This talk went in at one ear and out at the other, for a boy who spends his life eating and sleeping does not worry about anything till it actually stares him in the face. But, one year, Baloo's words came true, and Mowgli saw all the Jungle working under the Law.
It began when the winter Rains failed almost entirely, and Ikki, the Porcupine, meeting Mowgli in a bamboo-thicket, told him that the wild yams were drying up. Now everybody knows that Ikki is ridiculously fastidious in his choice of food, and will eat nothing but the very best and ripest. So Mowgli laughed and said, "What is that to me?"
"Not much NOW," said Ikki, rattling his quills in a stiff, uncomfortable way, "but later we shall see. Is there any more diving into the deep rock-pool below the Bee-Rocks, Little Brother?"
"No. The foolish water is going all away, and I do not wish to break my head," said Mowgii, who, in those days, was quite sure that he knew as much as any five of the Jungle People put together.
"That is thy loss. A small crack might let in some wisdom." Ikki ducked quickly to prevent Mowgli from pulling his nose-bristles, and Mowgli told Baloo what Ikki had said. Baloo looked very grave, and mumbled half to himself: "If I were alone I would change my hunting-grounds now, before the others began to think. And yet--hunting among strangers ends in fighting; and they might hurt the Man-cub. We must wait and see how the mohwa blooms."
That spring the mohwa tree, that Baloo was so fond of, never flowered. The greeny, cream-coloured, waxy blossoms were heat-killed before they were born, and only a few bad-smelling petals came down when he stood on his hind legs and shook the tree. Then, inch by inch, the untempered heat crept into the heart of the Jungle, turning it yellow, brown, and at last black. The green growths in the sides of the ravines burned up to broken wires and curled films of dead stuff; the hidden pools sank down and caked over, keeping the last least footmark on their edges as if it had been cast in iron; the juicy-stemmed creepers fell away from the trees they clung to and died at their feet; the bamboos withered, clanking when the hot winds blew, and the moss peeled off the rocks deep in the Jungle, till they were as bare and as hot as the quivering blue boulders in the bed of the stream.
The birds and the monkey-people went north early in the year, for they knew what was coming; and the deer and the wild pig broke far away to the perished fields of the villages, dying sometimes before the eyes of men too weak to kill them. Chil, the Kite, stayed and grew fat, for there was a great deal of carrion, and evening after evening he brought the news to the beasts, too weak to force their way to fresh hunting-grounds, that the sun was killing the Jungle for three days" flight in every direction.
