The Jungle Baby | Page 2

his trunk and went on, for he didn't converse with snakes.
Nevertheless, Hoodo was satisfied, for he said, "If Poon-dah would trample on me in passing, so he would on a little white baby if he were here;" and his wicked black beady eyes were bright and he laughed maliciously.
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After this Hoodo went home to his hole under the tree in Bab-ba's Father's garden, and watched and waited till Bab-ba should be quite by himself; and one day when Wooff-Wooff had gone off after a wild rabbit, and Mioux-Mioux was fast asleep in the sun, the Ayah went into the house to fetch Bab-ba's Noah's ark, and he was left alone on the verandah.
Then Hoodo came sliding out of his hole very quickly and stood before the verandah, waving his head backwards and forwards, and shooting out his little tongue, while the sun showed all the colours of the rainbow on his smooth shiny skin.
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"Oh, pretty Hoodo!" said Bab-ba, "but you're naughty. Go away!"
"No," said Hoodo sweetly, "I'm not naughty, dear Bab-ba, and I know where some such beautiful flowers grow. Come with me and I'll show you!"
"No," said Bab-ba, shaking his head; but Hoodo continued to look at him steadily, and presently Bab-ba slid down from the verandah and came towards him.
Then Hoodo laughed and drew back quickly into the thick part of the garden, with Bab-ba running after him.
When the Ayah returned to the verandah with Bab-ba's Noah's Ark, and she saw his little empty chair and Mioux-Mioux asleep in the sun, she grew alarmed and ran about calling Bab-ba's name, and wringing her hands, and Bab-ba's Mother came out, and his Father, and they and all the servants hunted about in the garden for a very long while, but could not find any trace of him, and Mioux-Mioux woke up and wondered what all the commotion was about, and Wooff-Wooff came back without the rabbit and wondered too.
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Wooff-Wooff went over to where Mioux-Mioux was sitting, and talked the matter over with her. While they were talking, some little birds overhead called out to them to attract their attention.
"Bab-ba," they said, "Bab-ba has followed Hoodo, the Snake, into the jungle, and he will be lost and eaten by the wild beasts unless he is brought back. Quick! Quick! Go after him! Haste!"
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And so Wooff-Wooff ran to Bab-ba's Father and Mother and tried to tell them.
He ran backwards and forwards towards the jungle, and barked and tried to make them follow; but they wouldn't understand, and so at last he had to set out himself to try and find him.
Now after Bab-ba had followed Hoodo a little way through the garden, the snake turned to a little path which led to a hole broken in the wall.
"You must crawl through here," said Hoodo, "the pretty flowers are on the other side."
So Bab-ba crawled through and found himself in the jungle.
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"Further on! further on!" cried Hoodo, every time Bab-ba stopped to gather any, "there are prettier ones further on." And so Bab-ba went on and on till he came to where Tig the Tiger lay asleep in the long grass.
"Now's your time," whispered Hoodo in his ear, "here's the little white baby for your dinner." And Tig sprang up with a roar.
But Bab-ba wasn't a bit frightened, and he only laughed, and said "what a big, big Mioux-Mioux!" And he put his arms around Tig's neck and nestled his head in his soft fur, till Tig forgot all about his dinner, and purred with delight just like Mioux-Mioux did when she was pleased.
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Hoodo was very angry at this, and finding that Tig was making friends with Bab-ba instead of eating him up, he called Bab-ba to him and said, "Come, let us be going, or we shall be late home." And Bab-ba kissed Tig, the Tiger, and followed Hoodo further into the jungle, till they met Prowl, the Wolf. "Here's the little white baby," whispered Hoodo. And Prowl said, "Ha!" and was going to spring upon him and eat him up. But Bab-ba only laughed and said, "What a big Wooff-Wooff!" and patted him on the head, and looked into his eyes so that Prowl forgot all about eating him, and licked his hands and frisked about him just as Wooff-Wooff would have done.
"This is silly," said Hoodo angrily. "Come away, it is near to sunset, and we must be getting home," and he led the way to where Bluf, the big brown Bear, lived. "I've brought the little white baby for you," said Hoodo. And Bluf said, "Ough! very nice, very nice indeed!" And caught Bab-ba up in his arms and hugged him.
"Just like my Ayah does!" laughed Bab-ba, and he patted Bluf's cheeks and kissed him, so that Bluf didn't want to eat him at all, but only to