at the bottom of his cold heart he was afraid.

'Well,' said Rikki-tikki, and his tail began to fluff up again,
'marks or no marks, do you think it is right for you to eat
fledglings out of a nest?'

Nag was thinking to himself, and watching the least little movement
in the grass behind Rikki-tikki. He knew that mongooses in the garden
meant death sooner or later for him and his family, but he wanted to
get Rikki-tikki off his guard. So he dropped his head a little, and
put it on one side.

'Let us talk,' he said. 'You eat eggs. Why should not I eat birds?'

'Behind you! Look behind you!' sang Darzee.

Rikki-tikki knew better than to waste time in staring. He jumped up
in the air as high as he could go, and just under him whizzed by the
head of Nagaina, Nag's wicked wife. She had crept up behind him as he
was talking, to make an end of him; and he heard her savage hiss as
the stroke missed. He came down almost across her back, and if he had
been an old mongoose he would have known that then was the time to
break her back with one bite; but he was afraid of the terrible
lashing return-stroke of the cobra. He bit, indeed, but did not bite
long enough, and he jumped clear of the whisking tail, leaving
Nagaina torn and angry.

'Wicked, wicked Darzee!' said Nag, lashing up as high as he could
reach toward the nest in the thorn-bush; but Darzee had built it out
of reach of snakes, and it only swayed to and fro.