midday
The big , serious , old brown bear was delighted to have so quick a pupil , for the young wolves will only learn as much of the Law of the Jungle as applies to their own pack and tribe , and run away as soon as they can repeat the Hunting Verse : `` Feet that make no noise ; eyes that can see in the dark ; ears that can hear the winds in their lairs , and sharp white teeth -- all these things are the marks of our brothers except Tabaqui and the Hyena , whom we hate . '' But Mowgli , as a man-cub , had to learn a great deal more than this . Sometimes Bagheera , the Black Panther , would come lounging through the jungle to see how his pet was getting on , and would purr with his head against a tree while Mowgli recited the day 's lesson to Baloo . The boy could climb almost as well as he could swim , and swim almost as well as he could run ; so Baloo , the Teacher of the Law , taught him the Wood and Water laws : how to tell a rotten branch from a sound one ; how to speak politely to the wild bees when he came upon a hive of them fifty feet aboveground ; what to say to Mang , the Bat , when he disturbed him in the branches at midday ; and how to warn the water-snakes in the pools before he splashed down among them . None of the Jungle People like being disturbed , and all are very ready to fly at an intruder . Then , too , Mowgli was taught the Strangers ' Hunting Call , which must be repeated aloud till it is answered , whenever one of the Jungle People hunts outside his own grounds . It means , translated : `` Give me leave to hunt here because I am hungry '' ; and the answer is : `` Hunt , then , for food , but not for pleasure . ''