Original subtitles

This is the story of the great war

that Rikki-tikki-tavi fought single-handed

through the bathrooms of the big bungalow

in Segowlee Cantonment in India.

Darzee, the taflor-bird, helped him,

and Chuchundra, the muskrat...

who never comes out in the middle of the floor,

but always creeps around by the wall...

gave him advice.

But Rikki did the real fighting.

Here's a dead mongoose. Let's have a funeral.

No. No, let's take him in and dry him.

Perhaps he really isn't dead.

I think... I think he's breathing.

- Do you suppose he... - I don't believe he's dead.

He's just half-choked with water.

There. That should warm him up.

Poor little chap.

Now, don't frighten him, and we'll see what he'll do.

Don't be frightened, Teddy.

That's just his way of making friends.

Ouch! He's tickling under my chin.

What's he doing?

I suppose he's so tame because we've been kind to him.

And this is a wild thing.

All mongooses are like that.

If Teddy doesn't pick him up by the tail

or try to put him in a cage,

he'll run in and out of the house all day.

Let's give him something to eat.

- So he'll stay. - Rikki certainly seems to agree with you.

Rikki-tikki. That's what we'll name him.

It was a temptation to eat the whole banana,

but Rikki remembered what his mother had taught him:

a full meal makes a slow mongoose.

And if he wanted all his strength and quickness ready,

he must keep himself thin.

Is he going to run away?

No, no, no. He's just exploring

and getting acquainted.

It is the hardest thing in the world

to frighten or surprise a mongoose

because he is eaten up, from nose to tail, with curiosity.

The motto of the mongoose family is:

Run and find out.

And Rikki was a true mongoose.

There are more things to find out about this house and yard...

he said to himself...

than all my family could find out in all their lives.

♪ When I was a lad, I served a term ♪

♪ As office boy to an attorney's firm ♪

♪ I cleaned the windows, and I swept the floor ♪

♪ And I polished up the handle of the big front door

Why, Rikki. Do you need a bath, too?

Watch out, or you'll get one, whether you need it or not.

Watch your step, Rikki.

Rikki, it's very slippery.

Oh, Rikki. Won't you ever learn?

Oh, Rikki. You look like goose down,

not a mongoose.

I don't like that. He may bite the child.

He'll do no such thing.

Teddy's safer with that little beast

than if he had a bloodhound to watch him.

If a snake came into the nursery now...

Please, don't!

I don't want to think of anything so awful.

Early next morning,

Rikki-tikki came to early breakfast, riding on Teddy's shoulder.

And they gave him a little more banana and some boiled egg,

and Rikki sat on all their shoulders, one after the other,

because every well-brought-up mongoose

hopes to be a house mongoose someday.

Rikki went out into the garden fo see what was fo be seen.

It was a large garden, only half cultivated,

with bushes big as summer houses

of Marshal Neil roses, lime and orange trees,

clumps of bamboo, and thickets of high grass.

This is splendid hunting ground,

Rikki said to himself,

and his tail grew bottle-brushy at the thought of it.

It was Darzee, the tailor-bird and his wife,

on the beautiful nest they had made

by stitching two big leaves together with fibers,

and filling the hollow with cotton and downy stuff.

- What's the matter? - We are very miserable.

One of our babies fell out of the nest yesterday,

and Nag ate him.

That is very sad.

But I'm a stranger here. Who is Nag?

Who is Nag? I am Nag.

It was a horrid, cold sound,

and inch by inch out of the grass

rose the head and spread hood

of Nag, the big, black cobra.

I am Nag.

The great god Brahm put his mark upon all our people

when the first cobra spread his hood

to keep the sun off Brahm.

Look, and be afraid.

Rikki was afraid for a minute,

but then he remembered that all a mongoose's business in life

is to fight and kill snakes.

Nag knew that, too,

and at the bottom of his cold heart,

he was afraid.

Behind you! Nag's wife! Look behind youl

Wicked, wicked bird,

hissed Nagaina,

for she knew that a live mongoose in the garden

meant death, sooner or later, for her family.

And Rikki chattered with rage,

but Nag and Nagaina had disappeared,

and he realized that he could not handle two snakes at once,

particularly in the tall grass.

Rikki took a stroll to think.

It was a serious matter to him,

because there is no herb that a mongoose can eat

that will protect him from a cobra's bite.

Victory over the cobra is only a matter

of quickness of eye and quickness of foot...

snake's blow against mongoose's jump...

and as no eye can follow

the motion of a snake's head when it strikes,

this makes things more wonderful than any magic herb.

Rikki had managed to escape a blow from behind,

and it gave him confidence.

Rikki! Where have you been?

I'll bet you've been playing.

Here.

Be careful. I am death.

It was Karait, the dust-brown snakeling

whose bite is as dangerous as a cobra's.

