungle Book” describes a naked brown baby lost in the jungle and rescued by a wolf from the jaws of Shere Khan, the tiger. The “man-cub” is borne to a cave, suckled by the Mother Wolf, and given the name of Mowgli (the Frog). Mowgli is, after much discussion adopted into the Pack, and is allowed to run with them and share their life unharmed. A similar story of real life comes now from India. In the undeveloped country round the Cachar Hills, on the north-east frontier of India (says the London Times), it is customary for villagers to mend roads instead of paying taxes, and on a recent occasion, when Mr Stewart Baker, F.Z.S., who is in charge of road-mending there, asked a villager to do his share of work the man told him that he was afraid to leave the village. His wife having died a short time before, his little wild son might run into the jungle and get lost. This aroused Mr Baker’s curiosity. He oaid the villager a visit, and found a child of about seven years of age, with innumerable white scars of tiny cuts and scratches all over its body. He learnt from the father that five years before the villagers of Cachari had killed two leopard cubs. The mother leopard had prowled about the jungle bordering on the village. A few days later the villager’s wife left her child on a cloth and reaped rice, and the leopard took the child away. The villagers searched for it, but failed to find it. About three years after a sportsman killed a leopard, mentioning to the villagers that the dead leopard had two cubs. The villagers searched the jungle, and found the two cubs and a wild human boy. Ex’eryone recognised in the Jatter the villager’s lost child. It ran on all fours almost as fast as a big roan, dodged and hid in 'bushes most cleverly, bit and fought with everyone who tried to catch it, and tore to pieces and ate with extraordinary rapidity any village fowl which came its way.