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Description
Preparations

Rikki headed back and rested for the rest of the day. The water came to within five feet of the garden wall. "Nagasta wants to kill Teddy and his mother[11]." said Rikki to Darzee and his wife upon waking up that evening. "She wants to kill the big man last, as she wants him to suffer the most. I think whatever she's mad about, he did it." said Rikki. "What did he do?" they said in unison. "I don't know. What's even stranger is that she seems to think she's the rightful queen of the garden." said Rikki-tikki. "I don't know what she's like, but I hated it when Nagaina was queen of the garden." said Darzee, not wanting to think about those days. "Why would she think that?" asked Biwi. "No idea. Perhaps she was a spoiled little brat as a child and thinks the world owes her. That doesn't quite fit though as her parents didn't even bother to take the time to name her. She told me she had to name herself." said Rikki. "Maybe she likes the garden and wants to own it." said Biwi. "Well she'll never be queen of this garden as long as I'm here!" declared Rikki boldly. "However, I know she's going to try attacking until she wins. I can tell she really wants them dead. I've seen that kind of hatred once before. It was the same look Nagaina had before she tried to kill the big people. She'll be coming back soon to kill them." said Rikki. Darzee and his wife shuddered. "Also, that's another odd thing." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "What?" said Darzee. "Nagasta is fascinated with Nag and Nagaina. I don't know how she knew them, but Tivía did and Nagasta wanted to know all about them." "Great, another Nagaina fan!" said Darzee's wife. "She means killing. Tonight I fear." said Rikki-tikki again. "Are you certain?" said Darzee. Teddy and his father were sandbagging the area inside the garden wall to prevent the water from coming in if it got that far.

"Yes. And I think she plans to kill me in my sleep." said Rikki. "She'll never be able to do that. You're such a light sleeper." said Darzee. "Hopefully my family can finish her if she gets me." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "Don't say such things!" said Darzee's wife. "Then again my family doesn't know about her, unless you've told them." said Rikki. Darzee's wife shook her head. "She could lay a trap for them. They think there are no cobras nearby. With her cobra friends, she might be able to overwhelm my family if it came to a surprise attack." said Rikki. "Yes, she might lose some of her cobras if she attempts it, but if done cleverly enough, she could kill them all in the end anyway." said Rikki in response to Darzee's open mouth of astonishment. "Mongooses aren't invincible! It was sheer dumb luck that saved me from Karait and Nag. And even greater luck that saved me from Nagaina." said Rikki-tikki-tavi.

"So you're going to fight her?" said Darzee. "Better than lying here and waiting for her to bite me in my sleep." said Rikki. "And" said Rikki-tikki, "she knows that you've helped me attack her children. What's stopping her from coming here at night and crawling up the tree to get your children? You've moved your nest to a lower branch after Nagaina's death. She can reach up there, you know." said Rikki. Darzee's eyes widened as he realized the same thing.

"Our children are nearly grown. We've already lost one to Nag. We're not losing any more![12]" said Darzee's wife. "What would you do?" said Rikki sarcastically. "Peck out her eyes?" "If I have to." said Darzee. "My kids will be able to fly on their own in a week and then the cobras can't get them." "She's coming tonight!" said Rikki, feeling that they weren't taking him seriously.

"That's enough Teddy." said Teddy's father. The two headed inside. "I'm going to defend them. She's coming tonight I tell you!" said Rikki-tikki-tavi. He walked toward the garden wall and climbed up a tree and then jumped to the top of the wall. "Be careful." said Darzee's wife. The sun set and, four hours later, the rest of the creatures went to bed. Rikki sat, awake and alert on the wall. After about an hour, he noticed that the water was two feet from the wall. "She'll never be able to come from over there." said Rikki, noticing the fast moving current blocking all paths heading toward the garden. However, while climbing around on the wall, he noticed, on the side opposite the garden, a small dip in the land that had been blocked from the water thus far by a large pile of boulders. And he noticed a path heading upward away from the garden, where there wasn't likely to be water. "Aha!" he said to himself and jumped from the wall, heading toward it. He waited till midnight and then heard two voices in the dark.

Night Attack

"I'd like to do this personally. It's me that they've wronged. Not you." said what was clearly Nagasta's voice. "You're my wife. They've wronged you. They've wronged me." said what was obviously Karistan's voice. "I was right!" muttered Rikki under his breath. "No, I want to do this personally. We can go together to get the big man. Right now, I want the boy and his mother. I figured it would be better if the big man lost them both at once. I'll also deal with Rikki-tikki-tavi. I'll bite him in his sleep. He'll be dead before he wakes up!" hissed Nagasta proudly. Not if I can help it! Rikki-tikki thought.

"May the great god Brahm, favorer of our kind, protect you." said Karistan, turning and leaving. Lightning flashed in the sky. It began to rain. "This will make easy work!" hissed Nagasta, heading across the valley. "Nice night, isn't it, eh Wrinkle Skin?" said Rikki, revealing himself to her. It started to rain and thunder rumbled nearby. "Rikki-tikki-tavi, I presume?" said Nagasta casually. "Turn back or die Nagasta!" said Rikki, his eyes growing hot.