Mowgli, who had never known what real hunger meant, fell back on stale honey, three years old, scraped out of deserted rock-hives--honey black as a sloe, and dusty with dried sugar. He hunted, too, for deep-boring grubs under the bark of the trees, and robbed the wasps of their new broods. All the game in the jungle was no more than skin and bone, and Bagheera could kill thrice in a night, and hardly get a full meal. But the want of water was the worst, for though the Jungle People drink seldom they must drink deep.
galas译：
这话对一个除了吃就是睡不用为任何事操心，除非有事临到他头上的孩子来说，那无异于对牛弹琴。但有一年，巴卢的话实现了。莫格力看到了所有的森林生物服从在规则之下。
故事起源于那个没有下一点雨的冬天。豪猪伊基在竹林里遇见莫格力并告诉他野山芋正在变蔫。现在谁都知道伊基是很可笑的挑食的家伙。他除了最好的熟透的食物其它的一概不吃。所以莫格力笑着回答他：“这与我有什么相干？”
“现在还没啥，”伊基抖了抖他浑身坚硬的刚毛极不自然的说，“但我们以后会看到的，那现在还能在蜂石的岩池下跳水吗，小子？”
“不，那愚蠢的水都跑掉了，我可不想撞破我的头，”莫格力说。这几天他觉得自己知道的比五个森林居民加起来的还多。
“那是你的不足，一条小缝也会存留智慧的，”伊基急忙躲开以防莫格力拔他的鼻毛。莫格力告诉巴卢伊基说了什么。巴卢显得很沉重，半是回答半是自言自语的咕哝道：“如果我是一个人，我会乘着别人还没开始想这个问题立刻换换我的猎场。不过捕杀陌生的猎物却止于相互争斗。他们可能会伤到人子的。我们还是等着看莫瓦花会怎么样吧。
转年春天，巴卢很欣赏的莫瓦树没有开花。微绿、奶白、蜡色的花儿们没等张出来就被炙热烤死了。当巴卢用后腿站立猛力摇树的时候，只有几片难闻的花瓣落下来。然后逐渐的，躁动的热浪蔓延到了森林的心脏（地带），让它变黄、变褐，最后变黑。山谷两旁的绿色植物让烧的卷曲着干枝条样子像死了一样。隐蔽的池水渐渐下沉最终干枯。水肉质的藤蔓从它们紧缠的树上掉下死在自己的脚前。竹林枯萎了，当热风吹过，它们便叮叮当当的响。森林深处的苔藓也从岩石上剥落，直到它们变得像溪水河床上颤颤的蓝石一样又光又烫。
鸟儿和猴类早在年初就迁往北方了，他们知道什么会来临。鹿和野猪逃到了远在村子的废弃地里。干渴使得衰弱的人们对近在眼前的事物无动于衷。秃鹫基尔留下来发福了。因为这里有太多的腐肉做事物了。一夜接着一夜，他把新闻带给那些非常虚弱的没有力气去找新猎场的野兽们：用了三天时间，太阳就把森林的每个角落杀的片甲不留啊！
莫格力从没有尝过真正饥饿的滋味。他只好重操三岁时挖怪味儿蜂蜜的旧业。他从荒芜岩石的蜂窝刮出那黑得像野李子的蜜来，干巴巴的糖上布满灰尘。他也捕猎，挖在树皮下的虫子；抢黄蜂的新窝；森林里所有的收获都很微薄。巴格拉一晚能捕杀三次还不能果腹。最难搞到的是水啊！森林居民们很少饮水，但他们每次都得喝饱。
kay译：
这种话对于莫格利来说是一个耳朵进，一个耳朵出。因为，对于一个把生活都花在吃和睡上的孩子来说，他什么也不会担心，除非事情真正落到他头上。但是，有一年，巴罗的话应验了，莫格利看到整个丛林都遵循着法则运作着。
事情始于冬天，当时整个冬天都没有下雨，豪猪伊克基在矮竹丛中碰到莫格利，告诉他野甘薯都在变干萎缩。谁都知道伊克基对食物是蠢极了地挑剔，他只吃最好的，熟透了的东西。因此莫格利笑着说：“这跟我有什么关系？”
“现在还没多大关系，” 伊克基很不舒服地抽了抽他的长鼻子，“但不久就有关系了。你还能在蜜蜂岩下的石头池塘里潜水吗，小兄弟？”
“ 不，那可恶的水都流走了，我可不想撞破我的头，”莫格利说。最近他自我感觉自己知道的东西比五个丛林所有居民加起来的还多。
“这可是你的损失。一个小缝隙也许会让些智慧流进来。” 伊克基迅速跑进矮竹丛深处，以免莫格利拔他的鼻毛。莫格利把伊克基的话告诉了巴罗。巴罗看上去很严肃，他半自言自语地说：“如果只是我自己，我现在就会改变我的捕猎地，在别人开始想这个问题之前。但是——在陌生人中捕猎总会以争斗收尾；而且他们也许会伤害这个人类幼崽呢。我们等着看摩瓦树的开花情况了。”
那个春天，巴罗如此喜爱的摩瓦树根本就没有开花。那些带着朦胧的绿色，像打上了一层腊那样闪光的花还没生出来就被炎热烤死了。巴罗立起后腿摇晃大树，只有几片味道难闻的花瓣飘下来。然后，暴躁的炎热一点一点地潜入了丛林深处，把丛林由绿色变成黄色，再变成褐色，最终变成了黑色。山谷中生长的绿色植物被烤成了灰；隐秘的池塘水在消退，最终烤干，只在池塘的边缘留下最后的痕迹，好象是水碰到了烙铁；多汁的藤蔓从它们依附的树上跌落，死在树下；竹子枯萎，当热风吹起时，哐哐作响。丛林深处，石头上苔藓的剥落，直到最后它们都变得像河床里颤抖的蓝色砾石一样又光又热。
鸟儿和猴子们今年早些时候就去北方了，他们知道会发生什么；鹿和野猪们冲出丛林，跑到远处人类村庄周围被废弃的田地里死去，有时他们就死在人类的眼前，那些人类也虚弱极了，都没力气杀死他们。秃鹫基尔留了下来，还长胖了，因为有足够的动物死尸给他吃。每晚，他都给那些虚弱得已经没有力气寻找新猎食地的野兽带来消息说，这三天，太阳跑向丛林的各个方向，它正在杀死丛林。
莫格利以前从来不知道真正的饥饿意味着什么，现在，他得依靠已经干了三年的蜂蜜生活了。他从被遗弃在岩石中的蜂窝中把蜂蜜掏出来——这蜂蜜都黑得像黑刺李，里面的糖干得像灰尘。他也捕猎，在树干下挖掘藏在很深地里的蛴螬，从马蜂窝里抢出幼卵。丛林里所有的捕猎不过是皮和骨头，巴格拉一个晚上能猎杀3次，但还是几乎难以果腹。但对水的需要是最糟糕的，因为尽管丛林居民喝水次数不多，但他们必须喝足。