‘It must be the head,’ he said at last; ’the head above the hood; and when I am once there, I must not let go.’

Then he jumped.  The 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 earthen-rare to hold down the head.  This gave him just one second’s purchase, and he made the most of it.  Then he was battered to and fro as a rat is shaken by a dog—­to and fro on the floor, up and down, and round in great circles; at his eyes were red, and he held on as the body cart-whipped over the floor, upsetting the tin dipper and the soap-dish and the flesh-brush, and 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.’