The Daughter of Nag and Nagaina

"You will not stop my revenge!" she hissed, raising herself to her full height and raising her hood. "The humans wronged me! Now they're going to pay for it!" Rikki suddenly realized with a jolt another familiar thing about Nagasta. The voice that he had heard months ago, it had belonged to her. "You were in the garden before. Months ago." said Rikki. "You said that the humans would pay for something. It was you that spoke that night four months ago!" "Yes, it was I. Your friends tell you about it? " said Nagasta. "What do you have against the people anyway? What were you doing in the garden? When did the people try and kill you before last night?" said Rikki-tikki. "And what do you care about Nag and Nagaina? They're dead in case you didn't notice!" said Rikki. "I've noticed. They've been dead for four months now." she said. "Then why do you care?" he asked. "What does it matter? You never met them I presume." "Of course I never met them. And, that, Rikki-tikki-tavi, completely matters!" she hissed. "I learned from Tivía that they planned to kill the people there. The big people had murdered Karait and so they…." said Nagasta. "The big people didn't kill Karait!" Rikki-tikki interrupted. "Silence fool! Don't talk about what you don't know about!" she said angrily. "So, they were worried about the big people and planned to kill them in the night." she continued. "So, how did that work out for them? You must be dumb to try and copy them to get revenge at the big people the same way, and you have yet to tell me why you want the big people dead!" said Rikki.

"Nag and Nagaina, the rightful rulers of the garden, were both killed and 24 of their eggs were destroyed." "24? They had 25!" he said. "Yes, there were." she said, a wicked grin on her face. "And all 25 were destroyed!" "No, no, Rikki-tikki. The humans have failed. The big man shot Nag and he must have killed Nagaina too! All but one of their children were killed. They were in the melon bed. However, one egg, the 25th egg, it seems Nag and Nagaina were able to move that egg, the egg of their last child, to safety, though they died themselves, and it hatched underground. Their last daughter heard enough from that loud Coppersmith and the others to learn the names of her parents. The stupid birds had credited the big man for the death of Nag. She left that night, vowing revenge." said Nagasta, laughing wickedly.

"What?!" said Rikki-tikki-tavi in shock. "Who is this snake? What happened to her? Where is she now? Unless…..unless…." he said, dreading the answer. Nagasta advanced toward him, grinning, her pointed white fangs glistening in the light of the lightning around them. "Yes, the 25th egg was my egg. Nag and Nagaina are my parents, meddlesome fool! I want their deaths avenged. I should be the Queen of the Garden as they were King and Queen. Since they died before they named me, I had to name myself. Soon the world will see that our family isn't dead! I'm going to finish what they intended for the humans that so foolishly killed them!" she said, laughing.

"I found Father's body on their rubbish pile and the bodies of my siblings and of his friend Karait. The foolish garden crier dared to cry out their names. Everyone seemed to be pleased they were dead. I never found Mother but she is obviously dead. I waited till the little beasts were asleep, and, knowing they might be too on the alert for cobras at the time, went off, all alone and looked for friends of my parents. One of them was Tivía. I was able to tell them about their deaths, how the big man had murdered them. Foolish man! He didn't get my egg! Now I can get back at him! Now I will kill his son and wife!" said Nagasta, moving toward him and starting to sway[13]. Rikki stood there, lost for words. This was not what he had expected. This made things far, far worse! Far, far worse indeed!

"What?!" said Rikki again, unable to take it in. You're Nag and Nagaina's daughter?! he thought. No, it can't be! Can it? He thought back to his fight with Nagaina.

"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?" said Rikki. "Give me the egg, Rikki-tikki. Give me the last of my eggs, and I will go away and never come back," Nagaina 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!" Rikki said. Nagaina rushed forward and took the egg to her den. He thought of when he had caught up with Nagaina and what had happened. Now he thought of something, yes, he recalled it now. He could he have been so stupid?He recalled that he had stopped biting her and moved aside to avoid her strike. He had just barely dodged her, and had felt increasingly foolish in engaging her in a fight in an area where she so clearly had the advantage. He thought back to the conversation and the event that had followed, the event that had led to the survival of Nagasta, his greatest enemy.

"And once you are dead, I shall make short work of your muskrat friend and your bird friends and especially," Nagaina hissed gleefully, "those human vermin! I'll be Queen of the Garden forever!" "Never!" yelled Rikki, charging at her and causing the egg to fall out of her mouth and roll several feet away from the two combatants.

He had later been pinned down by Nagaina. She had nearly killed him, but he had managed to overpower and kill her. As she died, she hit the wall of the tunnel, causing it to cave in. As he had been on the ground, he had misjudged the position of the falling debris. Most of it had missed the egg. The egg would have been hit by some falling dirt, but not buried or crushed by it. The falling rocks would have missed it. One member of the evil cobra family was still alive! The terror in the melon bed was not dead and impotent! The evil cobra in the last egg was not slain!

Now he realized his blunder. Nagasta was "the very last of the brood." It hit him like the lightning bolts starting to fall around them nearby. He hadn't destroyed the last egg! She had Nag's eyes, that's what looked familiar about her. She looked like Nag and Nagaina. And there was Nagaina's last words: "If you strike me down, you shall see how much more powerful I shall become!" Now it made sense. The evil queen had known that her egg had survived. Even in death, she had mocked them. Outsmarted him and the garden creatures. Nagasta would try and finish her evil mission to kill the people.

"No, it can't be!" said Rikki-tikki-tavi, still in disbelief. It can't be. It can't be. he thought. "Yes! You've heard of Nag and Nagaina; I trust your tailorbird friends have told you about them. They were glad to see them gone, I expect. But I've had the last laugh! Those humans failed to destroy my egg! Now I shall destroy them!" hissed Nagasta. "Now, out of my way or you will die!" she hissed. No, I killed your family! he thought. And hopefully you'll join them tonight!

Should he dare tell her[14]? No! he thought. She'll only be all the madder at me. Anyway, those boulders won't hold out much longer. Best let the water finish her, like I should have done months ago! he thought. "I know about your family! And they will all die as will you if you do not get out of the way now!" she hissed, again trying to strike him. "Well, you can't get to them with this flood!" said Rikki-tikki defiantly. "True. But I can get my cobras to ambush them after I am done with my errand!" she hissed.

