d banged against the tin side of the bath. As he held
he closed his jaws tighter and tighter, for he made sure he would be
banged to death, and, for the honour of his family, preferred to be
found with his teeth locked. He was dizzy, aching, and felt shaken to
pieces when something went off like a thunderclap just behind him; a
hot wind knocked him senseless, and red fire singed his fur. The man
had been wakened by the noise, and had fired both barrels of a
shot-gun into Nag just behind the hood.

Rikki-tikki held on with his eyes shut, for now he was quite sure he
was dead; but the head did not move, and the big man picked him up
and said: 'It's the mongoose again, Alice; the little chap has saved
_our_ lives now.' Then Teddy's mother came in with a very white face,
and saw what was left of Nag, and Rikki-tikki dragged himself Teddy's
bedroom and spent half the rest of the night shaking himself
tenderly to find out whether he really broken into forty pieces, as
he fancied.

When morning came he was very stiff, but well pleased with his
doings. 'Now I have Nagaina to settle with, and she will be worse
than five Nags, and there's no knowing when the eggs she spoke of
will hatch. Goodness! I must go and see Darzee,' he said.

Without waiting for breakfast, Rikki-tikki ran to the thorn-bush
where Darzee was singing a song of triumph at the top of his voice.
The news of Nag's death was all over the garden, for the sweeper had
thrown the body on the rubbish-heap.

'Oh, you stupid tuft of feathers!' said Rikki-tikki angrily. 'Is this
the time to sing?'

'Nag is dead--is dead--is dead!' sang Darzee. 'The valiant
Rikki-tikki caught him by the head and held fast. The big man brought
the bang-stick, and Nag fell in two pieces! 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. 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.'

'For the great, the beauti