Chapter 5 "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" Summary

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" is the story of a mongoose by that name, an agile creature, something like a weasel, with thick fur and a long tail. He arrives at the garden of a bungalow in the colonial Indian town of Segowlee, one day after a flood forces him out of his former home. He floats along, half dead, until he rests in the garden. He is lying there, dazed in the sun, when a small boy finds him. The boy, Teddy, gets his mother, and they fear that the mongoose is dead, but they take him inside to dry off. After a bit, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi wakes up, spruces up his fur, and explores the room. He jumps up on the boy's shoulder, and the boy and his mother and father are charmed by him. They feed him and welcome him into their...