WAR!

"You'll never be going back to them!" said Rikki. "And just why not?" she hissed angrily. "You'll be dead before sunrise!" he said. He let out his war cry, "Rikk-tikk-tikki-tikki-tchk[15]!" "More and more cobras are joining my cause every day! Young fool!" she hissed, trying several times to bite him and narrowly missing him. "Now feel the wrath of the daughter of Nag and Nagaina, true king and queen of the garden!" she hissed, swaying like crazy and driving Rikki back toward the garden wall with her many swipes at him. Oh boy! he thought. She's worse than Nag and Nagaina put together!

It's now or never! he thought, starting to swipe swiping at Nagasta with his claws and trying to bite her and punching wildly at her, driving her back down the hill toward the valley. Finally he managed to claw her and drew some blood. However, her fangs came so close to him in the effort that he could feel her hot breath and the venom dripped onto his skin, burning it slightly. Was this the end? Was he going to die defending the garden from Nagasta, the last vile child of Nag and Nagaina, who had escaped him? Would his family be safe? he thought. "It's over Nagasta! You'll never be queen of the garden!" he said, knowing he had very little chance of killing her.

Much to his surprise, he was able to bite her, drawing more blood. He had outsmarted her and bit her. She stopped moving. Did I kill her? he thought to himself. Nagasta wasn't dead. She was slightly hurt, but this was merely a ploy. A ploy to lure the young mongoose to his doom. She had faked being badly hurt before. Older mongooses than Rikki-tikki had thought her dead and come to finish her off and eat her. She always struck at them when they came to bite. They always got bitten in the throat and were too hurt to attack her.

Rikki stared at her. Is this a trick? he thought. Water slowly rose around them as the rain kept falling. The boulders, however, still held back the main deluge. He waited. She didn't move. He moved closer. Come closer fool. You will die like all of the other fools who tried to kill me! Nagasta thought. Rikki moved closer. He had decided to bite off her head. However, as he moved near, he saw a faint flicker of her eyes. He jumped back several feet. SNAP! Nagasta's fangs sliced through the air, right where his throat had just been! "Clever mongoose! I've used that trick to claim the lives of mongooses older than you! Now I shall try harder than ever!" she hissed. She rose up quickly before Rikki could get in a jab at her. Her long black and green body moved toward her. She swung at him. "Die Rikki-tikki!" she hissed, laughing evilly. He dodged her. "Come on Rikki-tikki-tavi. Come and dance with death!" she hissed, striking at him again.

He moved left and right, dancing to avoid her. He swung at her and she was hit, but not injured. This is getting nowhere fast. he thought. This little pest is stronger than I thought! thought Nagasta in her purely evil heart. Confident as she was of her superior abilities over the young, foolish mongoose, deep down, she was slightly afraid. However, the battle seemed to be going her way as she drove Rikki several feet away from the boulders and down the valley. So this is how I die. thought Rikki. I've got to make one last attempt! I owe my family and Teddy's family that much! he thought.

He thought of telling her the truth. He figured his life was nearly over anyway. The thought of death was unpleasant, but he knew that there were worse things than death. However, Nagasta would definitely kill his family if he told. But, on the other hand, if he died fighting her, which seemed certain, Teddy and his mother would be killed by Nagasta and the big man by Nagasta and Karistan. A family would die either way. His family or Teddy's? His family or Teddy's? He decided, finally, that he would not tell her and would make a final attack on her to end her. He'd get bitten, that was certain, but he'd keep attacking her until the venom killed him. His own family would live and he'd have at least a chance of saving the humans. It seemed his best hope, if hope it could be. He didn't cry over his own impending[16] end. He would face it bravely. As he prepared to make a suicidal[17] leap at her in a desperate attempt to kill her, the boulders gave way and the water started coming! The two turned and stared at it.

"Have fun drowning Rikki-tikki! I'll be back to claim my garden someday! We'll meet again!" she hissed, fleeing and swimming over some rising water. Rikki ran with all of his strength and managed to reach the garden wall. The water was right behind him. Am I going to escape her only to drown? he thought miserably. He leapt into the air, hoping to grab onto the ledge, but he hadn't jumped quite high enough to reach it. Suddenly two paws reached out, he grabbed them, and they pulled him up over the wall. He was staring at an adult male mongoose who resembled Rikki in some ways. "Father?" he said in astonishment and joy.

Family Reunion

"What were you trying to prove by taking on that cobra? We managed to get past her. What was she on about? We didn't quite hear her. The rain is too loud to hear anything from very far. She nearly killed you!" said his father. "She was after the family that lives here." said Rikki. He didn't feel like going into the story of how he'd failed to destroy the last egg at that time. In fact, he thought, no need to worry Darzee or the others either. Nagasta wouldn't dare come within miles of the garden now that his family was living there. As long as she didn't find out that he had killed Nag and Nagaina, his own family would be safe. There was no way he could tell the garden creatures or even his own family. Darzee would surely sing some annoying chant about how Rikki had killed Nag and Nagaina to taunt Nagasta and then she'd be on them. While he and his family were seen as pests, rather than the true enemy they sought, the people would also be safe for a while as well. But still, he thought of her words. More and more cobras are joining my cause every day! "I think she will come back someday. Anyway, she's after the wrong people. It wasn't the people that did it." said Rikki. "Did what?" said his mother. "I can't say. No, it's not just that I don't think you can hear it without being frightened." said Rikki at his mother's confused look. "Darzee will hear it and then his big mouth will ensure that she finds out. I don't want that right now."

