Rikki-tikki jumped up and backward . Again and again and again she struck , and each time her head came with a whack on the matting of the veranda and she gathered herself together like a watch spring . Then Rikki-tikki danced in a circle to get behind her , and Nagaina spun round to keep her head to his head , so that the rustle of her tail on the matting sounded like dry leaves blown along by the wind . He had forgotten the egg . It still lay on the veranda , and Nagaina came nearer and nearer to it , till at last , while Rikki-tikki was drawing breath , she caught it in her mouth , turned to the veranda steps , and flew like an arrow down the path , with Rikki-tikki behind her . When the cobra runs for her life , she goes like a whip-lash flicked across a horse 's neck . Rikki-tikki knew that he must catch her , or all the trouble would begin again . She headed straight for the long grass by the thorn-bush , and as he was running Rikki-tikki heard Darzee still singing his foolish little song of triumph . But Darzee 's wife was wiser . She flew off her nest as Nagaina came along , and flapped her wings about Nagaina 's head . If Darzee had helped they might have turned her , but Nagaina only lowered her hood and went on . Still , the instant 's delay brought Rikki-tikki up to her , and as she plunged into the rat-hole where she and Nag used to live , his little white teeth were clenched on her tail , and he went down with her -- and very few mongooses , however wise and old they may be , care to follow a cobra into its hole . It was dark in the hole ; and Rikki-tikki never knew when it might open out and give Nagaina room to turn and strike at him . He held on savagely , and stuck out his feet to act as brakes on the dark slope of the hot , moist earth . Then the grass by the mouth of the hole stopped waving , and Darzee said , `` It is all over with Rikki-tikki ! We must sing his death song . Valiant Rikki-tikki is dead ! For Nagaina will surely kill him underground . '' So he sang a very mournful song that he made up on the spur of the minute , and just as he got to the most touching part , the grass quivered again , and Rikki-tikki , covered with dirt , dragged himself out of the hole leg by leg , licking his whiskers . Darzee stopped with a little shout .
Rikki-tikki shook some XXXXX the dust out of his fur and sneezed .
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