The Jungle Book: 13. Her Majesty’s Servants Summary & Analysis

The Viceroy of India and the Amir of Afghanistan meet in a military camp in Rawalpindi. In their camp, tens of thousands of military animals are present, including horses, camels, and mules. One of the humans in the camp wakes up when he hears a camel running around. The man follows the camel and hears it talking to some pack mules. One of the mules, Billy, is annoyed with the camel because it is acting so erratically. Billy thinks camels need more discipline.

In response, the camel tells Billy that he has bad dreams and has difficulty dealing with them because camels are not brave. A calvary horse, who is also present, says that all animals act like the camel when they first join the army because they are not used to it yet. Apparently, this is especially true for wild animals who have not lived among humans before.

The animals have a lengthy conversation about their various jobs in the military. All of them have different fears, concerns, and areas where they act bravely. For instance, the camel does not mind gunfire because he has grown used to humans firing guns at his back. Around this time, an elephant named Two Tails also joins the conversation. Two Tails listens as Billy and the cavalry horse get into a fight about the Billy’s mother and father. The horse mocks the mule because he has mixed heritage, while the horse considers itself pure. Two Tails quickly gets sick of the fight and breaks it up.

Then, Two Tails talks about how he does not like hearing gunfire because he knows it could lead to his death. The horse agrees with Two Tails but claims his loyalty and trust in his human master outweighs his fear of bullets. Vixen, the human’s dog, runs into the tent where the animals are talking and starts barking. The barking disrupts the animals’ conversation and upsets them.

When Vixen’s barking stops, the conversation resumes. One of the young mules asks the older animals why they must continue to fight. The older animals tell him that they must do whatever the humans say. The animals have no control over their lives, so there is no point in worrying about why the fighting happens.

Then, Vixen starts barking again. At this point, the animals notice Vixen’s owner, who is a white man. Although most animals do not mind the human’s presence, the bulls fear him because they know white men eat beef. However, the man does not do anything to the bulls. Instead, he gives his horse some food. While the horse eats, the rest of the animals leave.

The following day, the animals march together in a military parade. The Amir of Afghanistan is shocked by the scale of the parade and worries the sheer number of animals could cause a problem. One of the Amir’s men asks one of the Anglo-Indian officers how they managed to put together and control so many animals. The Anglo-Indian officer responds that animals, like humans, know how to obey and accept their place in the social hierarchy. Amir’s officer says that the people in Afghanistan are nowhere near as well behaved as the animals in the military parade. In response, the Anglo-Indian officer says: “Your Amir whom you do not obey must come here and take orders from our Viceroy.”