Nagasta's Army Grows

Karistan, Ragiva, and Kinsta were sleeping. They suddenly heard a movement in the grass and slithered toward it. "So, are the humans dead?" said Karistan. "No!" said Nagasta. "Perhaps I should have come with you. What went wrong?" said Karistan. "The little red-eyed pest. It seems we've underestimated him!" hissed Nagasta. "Send out our friends. We'll deal with this pest!" hissed Karistan. Near dawn, about a dozen cobras moved toward the garden. They noticed the mongoose family and retreated. "So is he dead?" said Karistan. "No. There are five of them!" said one of the cobras. "Five. Hmmmm. And eleven of you! A little cowardly, aren't we?" hissed Karistan in disgust. "Well, that and there's not much room to get through due to the water." said another. "Never mind! I'll kill the humans in the end all the same! In fact, I think we'd all be better off without humans altogether! Go to every part of the jungle. Get our kind to unite. We'll drive the humans from this jungle and get rid of the mongoose vermin too!" hissed Nagasta. "It shall be done." said a cobra.

Rikki Ruminates on His Failure

The rain stopped. The next day, the water started to slowly recede and within two weeks, was nearly back to its normal level. Nagasta must have gotten word that my family has managed to get past her and come here. Neither she nor any of her cobras have shown up. Rikki thought joyfully, though he knew in the depths of his heart that she would certainly be back someday.

"We have a whole family of mongooses now!" cheered Darzee. "They'll never come here!" said Chua. "Not for a long time." said Rikki. Nagasta would come back, he was certain. But in the meantime, he would spend the next several months with his family, unbothered by snakes. "Did you kill her?" said Darzee. Rikki shook his head. "No! I was lucky she didn't kill me!" said Rikki-tikki. "Are you going to finish her off?" said Darzee. "Sure." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "I think I'll use you as live bait to lure her to her death." he said. "You wouldn't do that!" said Darzee. "Perhaps I might if you don't shut that big beak of yours! I don't want praises! Frankly, I don't deserve them. I can tell you're about to compose some song about my fight outside the garden with Nagasta." he said, as Darzee stared at him, astonished. "Please don't. Otherwise I might have my family bring back a live cobra for you to play with." he said, laughing.

His sister and brother ran around the house, exploring every bit of it. Apparently, his parents had had more children, thinking Rikki dead. Rikki sat in the sun, trying not to think about Nagasta. I am the true Queen of the Garden! Those humans failed to destroy my egg! Now I shall destroy them!

Well, come and take it then! he thought. I, the true killer of Nag and Nagaina, will be here to protect them! He rested for a while and then was awoken by Dindác. "Mr. Rikki-tikki. Sorry to bother you. But is that cobra coming back? Dad thinks she's going away." he chirped. "She'll be back. I know why she wants to kill the family. I can tell you she's mistaken." said Rikki. "About what?" chirped Dindác. "I'm afraid it's me. I'm the actual one who's done the things she blames the humans for." said Rikki. "What'd you do?" said Dindác. "It's more of what I didn't do that's the problem." he said. "What did you forget to do?" "I don't want to say now. This whole thing is Nag and Nagaina all over again. Quite frankly, it's exactly Nag and Nagaina all over again. However, you're safe for now. That's the important thing." he said.

"Rikki-tikki, who are your friends? This tailorbird seems to have wild stories about you. Imagine you killing three cobras and a dusty brown snakeling. Surely he's a bragger." said his mother. "Darzee. Yeah, he's a bit of a featherbrain. But he's telling the truth. Also, that part about the stones inside the mice was true." he said. "Nice one, Rikki. Killing cobras at your age!" laughed his brother. "Laugh all you want! I saw Nag and he was dead! Karait too!" said Darzee.

"Surely this is a joke." said his sister. "I'm afraid it might be the truth." said his father. "I've seen him at it with that cobra. You were too busy talking to your brother to notice. And your mother was too afraid to look. However, I couldn't have survived her. She's got plenty of strength and skill." he said. "Far more than Nag or Nagaina." said Rikki.

"So, it's really true?" said his mother, still in disbelief. "Yep. Lucky I didn't die." he said. "You must be a natural." said his father. "I've pretty much always had help, except against Karait, the dusty brown snakeling. Darzee and his wife helped a lot especially." said Rikki.

Resting

"Can we keep the mongooses?" asked Teddy. "Of course. I just hope we have enough to feed them all." said the big man. "Care to go mouse hunting?" said Rikki's mother to Rikki. "I heard that you hunted mice as part of a trap on the cobras." "Sure." said Rikki-tikki.

As for right now, he was going to rest in Teddy's bedroom, after first getting some food. He knew the garden war wasn't over. In fact, it had only just begun. But for now, Rikki-tikki-tavi was happier than he had been in months. He would fight future battles. Battles greater by far than any he had ever fought before. Greater even than his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great grandfather had fought in fact! But right now he was content. Not bothered by anything, not even Nagasta.

Darzee's Second Chant

by Paul Adcock

(Sung about Nagasta, the Heartless Cunning One)

Worried and uneasy am I!

Great is the fear that I know!

I raise my lilt to the sky!

My family's terror doth grow!

Guard your fledglings again,

Mother, oh lay down your head!

Go hide in your den!

Oh what a feeling of dread!

About whom do I groan?

The evil snake with a heart of stone.

Nagasta is her name.

Of her wickedness I proclaim.

The king cobra who tried to take my life,

who wickedly tried to eat my wife!

She has done evils untold,

and her eyes are black and cold!

Evil has once more drawn near!

She seeks to destroy all that we hold dear!

Nagasta the foe of the birds,

her vile deeds cannot be expressed in words!

Her hatred for mankind is strong,

and the list of her crimes is long.

Of snakes she's the worst that has been bred,

and we all wish she were dead.

