14. Rikki Tikki Tawi

 A. WARMER

Animals are our friends. Human has been keeping pet for a long time. Which animals are pet animals? How are they useful?

Ans. Dog, cow, buffalo, goat, rabbit, hen, etc. are pet animals. Dogs guard our houses. Cows, buffalos and goats give us milk. Hens - give us eggs. Other pet animals are useful in other ways. The sheep gives us wool.

Read this story of a pet mongoose and see how he helped his master.

It had rained heavily all night. The sunlight was a little pale. Teddy, a young boy of ten, ran out into the garden. He saw a mongoose lying wet and still on the grass.

'Here's a dead mongoose, Teddy called out to his mother. Let's bury him.'

'No', said Teddy's mother. His heart is beating faintly. Perhaps he will live. Let's take him inside and dry him.'

Teddy's father wrapped him up in an old woollen muffler and placed him near the fire. The mongoose sneezed. Teddy and his parents were delighted. They gave him some meat and then took him outside. He sat in the sun and shook his fur till it was quite dry. He then shook his long, fluffy tail till it looked like a bottle brush.

 

He started taking interest in Teddy and the things around him. He followed Teddy around the house and into the garden. At night he slept in Teddy's room.

In the morning he came to breakfast, sitting on Teddy's shoulder. Teddy gave him a banana and a boiled egg. The mongoose enjoyed his Breakfast. 

Soon Teddy and the little mongoose became very good friends. The mongoose would run through the tall grass crying 'Rikki – tikki - tikki-tikki'. Teddy used to laugh at him and started calling him Rikki Tikki Tawi.

 

One morning, Rikki Tikki was wandering about in the garden. There he saw Nag, the big cobra and his wife, Nagin. Cobras and mongooses are old enemies. Although Rikki Tikki was young, he knew that the main purpose of a mongoose's life is to fight and kill snakes. Nag also knew that a mongoose in the garden meant death for him and his family. He was a full grown snake and measured five feet from the tip of his tongue to the end of his tail. Rikki Tikki was still a baby. He told himself, 'I won't fight Nag and Nagin when they are together.' So he jumped up high in the air and ran away.

 

It was night. Teddy carried Rikki to bed. As soon as the boy was asleep Rikki went off for his nightly walk round the house. Suddenly the silence was disturbed by a faint noise; it was coming from the bathroom of Teddy's parents.

Rikki Tikki quickly entered the bathroom. He could hear Nag and Nagin talking on the other side of the bathroom drain.

Nagin was telling her husband, 'Bite and kill all three people in the house. The mongoose will go away when there is no one left in the house. We will then have the garden to ourselves.'

Then Rikki Tikki saw Nag slithering into the bathroom through the drain. Although Rikki Tikki was very angry, he was also a little scared. Nag was so big and poisonous.

Nag waited for Teddy's father to come to the bathroom. He knew he would come at midnight. So he coiled himself up till he looked like a length of rope arranged in the shape of a circle. Then he went to sleep. Rikki Tikki was hiding behind the door and watching Nag.

When Nag was fast asleep, Rikki Tikki jumped on his head and dug his teeth into the snake's flesh. Nag was furious. He threw his head from side to side and poor Rikki Tikki was thrown against the wall again and again. He was hurt and bleeding but he did not let go his hold of Nag's head.

During this struggle Nag's tail upset the mug and soap dish. They fell to the ground with a loud thud. Rikki Tikki thought he was going to die. Suddenly, the wild struggling stopped. Nag's head dropped down and did not move again. Teddy's father, who had entered the bathroom on hearing the loud thud, had shot him with a gun.

He picked up the bleeding Rikki Tikki and went back to his bedroom. He asked his wife to put some medicine on Rikki's wounds.

'I have shot the snake,' he said, 'but it is Rikki Tikki that has saved our lives.'

Teddy's mother washed Rikki's wounds with medicine. She petted his poor, sore head and gave him some toffees. Rikki Tikki was happy. He fluffed up his tail and ran off to Teddy's room.

 

RUDYARD KIPLING

 

B. COMPRESHENSION:

B.1. Think and Tell:

Q. 1. How old was Teddy?

Ans, Teddy was ten years old.

Q. 2. How did the mother know that the mongoose was nto dead?

Ans. The mother had been that the mangoose heart was beating 

faintly. So, she knew that the mongoose was not dead.

Q. 3. Why were Teddy and his parents delighted?

Ans. The mongoose sneezed, when kept for some time near the fire. Seeing life in him and his progress, Teddy and his parents became delighted.

Q. 4. Where did the mongoose sleep?

Ans. The mongoose slept with Teddy in his bedroom.

B. 2. Think and write :

B.2.1. Answer in a word or a sentence:

Q.1. Why did Teddy's father wrap the mongoose in an old woolen muffler and placed him near fire?

Ans. To dry him, to warm him, to pull back to normal life Today's father wrapped the mongoose in an old woolen muffler and placed him near the fire.

Q. 2. What did the mongoose eat in breakfast?

Ans. The mongoose ate a banana and a boiled egg in breakfast.

Q.3. What is the main prupose of a mongoose's life?

Ans. The main purpose of a mangoose's life is to fight and kill the snakes.

Q. 4. Where did Rikki Tikki see Nag and Nagin ?

Ans. In the garden.

B.2.2. Answer in not more than 50 words.

Q.1. Why did Teddy name the mongoose 'Rikkiy Tikky Tawi'?

Ans. The mongoose ran through the tall grass crying Rikki Tikki- tikki-tikki. today used to laugh at him. Hearing his pleasant sound, he started calling him 'Rikkiy Tikki Tawi'. 

Q.2. What wre Nag and Nagin talking?

Ans. On the other side of the bathroom drain, Nag and Nagin were talking. Nagin was saying to her husband to kill all three people living in the house. She further said that when all would be dead, then the mongoose would go away from the hosue. After that the garden will be theris.

Q. 3. Why didi Rikki Tikki enter the bathroom of Teddy's parents?

Ans. Rikki was aware of the snake's presence in the house so, during the night he used to walk round the house. Once, he heard a faint hissing voice from the bathroom of Teddy's parents. He entered the bathroom to see if the Nag was present over there.

Q.4. Why did Nag and Nagin want to bite Teddy and his parents?

Ans. Snakes fear of men as they fear of mongoose. So, the Nag and Nagin wanted to bite Teddy and his parents so that after theirdeath, the mongoose would run away from there and their lives would be saved and the garden would be theirs only.

Q. 5. What made Rikki Tikki fight against Nag?

 Ans. Rikki Tikki was obliged to the family of Teddy. They had saved his life. So, when he saw the Nag and Nagin in the house he knew that the family was in danger. He was the dear pet of the family and he knew he had to pay for the obligation. When the Nag was preparing to kill the members of the family during the night, he bravely fought against and Nag.

C.2. Find out the words of opposite meanings: 

Friends, death, wet, awake, unhappy

Ans. 

Friends - Enemies

Death - Birth

Wet - Dry

Awake - Asleep

Unhappy - Happy

E. LET'S TALK AND WRITE

Q. (b) Write a paragraph on your pet animal.

Ans. My Pet Animal:

I have a pet animal. It is a dog. I have named him Tommy. He is very obedient and faithful. He watches our house at night. He is very clever. He understands all that he is trained to follow. He barks vio- lently at strangers but he welcomes calmly to those whom he knows well. We give him rice, bread. meat and fish eat. Meat and fish are his favourite food. He easily understand what we went in watch on train. He plays ball with me lovingly. I throw the ball anywhere and he runs and brings the ball carrying in his mouth to me. I love my pet dog Tommy very much.