So he kept his distance by ear , reserving his last effort for the rush across the Bee Rocks . The Little People had gone to sleep in the early twilight , for it was not the season of late blossoming flowers ; but as Mowgli 's first foot-falls rang hollow on the hollow ground he heard a sound as though all the earth were humming . Then he ran as he had never run in his life before , spurned aside one -- two -- three of the piles of stones into the dark , sweet-smelling gullies ; heard a roar like the roar of the sea in a cave ; saw with the tail of his eye the air grow dark behind him ; saw the current of the Waingunga far below , and a flat , diamond-shaped head in the water ; leaped outward with all his strength , the tailless dhole snapping at his shoulder in mid-air , and dropped feet first to the safety of the river , breathless and triumphant . There was not a sting upon him , for the smell of the garlic had checked the Little People for just the few seconds that he was among them . When he rose Kaa 's coils were steadying him and things were bounding over the edge of the cliff -- great lumps , it seemed , of clustered bees falling like plummets ; but before any lump touched water the bees flew upward and the body of a dhole whirled down-stream . Overhead they could hear furious short yells that were drowned in a roar like breakers -- the roar of the wings of the Little People of the Rocks . Some of the dholes , too , had fallen into the gullies that communicated with the underground caves , and there choked and fought and snapped among the tumbled honeycombs , and at last , borne up , even when they were dead , on the heaving waves of bees beneath them , shot out of some hole in the river-face , to roll over on the black rubbish-heaps . There were dholes who had leaped short into the trees on the cliffs , and the bees blotted out their shapes ; but the greater number of them , maddened by the stings , had flung themselves into the river ; and , as Kaa said , the Waingunga was hungry water . Kaa held Mowgli fast till the boy had recovered his breath . `` We may not stay here , '' he said . `` The Little People are roused indeed . Come ! '' Swimming low and diving as often as he could , Mowgli went down the river , knife in hand . `` Slowly , slowly , '' said Kaa . `` One tooth does not kill a hundred unless it be a cobra 's , and many of the dholes took water swiftly when they saw the Little People rise . '' `` The more work for my knife , then . Phai ! How the Little People follow ! '' Mowgli sank again . The face of the water was blanketed with wild bees , buzzing sullenly and stinging all they found .
`` Nothing was ever yet lost by silence , '' said XXXXX -- no sting could penetrate his scales -- `` and thou hast all the long night for the hunting .
Kaa Mowgli People Phai dholes foot-falls honeycombs plummets rubbish-heaps seconds