Description
Preparations

Rikki headed back and rested for the rest of the day. The water came to within five feet of the garden wall. "Nagasta wants to kill Teddy and his mother[11]." said Rikki to Darzee and his wife upon waking up that evening. "She wants to kill the big man last, as she wants him to suffer the most. I think whatever she's mad about, he did it." said Rikki. "What did he do?" they said in unison. "I don't know. What's even stranger is that she seems to think she's the rightful queen of the garden." said Rikki-tikki. "I don't know what she's like, but I hated it when Nagaina was queen of the garden." said Darzee, not wanting to think about those days. "Why would she think that?" asked Biwi. "No idea. Perhaps she was a spoiled little brat as a child and thinks the world owes her. That doesn't quite fit though as her parents didn't even bother to take the time to name her. She told me she had to name herself." said Rikki. "Maybe she likes the garden and wants to own it." said Biwi. "Well she'll never be queen of this garden as long as I'm here!" declared Rikki boldly. "However, I know she's going to try attacking until she wins. I can tell she really wants them dead. I've seen that kind of hatred once before. It was the same look Nagaina had before she tried to kill the big people. She'll be coming back soon to kill them." said Rikki. Darzee and his wife shuddered. "Also, that's another odd thing." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "What?" said Darzee. "Nagasta is fascinated with Nag and Nagaina. I don't know how she knew them, but Tivía did and Nagasta wanted to know all about them." "Great, another Nagaina fan!" said Darzee's wife. "She means killing. Tonight I fear." said Rikki-tikki again. "Are you certain?" said Darzee. Teddy and his father were sandbagging the area inside the garden wall to prevent the water from coming in if it got that far.

"Yes. And I think she plans to kill me in my sleep." said Rikki. "She'll never be able to do that. You're such a light sleeper." said Darzee. "Hopefully my family can finish her if she gets me." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "Don't say such things!" said Darzee's wife. "Then again my family doesn't know about her, unless you've told them." said Rikki. Darzee's wife shook her head. "She could lay a trap for them. They think there are no cobras nearby. With her cobra friends, she might be able to overwhelm my family if it came to a surprise attack." said Rikki. "Yes, she might lose some of her cobras if she attempts it, but if done cleverly enough, she could kill them all in the end anyway." said Rikki in response to Darzee's open mouth of astonishment. "Mongooses aren't invincible! It was sheer dumb luck that saved me from Karait and Nag. And even greater luck that saved me from Nagaina." said Rikki-tikki-tavi.

"So you're going to fight her?" said Darzee. "Better than lying here and waiting for her to bite me in my sleep." said Rikki. "And" said Rikki-tikki, "she knows that you've helped me attack her children. What's stopping her from coming here at night and crawling up the tree to get your children? You've moved your nest to a lower branch after Nagaina's death. She can reach up there, you know." said Rikki. Darzee's eyes widened as he realized the same thing.

"Our children are nearly grown. We've already lost one to Nag. We're not losing any more![12]" said Darzee's wife. "What would you do?" said Rikki sarcastically. "Peck out her eyes?" "If I have to." said Darzee. "My kids will be able to fly on their own in a week and then the cobras can't get them." "She's coming tonight!" said Rikki, feeling that they weren't taking him seriously.

"That's enough Teddy." said Teddy's father. The two headed inside. "I'm going to defend them. She's coming tonight I tell you!" said Rikki-tikki-tavi. He walked toward the garden wall and climbed up a tree and then jumped to the top of the wall. "Be careful." said Darzee's wife. The sun set and, four hours later, the rest of the creatures went to bed. Rikki sat, awake and alert on the wall. After about an hour, he noticed that the water was two feet from the wall. "She'll never be able to come from over there." said Rikki, noticing the fast moving current blocking all paths heading toward the garden. However, while climbing around on the wall, he noticed, on the side opposite the garden, a small dip in the land that had been blocked from the water thus far by a large pile of boulders. And he noticed a path heading upward away from the garden, where there wasn't likely to be water. "Aha!" he said to himself and jumped from the wall, heading toward it. He waited till midnight and then heard two voices in the dark.

Night Attack

"I'd like to do this personally. It's me that they've wronged. Not you." said what was clearly Nagasta's voice. "You're my wife. They've wronged you. They've wronged me." said what was obviously Karistan's voice. "I was right!" muttered Rikki under his breath. "No, I want to do this personally. We can go together to get the big man. Right now, I want the boy and his mother. I figured it would be better if the big man lost them both at once. I'll also deal with Rikki-tikki-tavi. I'll bite him in his sleep. He'll be dead before he wakes up!" hissed Nagasta proudly. Not if I can help it! Rikki-tikki thought.

"May the great god Brahm, favorer of our kind, protect you." said Karistan, turning and leaving. Lightning flashed in the sky. It began to rain. "This will make easy work!" hissed Nagasta, heading across the valley. "Nice night, isn't it, eh Wrinkle Skin?" said Rikki, revealing himself to her. It started to rain and thunder rumbled nearby. "Rikki-tikki-tavi, I presume?" said Nagasta casually. "Turn back or die Nagasta!" said Rikki, his eyes growing hot.

