Rikki-Tikki and the Cobras

Chapter-6

This is the story of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, a mongoose. He was like a little cat in his fur and his tail. His eyes and the end of his nose were pink. He could scratch himself anywhere he pleased with any leg, front or back. He could fluff up his tail till it looked like a bottle brush.
It was the day when a high summer flood washed him out of his burrow where he used to live with his father and mother and threw him down a roadside ditch. He found a little wisp of grass floating there, and clung to it till he regained his senses. When he revived, he was lying in the hot sun in the middle of a garden path.
A few boys came around him and thought him as a dead mongoose and decided to plan a funeral.

They took him into the house. A big man picked him up between his finger and thumb and felt he was not dead but half choked. So, they wrapped him in cotton wool, and warmed him over a little fire. He opened his eyes and sneezed. The man asked the boys not to scare the mongoose although he knew it was the hardest thing in the world to frighten a mongoose. The mongoose family on the other hand started finding Rikki-Tikki.
Rikki-Tikki looked at the cotton wool. He ran all round the table, sat up, put his fur in order and jumped on the small boy’s shoulder.
“Don’t be frightened, Teddy,” said his father, “That’s his way of making friends.”
The mongoose started tickling Teddy.
“All mongooses are like that,” said Teddy’s father, “Do not pick him up by the tail, or try to put him in a cage. He’ll run in and out of the house all day long. Let’s give him something to eat.”
They gave him a little piece of raw meat. Rikki-Tikki liked it. After finishing it, he went out into the veranda and sat in the sunshine. Then he felt better. He spent all that day roaming about the house. He enjoyed drowning himself in the bath-tubs. In the night he ran into Teddy’s nursery to watch how kerosene lamps were lighted. He slept along with Teddy in his bed. But teddy’s mother doubted this. She thought the mongoose might bite his son but the father was assured that the little mongoose would not hurt his son.
Rikki-Tikki came for breakfast early in the morning. He ate a banana and some boiled eggs. Then, he went out into the garden and saw that the garden was beautifully cultivated with bushes and Marshal Niel roses, lime and orange trees, clumps of bamboos, and thickets of high grass.
There, he found Darzee, the tailorbird, and his wife. They lived in a beautiful nest made by pulling two big leaves together and stitching them up the edges with fibres. They had filled the hollow with cotton.
Darzee and his wife looked very much tensed and sad. So Rikki-Tikki went near them and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Darzee replied, “One of our babies fell out of the nest yesterday and Naag ate him.”
Rikki-Tikki was new there, so he was a bit confused as who this Naag was. Before he could get a reply, he could see their eyes growing pale with some fear. Then, a hiss sound came from the bush. A big black Cobra rose inch by inch from the grass. He was more than five feet long from tongue to tail.
Rikki-Tikki understood that it was the Naag they were talking about. He got scared for a little while seeing the size of the snake but it is impossible for a mongoose to stay frightened too long. Rkki-Tikki had never met a live cobra before. But, his mother had fed him dead ones, and he knew that a mongoose’s business in life was to fight and eat snakes. Naag knew that too and he was afraid too.
Rikki-Tikki then said facing the Naag, “Do you think it is right for you to eat fledglings out of a nest?”
The Naag knew that a mongoose would be threat for him and he had to be as polite as he could, else he would risk his life.
So, very politely he said, “You eat eggs. Why should not I eat birds?”
Rikki-Tikki got angry by this reply and he jumped up in the air as high as he could. Then he aimed at the Naag. But suddenly from behind, there appeared Nagina, Naag’s wicked wife. She had crept up behind him as he was talking. She was in mood to make an end of him. He came down almost across her back. If he had been an old mongoose he would have known that it was the time to break her back with one bite; but he was afraid of the terrible lashing return-stroke of the cobra. He bit, indeed, but did not bite long enough. He jumped clear of the whisking tail, leaving Nagina torn and angry.
Rikki-Tikki felt his eyes growing red and hot. But before he could notice, Naag and Nagina had disappeared into the grass. Rikki-Tikki did not care to follow them as he knew that he could not manage two snakes at one time. So, he ran back towards the house and sat at the entrance to think about this serious matter. Soon, Teddy came running down and Rikki-Tikki was ready to be patted.
