’Rikki-tikki, I led Nagaina toward the house, and she has gone into the verandah, and—­oh, come quickly—­she means killing!’

Rikki-tikki smashed two eggs, and tumbled backward down the melon-bed with the third egg in his mouth, and scuttled to the verandah as hard as he could put foot to the ground.  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.  Nagaina was coiled up on the matting by Teddy’s chair, within easy striking distance of Teddy’s bare leg, and she was swaying to and fro singing a song of triumph.

‘Son of the big man that killed Nag,’ she hissed, ’stay still.  I am not ready yet.  Wait a little.  Keep very still, all you three.  If you move I strike, and if you do not move I strike.  Oh, foolish people, who killed my Nag!’

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 round, Nagaina; 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 strike.’

‘Look at your eggs,’ said Rikki-tikki, ’in the melon-bed near the wall.  Go and look, Nagaina.’

The big snake turned half round, and saw the egg on the verandah.  ‘Ah-h!  Give it to me,’ she said.

Rikki-tikki put his paws one on each side of the egg, and his eyes were blood-red.  ’What price for a snake’s egg?  For a young cobra?  For a young king-cobra?  For the last—­the very last of the brood?  The ants are eating all the others down by the melon-bed.’

Nagaina spun clear round, forgetting everything for the sake of the one egg; and 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 reach of Nagaina.

‘Tricked!  Tricked!  Tricked! Rikk-tck-tck!’ chuckled Rikki-tikki.  ’The boy is safe, and it was I—­I—­I that caught Nag by the hood last night in the bath-room.’  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. Rikki-tikki-tck-tck! Come then, Nagaina.  Come and fight with me.  You shall not be a widow long.’

Nagaina 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.

’Yes, you will go away, and you will never come back; for you will go to the rubbish-heap with Nag.  Fight, widow!  The big man has gone for his gun!  Fight!’