The Daughter of Nag and Nagaina

"You will not stop my revenge!" she hissed, raising herself to her full height and raising her hood. "The humans wronged me! Now they're going to pay for it!" Rikki suddenly realized with a jolt another familiar thing about Nagasta. The voice that he had heard months ago, it had belonged to her. "You were in the garden before. Months ago." said Rikki. "You said that the humans would pay for something. It was you that spoke that night four months ago!" "Yes, it was I. Your friends tell you about it? " said Nagasta. "What do you have against the people anyway? What were you doing in the garden? When did the people try and kill you before last night?" said Rikki-tikki. "And what do you care about Nag and Nagaina? They're dead in case you didn't notice!" said Rikki. "I've noticed. They've been dead for four months now." she said. "Then why do you care?" he asked. "What does it matter? You never met them I presume." "Of course I never met them. And, that, Rikki-tikki-tavi, completely matters!" she hissed. "I learned from Tivía that they planned to kill the people there. The big people had murdered Karait and so they…." said Nagasta. "The big people didn't kill Karait!" Rikki-tikki interrupted. "Silence fool! Don't talk about what you don't know about!" she said angrily. "So, they were worried about the big people and planned to kill them in the night." she continued. "So, how did that work out for them? You must be dumb to try and copy them to get revenge at the big people the same way, and you have yet to tell me why you want the big people dead!" said Rikki.

"Nag and Nagaina, the rightful rulers of the garden, were both killed and 24 of their eggs were destroyed." "24? They had 25!" he said. "Yes, there were." she said, a wicked grin on her face. "And all 25 were destroyed!" "No, no, Rikki-tikki. The humans have failed. The big man shot Nag and he must have killed Nagaina too! All but one of their children were killed. They were in the melon bed. However, one egg, the 25th egg, it seems Nag and Nagaina were able to move that egg, the egg of their last child, to safety, though they died themselves, and it hatched underground. Their last daughter heard enough from that loud Coppersmith and the others to learn the names of her parents. The stupid birds had credited the big man for the death of Nag. She left that night, vowing revenge." said Nagasta, laughing wickedly.

"What?!" said Rikki-tikki-tavi in shock. "Who is this snake? What happened to her? Where is she now? Unless…..unless…." he said, dreading the answer. Nagasta advanced toward him, grinning, her pointed white fangs glistening in the light of the lightning around them. "Yes, the 25th egg was my egg. Nag and Nagaina are my parents, meddlesome fool! I want their deaths avenged. I should be the Queen of the Garden as they were King and Queen. Since they died before they named me, I had to name myself. Soon the world will see that our family isn't dead! I'm going to finish what they intended for the humans that so foolishly killed them!" she said, laughing.

"I found Father's body on their rubbish pile and the bodies of my siblings and of his friend Karait. The foolish garden crier dared to cry out their names. Everyone seemed to be pleased they were dead. I never found Mother but she is obviously dead. I waited till the little beasts were asleep, and, knowing they might be too on the alert for cobras at the time, went off, all alone and looked for friends of my parents. One of them was Tivía. I was able to tell them about their deaths, how the big man had murdered them. Foolish man! He didn't get my egg! Now I can get back at him! Now I will kill his son and wife!" said Nagasta, moving toward him and starting to sway[13]. Rikki stood there, lost for words. This was not what he had expected. This made things far, far worse! Far, far worse indeed!

"What?!" said Rikki again, unable to take it in. You're Nag and Nagaina's daughter?! he thought. No, it can't be! Can it? He thought back to his fight with Nagaina.

"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?" said Rikki. "Give me the egg, Rikki-tikki. Give me the last of my eggs, and I will go away and never come back," Nagaina 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!" Rikki said. Nagaina rushed forward and took the egg to her den. He thought of when he had caught up with Nagaina and what had happened. Now he thought of something, yes, he recalled it now. He could he have been so stupid?He recalled that he had stopped biting her and moved aside to avoid her strike. He had just barely dodged her, and had felt increasingly foolish in engaging her in a fight in an area where she so clearly had the advantage. He thought back to the conversation and the event that had followed, the event that had led to the survival of Nagasta, his greatest enemy.

"And once you are dead, I shall make short work of your muskrat friend and your bird friends and especially," Nagaina hissed gleefully, "those human vermin! I'll be Queen of the Garden forever!" "Never!" yelled Rikki, charging at her and causing the egg to fall out of her mouth and roll several feet away from the two combatants.

He had later been pinned down by Nagaina. She had nearly killed him, but he had managed to overpower and kill her. As she died, she hit the wall of the tunnel, causing it to cave in. As he had been on the ground, he had misjudged the position of the falling debris. Most of it had missed the egg. The egg would have been hit by some falling dirt, but not buried or crushed by it. The falling rocks would have missed it. One member of the evil cobra family was still alive! The terror in the melon bed was not dead and impotent! The evil cobra in the last egg was not slain!

Now he realized his blunder. Nagasta was "the very last of the brood." It hit him like the lightning bolts starting to fall around them nearby. He hadn't destroyed the last egg! She had Nag's eyes, that's what looked familiar about her. She looked like Nag and Nagaina. And there was Nagaina's last words: "If you strike me down, you shall see how much more powerful I shall become!" Now it made sense. The evil queen had known that her egg had survived. Even in death, she had mocked them. Outsmarted him and the garden creatures. Nagasta would try and finish her evil mission to kill the people.

"No, it can't be!" said Rikki-tikki-tavi, still in disbelief. It can't be. It can't be. he thought. "Yes! You've heard of Nag and Nagaina; I trust your tailorbird friends have told you about them. They were glad to see them gone, I expect. But I've had the last laugh! Those humans failed to destroy my egg! Now I shall destroy them!" hissed Nagasta. "Now, out of my way or you will die!" she hissed. No, I killed your family! he thought. And hopefully you'll join them tonight!

Should he dare tell her[14]? No! he thought. She'll only be all the madder at me. Anyway, those boulders won't hold out much longer. Best let the water finish her, like I should have done months ago! he thought. "I know about your family! And they will all die as will you if you do not get out of the way now!" she hissed, again trying to strike him. "Well, you can't get to them with this flood!" said Rikki-tikki defiantly. "True. But I can get my cobras to ambush them after I am done with my errand!" she hissed.