As Teddy was running towards him, Rikki saw a dusty brown snakeling. It was Karait and his bite was as dangerous as the cobra’s. But he was so small that nobody ever thought of him that he could even harm people.
Rikki-Tikki’ knew that fighting such a small snake was a bit dangerous for him as Karait was so small, and could turn so quickly. Unless Rikki bit him close to the back of the head, he would get the return stroke in his eye or his lip. But Rikki could control his anger and his eyes were all red. He moved back and forth, looking for a good place to hold. Karait struck out. Rikki jumped sideways and tried to run in, but the wicked little dusty grey-headed creature lashed within a fraction of his shoulder. He had to jump over the body, and the head followed his heels.
Teddy was thrilled to see his own mongoose fighting against a snake. He shouted out for his father and mother to come out of the house. “Oh, look here! Our mongoose is killing a snake.”
Then, Rikki saw Teddy’s father running with a stick to kill the snake. By the time he came, Rikki-Tikki had jumped on the snake’s back, dropped his head far between his forelegs, bit the snake and rolled away. That bite paralysed Karait. Rikki-Tikki was just going to eat him up from the tail, after the custom of his family at dinner, when he remembered that a full meal makes a slow mongoose. If he wanted all his strength and quickness ready, he must keep himself thin.
Rikki was surprised to see Teddy’s father trying to beat the dead Karait. Teddy’s mother came running towards Rikki and picked him up from the dust and hugged him, crying that he had saved Teddy from death. Teddy’s father agreed to this too when he saw the fear in his son’s eyes. Teddy who was still standing still unknowing what had happened.
Rikki-Tikki was rather amused at all the fuss, which, of course, he did not understand. Teddy’s mother might just as well have patted Teddy for playing in the dust. Rikki was enjoying himself.
That night at dinner, walking to and fro among the wine-glasses on the table, he might have stuffed himself three times over with nice things. But he remembered Naag and Nagina. It was very pleasant to be patted and patted by Teddy’s mother, and to sit on Teddy’s shoulder.
Teddy carried him off to bed, and insisted on Rikki-Tikki sleeping under his chin. Rikki-Tikki was too well bred to bite or scratch. But as soon as Teddy was asleep, he went off for his night walk round the house. In the dark, he ran up against Chuchundra, the musk-rat, creeping around by the wall. Chuchundra is a broken-hearted little beast. He whimpers and cries all the night, trying to make up his mind to run into the middle of the room. But he never gets there.
Chuchundra was afraid that Rikki was coming to kill him too.
“Don’t kill me,” shouted Chuchundra, almost weeping. “Rikki-Tikki, don’t kill me!”
“Do you think a snake-killer kills musk-rats?” said Rikki-Tikki.
“Those who kill snakes get killed by snakes,” said Chuchundra, more sorrowfully than ever, “And I am afraid that the Naag might mistake me for you some dark night.”
Rikki-Tikki knew that the musk-rat was right but the snake used to stroll in the garden and he warned the musk-rat to stay out of the garden.
The musk-rat told Rikki that his cousin Chua had told him that the Naag was everywhere. He should have talked to Chua in the garden.
Suddenly, Rikki-Tikki heard some noises. The house was still and everyone asleep but still there was something that was making some noises.
‘That’s Naag or Nagina,’ he said to himself, ‘and he is crawling into the bath-room. You’re right, Chuchundra; I should have talked to Chua.’
He ran to Teddy’s bath-room, but there was nothing there. Then, he rushed to the bathroom of Teddy’s mother. At the bottom of the smooth plaster wall there was a brick pulled out to make a sluice for the bath water. As Rikki-Tikki went closer, he heard Naag and Nagina whispering together outside in the moonlight.
“When the house is emptied of people,” said Nagina to her husband, “he will have to go away, and then the garden will be our own again. Go in quietly, and remember that the big man who killed Karait is the first one to bite. Then, come out and tell me, and we will hunt for Rikki-Tikki together.”
Rikki knew that they were talking about Teddy’s father.
“But are you sure that it is worth killing all these people just to gain the rights of the garden?” said Naag.
“Yes. When there were no people in the bungalow, did we have any mongoose in the garden? These people brought a mongoose to scare us away. So, we have to empty this bungalow so that we may be the king and the queen of the garden. And we have to assure that our children in the future will be safe.”
