Summary

This story describes a battle waged by Rikki-tikki-tavi within the confines of a bungalow in India. Rikki-tikki-tavi is a mongoose – an animal described as both cat- and weasel-like.

Following a summer flood, Rikki finds himself washed out of the burrow where he lives with his mother and father and deposited in the midst of a garden path. As he struggles to get his bearings, he hears the voice of a little boy. The boy, whose name is Teddy, thinks Rikki is dead and suggests holding a funeral. His mother, realizing that Rikki is most likely just stunned, suggests that they take the animal inside to dry. Once inside, Teddy's father, realizing that Rikki has been through a terrible ordeal, suggests wrapping the animal in a warm cloth. Eventually Rikki awakes and when he does, the boy's father cautions the others to...