WAR!

"You'll never be going back to them!" said Rikki. "And just why not?" she hissed angrily. "You'll be dead before sunrise!" he said. He let out his war cry, "Rikk-tikk-tikki-tikki-tchk[15]!" "More and more cobras are joining my cause every day! Young fool!" she hissed, trying several times to bite him and narrowly missing him. "Now feel the wrath of the daughter of Nag and Nagaina, true king and queen of the garden!" she hissed, swaying like crazy and driving Rikki back toward the garden wall with her many swipes at him. Oh boy! he thought. She's worse than Nag and Nagaina put together!

It's now or never! he thought, starting to swipe swiping at Nagasta with his claws and trying to bite her and punching wildly at her, driving her back down the hill toward the valley. Finally he managed to claw her and drew some blood. However, her fangs came so close to him in the effort that he could feel her hot breath and the venom dripped onto his skin, burning it slightly. Was this the end? Was he going to die defending the garden from Nagasta, the last vile child of Nag and Nagaina, who had escaped him? Would his family be safe? he thought. "It's over Nagasta! You'll never be queen of the garden!" he said, knowing he had very little chance of killing her.

Much to his surprise, he was able to bite her, drawing more blood. He had outsmarted her and bit her. She stopped moving. Did I kill her? he thought to himself. Nagasta wasn't dead. She was slightly hurt, but this was merely a ploy. A ploy to lure the young mongoose to his doom. She had faked being badly hurt before. Older mongooses than Rikki-tikki had thought her dead and come to finish her off and eat her. She always struck at them when they came to bite. They always got bitten in the throat and were too hurt to attack her.

Rikki stared at her. Is this a trick? he thought. Water slowly rose around them as the rain kept falling. The boulders, however, still held back the main deluge. He waited. She didn't move. He moved closer. Come closer fool. You will die like all of the other fools who tried to kill me! Nagasta thought. Rikki moved closer. He had decided to bite off her head. However, as he moved near, he saw a faint flicker of her eyes. He jumped back several feet. SNAP! Nagasta's fangs sliced through the air, right where his throat had just been! "Clever mongoose! I've used that trick to claim the lives of mongooses older than you! Now I shall try harder than ever!" she hissed. She rose up quickly before Rikki could get in a jab at her. Her long black and green body moved toward her. She swung at him. "Die Rikki-tikki!" she hissed, laughing evilly. He dodged her. "Come on Rikki-tikki-tavi. Come and dance with death!" she hissed, striking at him again.

He moved left and right, dancing to avoid her. He swung at her and she was hit, but not injured. This is getting nowhere fast. he thought. This little pest is stronger than I thought! thought Nagasta in her purely evil heart. Confident as she was of her superior abilities over the young, foolish mongoose, deep down, she was slightly afraid. However, the battle seemed to be going her way as she drove Rikki several feet away from the boulders and down the valley. So this is how I die. thought Rikki. I've got to make one last attempt! I owe my family and Teddy's family that much! he thought.

He thought of telling her the truth. He figured his life was nearly over anyway. The thought of death was unpleasant, but he knew that there were worse things than death. However, Nagasta would definitely kill his family if he told. But, on the other hand, if he died fighting her, which seemed certain, Teddy and his mother would be killed by Nagasta and the big man by Nagasta and Karistan. A family would die either way. His family or Teddy's? His family or Teddy's? He decided, finally, that he would not tell her and would make a final attack on her to end her. He'd get bitten, that was certain, but he'd keep attacking her until the venom killed him. His own family would live and he'd have at least a chance of saving the humans. It seemed his best hope, if hope it could be. He didn't cry over his own impending[16] end. He would face it bravely. As he prepared to make a suicidal[17] leap at her in a desperate attempt to kill her, the boulders gave way and the water started coming! The two turned and stared at it.

"Have fun drowning Rikki-tikki! I'll be back to claim my garden someday! We'll meet again!" she hissed, fleeing and swimming over some rising water. Rikki ran with all of his strength and managed to reach the garden wall. The water was right behind him. Am I going to escape her only to drown? he thought miserably. He leapt into the air, hoping to grab onto the ledge, but he hadn't jumped quite high enough to reach it. Suddenly two paws reached out, he grabbed them, and they pulled him up over the wall. He was staring at an adult male mongoose who resembled Rikki in some ways. "Father?" he said in astonishment and joy.

Family Reunion

"What were you trying to prove by taking on that cobra? We managed to get past her. What was she on about? We didn't quite hear her. The rain is too loud to hear anything from very far. She nearly killed you!" said his father. "She was after the family that lives here." said Rikki. He didn't feel like going into the story of how he'd failed to destroy the last egg at that time. In fact, he thought, no need to worry Darzee or the others either. Nagasta wouldn't dare come within miles of the garden now that his family was living there. As long as she didn't find out that he had killed Nag and Nagaina, his own family would be safe. There was no way he could tell the garden creatures or even his own family. Darzee would surely sing some annoying chant about how Rikki had killed Nag and Nagaina to taunt Nagasta and then she'd be on them. While he and his family were seen as pests, rather than the true enemy they sought, the people would also be safe for a while as well. But still, he thought of her words. More and more cobras are joining my cause every day! "I think she will come back someday. Anyway, she's after the wrong people. It wasn't the people that did it." said Rikki. "Did what?" said his mother. "I can't say. No, it's not just that I don't think you can hear it without being frightened." said Rikki at his mother's confused look. "Darzee will hear it and then his big mouth will ensure that she finds out. I don't want that right now."