Naag replied, “I will go, but there is no need that we should hunt for Rikki-Tikki afterward. I will kill the big man and his wife, and the child if I can. Come away quietly. Then the bungalow will be empty, and Rikki-Tikki will leave himself when he has no one to look after him.”
Rikki-Tikki was filled with rage and hatred after listening to this. Then, Naag’s head came through the sluice, and his five feet of cold body followed it. This time, Rikki was afraid seeing the size of the cobra.
‘Now, if I kill him here, Nagina will know; and if I fight against him on the open floor, he will have an advantage over me. What should I do?’ said Rikki-Tikki to himself.
Rikki-Tikki heard him drinking from the biggest water-jar that was used to fill the bath. The Naag then said loudly to Nagina, “When Karait was killed, the big man was having a stick. He might be having that stick still, but when he comes to bath in the morning he will not have a stick. I shall wait here till he comes. Nagina—do you hear me?”
There was no answer from outside, so Rikki-Tikki knew Nagina had gone away. Naag coiled himself down and Rikki-Tikki stayed still as if dead. After an hour he began to move, muscle by muscle, toward the jar. Naag was asleep, and Rikki-Tikki looked at his big back, wondering which would be the best place for a good hold. Rikki knew that breaking the cobra’s back first was the best option to make him weak and helpless. He also thought of biting the snake at the tale but a bite near the tail would only make Naag savage.
‘It must be the head’ he said at last to himself, ‘the head above the hood. And, once I get hold of it, I must not let go.’

The Naag’s head was lying a little clear of the water-jar, under the curve of it; and, as his teeth met, Rikki braced his back against the bulge of the red earthenware to hold down the head. He closed his jaws tighter and tighter, and made sure that the cobra would be banged to death and his teeth were locked. He kept holding the snake as tight as he could for long. The big man, Teddy’s father, woke up all of a sudden by the noise, took his gun and reached the place. He fired both barrels of a shotgun into Naag just behind the hood.
Rikki-Tikki held on with his eyes shut, for now he was quite sure he was dead. The head did not move, and the big man picked him up and said to his wife, “Alice, it’s the mongoose again. The little chap has saved our lives this time again.”
Then, Teddy’s mother came in with a very white face, and saw the dead snake lying on the floor. Rikki-Tikki quickly went to Teddy’s bedroom and spent rest of the night shaking tenderly and thinking that he really had killed the Naag.
All night, he kept thinking, ‘Now I have Nagina to settle with, and she will be worse than five Naags. I must go and see Darzee.’
Next morning, Rikki-Tikki ran to the lace in the garden where Darzee lived. The news of Naag’s death was all over the garden, for the sweeper had thrown the body of the dead snake on the rubbish-heap. Darzee was singing with joy “Naag is dead—is dead—is dead! The valiant Rikki-Tikki caught him by the head and held fast. The big man brought the bang-stick, and Naag fell in two pieces! He will never eat my babies again.”
“Stop the song and tell me where the Nagina is?” asked Rikki in a worried tone.
Rikki knew that he had started a war that would only end after Nagina was dead. He knew that his and the family’s life was in danger.
“Where is Nagina?” asked Rikki, for the second time, “Have you ever heard where she keeps her eggs?”
“In the melon bed, on the end nearest the wall, where the sun strikes nearly all day. She hid them there weeks ago,” replied Darzee.
Rikki wanted to destroy the eggs first as he knew the eggs would lead to new cobras later on. For this, he needed Darzee’s help. He had a plan.
“Darzee, you will fly off to the stables and pretend that your wing is broken. Let Nagina chase you away to this bush. This is how I can reach her eggs. Else, if I went there now, she’d see me.”
Darzee didn’t agree to this as he felt killing the eggs was not right but Darzee’s wife agreed with Rikki. She flew off immediately from the nest, and left Darzee to keep the babies warm. She fluttered in front of Nagina by the rubbish-heap and cried out, “Oh, my wing is broken! The boy in the house threw a stone at me and broke it.” Then she fluttered more desperately than ever.
Nagina lifted her head up and hissed, “You were the one who warned Rikki-Tikki when I would kill him. And you’ve chosen a bad place to be lame in.” Saying so, she moved towards Darzee’s wife, slipping along over the dust.
