In Kipling’s The Jungle Book story “The King’s Ankus,” what treasure does Mowgli discover?

In Kipling’s The Jungle Book story “The King’s Ankus,” Mowgli discovers a jeweled ankus.

An ankus is a traditional elephant goad, usually a handled tool with a pointed hook. The object Mowgli finds is richly decorated with precious stones and becomes the cause of greed, pursuit, and violence among the humans who encounter it.

Mowgli first discovers the treasure in an underground chamber associated with an abandoned city. He does not value it as money, but other people recognize its worth and follow its trail through the jungle.

The title can cause confusion because an ankus is not a crown or ordinary weapon. It is specifically an elephant-driving tool, and the story’s jeweled example is the important treasure.