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'Just think, he saved all our lives. Rikki-tikki woke up with a jump, for all the mongooses are light sleepers. 'Oh, it's you, said he. 'What are you bothering for? All the cobras are dead; and if they weren't, I'm here.
"Well," said Rikki-tikki, and his tail began to fluff up again, "marks or no marks, do you think it is right for you to eat fledglings out of a nest?" Nag was thinking to himself, and watching the least little movement in the grass behind Rikki-tikki. He knew that mongooses in the garden meant death sooner or later for him and his family, but he wanted to get Rikki-tikki off his guard.
As I sat I heard a rustle behind me, and there, not eight feet away, narrow snout held high, one tiny foot lifted, was that furry fiend, Rikki-tikki. He was too quick for me, and dived into a small clump of undergrowth and bamboos. But I wanted a specimen of mongoose, and the artist offered to beat one end of the bush.
He will never eat my babies again. 'All that's true enough; but where's Nagaina? said Rikki-tikki, looking carefully round him. 'Nagaina came to the bath-room sluice and called for Nag, Darzee went on; 'and Nag came out on the end of a stick the sweeper picked him up on the end of a stick and threw him upon the rubbish-heap.
So they wrapped him in cotton wool, and warmed him over a little fire, and he opened his eyes and sneezed. It is the hardest thing in the world to frighten a mongoose, because he is eaten up from nose to tail with curiosity. The motto of all the mongoose family is "Run and find out," and Rikki-tikki was a true mongoose.
He will never eat my babies again." "All that's true enough. But where's Nagaina?" said Rikki-tikki, looking carefully round him. "Nagaina came to the bathroom sluice and called for Nag," Darzee went on, "and Nag came out on the end of a stick the sweeper picked him up on the end of a stick and threw him upon the rubbish heap. Let us sing about the great, the red-eyed Rikki-tikki!"
'It is all over, he said. 'The widow will never come out again. And the red ants that live between the grass stems heard him, and began to troop down one after another to see if he had spoken the truth. Rikki-tikki curled himself up in the grass and slept where he was slept and slept till it was late in the afternoon, for he had done a hard day's work.
For a young king cobra? For the last the very last of the brood? The ants are eating all the others down by the melon bed." Nagaina spun clear round, forgetting everything for the sake of the one egg. Rikki-tikki saw Teddy's father shoot out a big hand, catch Teddy by the shoulder, and drag him across the little table with the tea-cups, safe and out of reach of Nagaina. "Tricked! Tricked! Tricked!
Let us sing about the great, the red-eyed Rikki-tikki! and Darzee filled his throat and sang. 'If I could get up to your nest, I'd roll all your babies out! said Rikki-tikki. 'You don't know when to do the right thing at the right time. You're safe enough in your nest there, but it's war for me down here. Stop singing a minute, Darzee.
The victory is only a matter of quickness of eye and quickness of foot, snake's blow against mongoose's jump, and as no eye can follow the motion of a snake's head when it strikes, that makes things much more wonderful than any magic herb. Rikki-tikki knew he was a young mongoose, and it made him all the more pleased to think that he had managed to escape a blow from behind.
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