Darzee’s wife knew that a bird should never look towards a snake’s eyes as the bird who looks at a snake’s eyes gets so frightened that he/she cannot move. Nagina quickened her pace. Rikki-Tikki heard them going away from the stables, and he raced near the wall. In the warm litter above the melons he found twenty-five eggs. He knew that the minute they were hatched they could each kill a man or a mongoose. He bit off the top of the eggs as fast as he could, taking care to crush the young cobras. He turned over the litter from time to time to see whether he had missed any. At last, there were only three eggs left, and Rikki-Tikki began to chuckle to himself, when he heard Darzee’s wife screaming, “Rikki-Tikki, I led Nagina towards the house, and she has gone into the veranda. Come quickly.”
Rikki-Tikki smashed two eggs, and took the third egg in his mouth and ran towards the veranda as hard as he could. Teddy and his mother and father were there at early breakfast, but Rikki-Tikki saw that they were not eating anything. They sat stone-still, and their faces were white. Nagina was coiled up on the matting by Teddy’s chair, within easy striking distance of Teddy’s bare leg.
“He is the son of the big man that killed Naag,” she hissed. “If you move, I will strike, and if you do not move, I will strike. Oh, foolish people, who killed my Naag?” asked Nagina angrily.
Teddy’s eyes were fixed on his father, and all his father could do was to whisper, “Sit still, Teddy. You mustn’t move. Teddy, keep still.”
Then Rikki-Tikki came up and cried, “Turn around, Nagina. Turn and fight!”
“All in good time,” said she, without moving her eyes, “I will settle my account with you presently. Look at your friends, Rikki-Tikki. They are still and white. They are afraid. They dare not move, and if you come a step nearer, I will strike.”
“Look at your eggs,” said Rikki-Tikki, “in the melon bed near the wall. Go and look, Nagina! I have broken them all and now they are just the food for ants.”
The big snake turned half around, and saw the egg on the veranda. “Give it to me,” she said.
Rikki-Tikki put his paws one on each side of the egg, and his eyes were blood-red.
Nagina turned herself completely towards Rikki forgetting everything for the sake of 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 the reach of Nagina.
“The boy is safe now, and it was I—I—I that caught Naag by the hood last night in the bathroom.” Then he began to jump up and down, all four feet together, his head close to the floor. “He threw me to and fro, but he could not shake me off. He was dead before the big man blew him in two. I did it! Come and fight against me.”
Nagina saw that she had lost her chance of killing Teddy, and the egg lay between Rikki-Tikki’s paws. “Give me the egg, Rikki-Tikki. Give me the last of my eggs, and I will go away and never come back,” she said, lowering her hood.
But Rikki asked Nagina to fight, else he would break the egg. Rikki-Tikki was all round Nagina, keeping just out of the reach of her stroke. Nagina gathered herself together and flung out at him. Rikki-Tikki jumped up and backward. Again and again she struck, and each time her head came with a whack on the matting of the veranda.
Rikki-Tikki danced in a circle to get behind her, and Nagina spun round to keep her head to his head. He had forgotten the egg. It still lay on the veranda, and Nagina came nearer and nearer to it, till at last, while Rikki-Tikki was drawing breath, she caught it in her mouth, turned to the veranda steps, and flew like an arrow down the path, with Rikki-Tikki behind her.
Rikki-Tikki knew that he must catch her, or all the trouble would begin again. She headed straight for the long grass by the thorn-bush. Soon, she plunged into the rat-hole where she and Naag used to live. Rikki’s little white teeth were clenched on her tail, and he went down with her. It was dark in the hole; and Rikki-Tikki never knew when it might open out and give Nagina room to turn and strike at him. He held on savagely, and stuck out his feet to act as brakes on the dark slope.
Rikki-Tikki was covered with dirt, dragged himself out of the hole leg by leg. Rikki-Tikki shook some of the dust out of his fur and sneezed. “It is all over,” he said, “The widow will never come out again.” And the red ants that lived between the grass stems heard him, and began to troop down one after another to see if he had spoken the truth. Rikki had killed the widow and ended his war with the cobras.
When Rikki got to the house, Teddy and Teddy’s mother and father came out and almost cried over him. That night, he ate all that was given to him till he could eat no more, and went to bed on Teddy’s shoulder. Teddy’s mother saw him when she came to look late at night and was glad that Rikki was their life-saver again.

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