Nagasta's Army Grows

Karistan, Ragiva, and Kinsta were sleeping. They suddenly heard a movement in the grass and slithered toward it. "So, are the humans dead?" said Karistan. "No!" said Nagasta. "Perhaps I should have come with you. What went wrong?" said Karistan. "The little red-eyed pest. It seems we've underestimated him!" hissed Nagasta. "Send out our friends. We'll deal with this pest!" hissed Karistan. Near dawn, about a dozen cobras moved toward the garden. They noticed the mongoose family and retreated. "So is he dead?" said Karistan. "No. There are five of them!" said one of the cobras. "Five. Hmmmm. And eleven of you! A little cowardly, aren't we?" hissed Karistan in disgust. "Well, that and there's not much room to get through due to the water." said another. "Never mind! I'll kill the humans in the end all the same! In fact, I think we'd all be better off without humans altogether! Go to every part of the jungle. Get our kind to unite. We'll drive the humans from this jungle and get rid of the mongoose vermin too!" hissed Nagasta. "It shall be done." said a cobra.

Rikki Ruminates on His Failure

The rain stopped. The next day, the water started to slowly recede and within two weeks, was nearly back to its normal level. Nagasta must have gotten word that my family has managed to get past her and come here. Neither she nor any of her cobras have shown up. Rikki thought joyfully, though he knew in the depths of his heart that she would certainly be back someday.

"We have a whole family of mongooses now!" cheered Darzee. "They'll never come here!" said Chua. "Not for a long time." said Rikki. Nagasta would come back, he was certain. But in the meantime, he would spend the next several months with his family, unbothered by snakes. "Did you kill her?" said Darzee. Rikki shook his head. "No! I was lucky she didn't kill me!" said Rikki-tikki. "Are you going to finish her off?" said Darzee. "Sure." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "I think I'll use you as live bait to lure her to her death." he said. "You wouldn't do that!" said Darzee. "Perhaps I might if you don't shut that big beak of yours! I don't want praises! Frankly, I don't deserve them. I can tell you're about to compose some song about my fight outside the garden with Nagasta." he said, as Darzee stared at him, astonished. "Please don't. Otherwise I might have my family bring back a live cobra for you to play with." he said, laughing.

His sister and brother ran around the house, exploring every bit of it. Apparently, his parents had had more children, thinking Rikki dead. Rikki sat in the sun, trying not to think about Nagasta. I am the true Queen of the Garden! Those humans failed to destroy my egg! Now I shall destroy them!

Well, come and take it then! he thought. I, the true killer of Nag and Nagaina, will be here to protect them! He rested for a while and then was awoken by Dindác. "Mr. Rikki-tikki. Sorry to bother you. But is that cobra coming back? Dad thinks she's going away." he chirped. "She'll be back. I know why she wants to kill the family. I can tell you she's mistaken." said Rikki. "About what?" chirped Dindác. "I'm afraid it's me. I'm the actual one who's done the things she blames the humans for." said Rikki. "What'd you do?" said Dindác. "It's more of what I didn't do that's the problem." he said. "What did you forget to do?" "I don't want to say now. This whole thing is Nag and Nagaina all over again. Quite frankly, it's exactly Nag and Nagaina all over again. However, you're safe for now. That's the important thing." he said.

"Rikki-tikki, who are your friends? This tailorbird seems to have wild stories about you. Imagine you killing three cobras and a dusty brown snakeling. Surely he's a bragger." said his mother. "Darzee. Yeah, he's a bit of a featherbrain. But he's telling the truth. Also, that part about the stones inside the mice was true." he said. "Nice one, Rikki. Killing cobras at your age!" laughed his brother. "Laugh all you want! I saw Nag and he was dead! Karait too!" said Darzee.

"Surely this is a joke." said his sister. "I'm afraid it might be the truth." said his father. "I've seen him at it with that cobra. You were too busy talking to your brother to notice. And your mother was too afraid to look. However, I couldn't have survived her. She's got plenty of strength and skill." he said. "Far more than Nag or Nagaina." said Rikki.

"So, it's really true?" said his mother, still in disbelief. "Yep. Lucky I didn't die." he said. "You must be a natural." said his father. "I've pretty much always had help, except against Karait, the dusty brown snakeling. Darzee and his wife helped a lot especially." said Rikki.

Resting

"Can we keep the mongooses?" asked Teddy. "Of course. I just hope we have enough to feed them all." said the big man. "Care to go mouse hunting?" said Rikki's mother to Rikki. "I heard that you hunted mice as part of a trap on the cobras." "Sure." said Rikki-tikki.

As for right now, he was going to rest in Teddy's bedroom, after first getting some food. He knew the garden war wasn't over. In fact, it had only just begun. But for now, Rikki-tikki-tavi was happier than he had been in months. He would fight future battles. Battles greater by far than any he had ever fought before. Greater even than his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great grandfather had fought in fact! But right now he was content. Not bothered by anything, not even Nagasta.

Darzee's Second Chant

by Paul Adcock

(Sung about Nagasta, the Heartless Cunning One)

Worried and uneasy am I!

Great is the fear that I know!

I raise my lilt to the sky!

My family's terror doth grow!

Guard your fledglings again,

Mother, oh lay down your head!

Go hide in your den!

Oh what a feeling of dread!

About whom do I groan?

The evil snake with a heart of stone.

Nagasta is her name.

Of her wickedness I proclaim.

The king cobra who tried to take my life,

who wickedly tried to eat my wife!

She has done evils untold,

and her eyes are black and cold!

Evil has once more drawn near!

She seeks to destroy all that we hold dear!

Nagasta the foe of the birds,

her vile deeds cannot be expressed in words!

Her hatred for mankind is strong,

and the list of her crimes is long.

Of snakes she's the worst that has been bred,

and we all wish she were dead.