“By the Gods of the Sun and Moon, it is the madness of death upon the boy!” hissed the Cobra.

“Before thine eyes close I will allow thee this favour. Look thou, and see what man has never seen before!”

“They do not well in the Jungle who speak to Mowgli of favours,” said the boy, between his teeth; “but the dark changes all, as I know. I will look, if that please thee.”

He stared with puckered-up eyes round the vault, and then lifted up from the floor a handful of something that glittered.

“Oho!” said he, “this is like the stuff they play with in the Man-Pack: only this is yellow and the other was brown.