Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" is a short story in the 1894 short story collection The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling about adventures of a valiant young Indian grey mongoose. It has often been anthologized and published several times as a short book. Book 5 of Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection, includes the mongoose and snake story, an inspiration for the "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" story. Plot An Indian mongoose named Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (from his chattering vocalizations) becomes the pet of an English family residing in India after they save him from drowning. He becomes friendly with some other creatures inhabiting their garden. However, the cobras Nag and Nagaina, are angered by the human family's presence in their territory and fear Rikki as a threat. That same day, a young dust-brown snake named Karait threatens to bite the family's child, Teddy. This infuriates Rikki into challenging Karait, unaware the smaller snake is as venomous as a cobra and faster. Despite the risk, Rikki emerges victorious and kills the snake, saving the child. Later that night, Rikki hears Nag and Nagaina plot to kill the family to take over the house for their hatchlings and drive Rikki away. Nag enters the house's bathroom before dawn to make his ambush. Rikki, however, ambushes Nag from behind in the darkness. The ensuing struggle awakens the family, and the father appears to kill Nag with a shotgun blast while Rikki bites down on the hood of the struggling male cobra. The following morning, a grieving Nagaina attempts revenge against the humans, cornering them as they have breakfast on a veranda. However, she is distracted by the wife of Darzee the tailor bird (Darzee is singing about Nag's death) while Rikki destroys the cobra's unhatched brood of eggs, except for one. He carries it to where Nagaina threatens to bite little Teddy while his parents watch helplessly. Rikki furiously challenges her and lures the cobra away from the family.