i dragged himself to Teddy's bedroom and
spent half the rest of the night shaking himself tenderly to find out
whether he really was 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 thornbush 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 bathroom 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 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."

"For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki's sake I will stop," said
Darzee. "What is it, O Killer of the terrible Nag?"

"Where is Nagaina, for the third time?"

"On the rubbish heap by the stables, mourning for Nag. Great is
Rikki-tikki with the white teeth."

"Bother my white teeth! Have you ever heard where she keeps her eggs?"

"In the melon bed, on the end nearest the wall, where the sun strikes
nearly all day. She hid them there weeks ago."

"And you never thought it worth while to tell me? The end nearest the
wall, you said?"

"Rikki-tikki, you are not going to eat her eggs?"

"Not eat exactly; no. Darzee, if you have a grain of sense you will fly
off to the stables and pretend that your wing is broken, and let Nagaina
chase you away to this bush. I must get to the melon-bed, and if I went
there now she'd see me."

Darze