Rikki-tikki-tck-tck ! Come then , Nagaina . Come and fight with me . You shall not be a widow long . '' Nagaina saw that she had lost her chance of killing Teddy , and the egg lay between Rikki-tikki 's paws . `` Give me the egg , Rikki-tikki . Give me the last of my eggs , and I will go away and never come back , '' she 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-tikki was bounding all round Nagaina , keeping just out of reach of her stroke , his little eyes like hot coals . Nagaina gathered herself together and flung out at him . 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 .
XXXXX knew that he must catch her , or all the trouble would begin again .
Fight Nag Nagaina Rikki-tikki Rikki-tikki-tck-tck breath hood horse stroke veranda