know. His eyes were all red, and he rocked 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 gray head lashed within a
fraction of his shoulder, and he had to jump over the body, and the head
followed his heels close.
Teddy shouted to the house: Oh, look here! Our mongoose is killing a
snake. And Rikki-tikki heard a scream from Teddy s mother. His father
ran out with a stick, but by the time he came up, Karait had lunged out
once too far, and Rikki-tikki had sprung, jumped on the snake s back,
dropped his head far between his forelegs, bitten as high up the back
as he could get hold, and rolled away. That bite paralyzed Karait, and
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, and if he wanted all his strength and quickness ready, he
must keep himself thin.
He went away for a dust bath under the castor-oil bushes, while
Teddy s father beat the dead Karait. What is the use of that? thought
Rikki-tikki. I have settled it all; and then Teddy s mother picked
him up from the dust and hugged him, crying that he had saved Teddy
from death, and Teddy s father said that he was a providence, and Teddy
looked on with big scared eyes. Rikki-tikki was rather amused at all the
fuss, which, of course, he did not understand. Teddy s mother might just
as well have petted Teddy for playing in the dust. Rikki was thoroughly
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 Nag and Nagaina, and though it was very pleasant to be
patted and petted by Teddy s mother, and to sit on Teddy s shoulder, his
eyes would get red from time to time, and he would go off into his long
war cry of Rikk-tikk-tikki-tikki-tchk!
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 nightly walk round the house,
and in the dark he ran up against Chuchundra, the muskrat, creeping
around by the wall. Chuchundra is a broken-hearted little beast. He
whimpers and cheeps all the night, trying to make up his mind to run
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