Some more questions from 'The Jungle Book'

[Haihao]

Hi,

I have got some other questions from the book I would like to ask of you to help me with.

Akela, the great gray Lone Wolf, who led all the Pack by strength and cunning, lay out at full length on his rock, and below him sat forty or more wolves of every size and color, from badger-colored veterans who could handle a buck alone to young black three-year-olds who thought they could.

1. Does the ‘lie out’ suggest a sense of spreading or stretching out?

Akela never even twitched his ears. All he said was: “Look well, O Wolves! What have the Free People to do with the orders of any save the Free People? Look well!”

2. Could this portion be reworded as: any orders but of the Free People?

Shere Khan was always crossing his path in the jungle, for as Akela grew older and feebler the lame tiger had come to be great friends with the younger wolves of the Pack, who followed him for scraps, a thing Akela would never have allowed if he had dared to push his authority to the proper bounds.

3. Does the underlined phrase mean ‘to carry out his authority by due rights’?

"What is the Law of the Jungle? Strike first and then give tongue. By thy very carelessness they know that thou art a man.

4. Does this sound like ‘get a move first, give a talk next’?

“Then, by the Bull that bought me, I will pay Shere Khan full tale for this, and it may be a little over,” said Mowgli, and he bounded away.

5. Does ‘full tale’ imply something like ‘full bill’ or ‘full debt’?

Terribly sorry for too many questions and thank you so very much in advance.

Haihao

[Alan]

Hi,

Does the ‘lie out’ suggest a sense of spreading or stretching out?

Yes

Could this portion be reworded as: any orders but of the Free People?

I would also suggest except

Does the underlined phrase mean ‘to carry out his authority by due rights’?

Perhaps: exercise his authority within appropriate limits

‘get a move first, give a talk next’?

I would suggest: Attack first and then discuss (have a discussion)

Does ‘full tale’ imply something like ‘full bill’ or ‘full debt’?

‘tale’ is an archaic or literary word meansing ‘total’ or ‘number’. Here it could mean ‘total amount’.

A

[Haihao]

Hi Alan,

Thank you very much, sir, and I got from you what I wanted.

Haihao