If Rikki-tikki had only known,

he was doing a much more dangerous thing than fighting Nag.

For Karait is so small,

and he can turn so quickly,

that unless Rikki bit him close to the head,

he would get a return stroke in his eye or his lip.

Father, look herel Our mongoose is killing a snake.

He saved your life, Teddy.

Teddy's mother said he was a providence.

Oh, Rikki, you're so handsome and so brave.

Rikki was rather amused at all the fuss.

Teddy's mother might just as well have petted Rikki

for playing in the dust.

Rikki was thoroughly enjoying himself.

As soon as Teddy was asleep,

Rikki went off for his nightly walk ‘round the house.

In the dark, he discovered Chuchundra, the muskrat,

creeping ‘round by the wall.

Hey, don't kill me, great mongoose, don't kill me.

Do you think a snake killer kills muskrats?

Those who kill snakes get killed by snakes.

How am I to be sure

that Nag won't mistake me for you some dark night?

There's not the least danger. Nag is out in the garden.

And I know you don't go there.

Yes.

Yes, but my cousin Chua, the rat,

he told me...

Told you what, Chuchundra?

Nag is everywhere.

Oh, dear. Oh, dear! You should have talked to Chua.

I didn't. So you must tell me quick.

Quick, Chuchundra, or I shall bite you.

I'm a very poor and humble man.

I never have spirit enough to run out in the middle of a room.

I mustn't tell you anything.

Can't you hear, Rikki-tikki?

The house was still as stil,

but he thought he could just catch the faintest

scratch, scratch in the world:

a noise as faint as that of the wasp

walking on a windowpane.

That's Nag or Nagaina,

Rikki said to himself.

And he's crawling into the bathroom sluice.

You're right, Chuchundra. I should had talked to Chua.

I will go,

and I will kill the big man and his wife,

and the child if I can.

Then the bungalow will be empty,

and Rikki-tikki will go.

When the house is emptied of people,

the mongoose will go away.

So there is everything to be gained by killing the people.

When the bungalow is empty,

we again will be king and queen of the garden.

As soon as our eggs in the melon bed hatch,

our children will need room.

This is good,

Nag said to himself.

The big man has a fire stick,

but when he comes in to bathe in the morning,

he will not have that stick.

I shall wait here until he comes.

If I don't break his back at the first jump...

thought Rikki...

he can still fight... and if he fights...

Oh, Rikki. It must be the head.

The head above the hood.

And once I'm there, I must never let go.

It's the mongoose again, Alice.

The little chap has... has saved our lives now.

What was... What was all that noise about downstairs?

Never mind. I'll tell you in the morning, dear.

Oh, Rikki. You are brave and beautiful.

In the morning, Rikki was very stiff,

but very well pleased with himself.

But he didn't wait for breakfast, because he knew

that now he had Nagaina to settle with.

And she will be worse than five Nags...

said Rikki to himself.

And there's no knowing when her eggs will hatch.

Darzee was singing a song of triumph at the top of his voice.

♪ Coo-co-co-coo C00-c00-c00-c0o0 ♪

♪ Who has delivered us, who? ♪

♪ Tell me his nest and his name ♪

♪ Rikki, the valiant, the true ♪

♪ Tikki with eyeballs aflame ♪

♪ Rikkity-tikki... ♪

Oh, you stupid tuft of feathers!

Is this the time to sing?

Where's Nagaina?

♪ Sing to your fledglings again ♪

♪ Mother, O lift up your head ♪

♪ The evil that plagued us is slain ♪

♪ Death in the garden lies dead ♪

♪ Terror that hid in the roses is gone ♪

♪ He lies on the rubbish heap dead ♪

Stop. Stop it, Darzee. Where's Nagaina?

For the great, the beautiful Rikki's sake,

I will stop. What is it, O killer of the terrible Nag?

Where is Nagaina? For the third time.

On the rubbish heap by the stables, mourning for Nag.

Great is Rikki-tikki with the white teeth!

Bother my white teeth. Where does she keep her eggs?

♪ Give him the thanks of the birds ♪

♪ Bowing with tail feathers spread ♪

♪ Praise him with nightingale words I

♪ Nay, I will praise him instead ♪

♪ Here I will sing you ♪

♪ The praise of the bottle-tailed Rikki ♪

♪ With eyeballs of red I

Darzee's wife was a sensible bird,

and she knew that cobra eggs in a garden

meant young cobras later on.

In the melon bed, on the end nearest the wall.

Quickly, fly off and pretend your wing is broken,

and let Nagaima chase you back here.

I must get to the melon bed.

My wing is broken!

The boy in the house threw a stone and broke it!

You warned Rikki-tikki, when I would have killed him.

Indeed and truly, you've chosen a bad place to be lame in.

The boy broke it with a stone.

Oh, dear, oh, dear.

What is the use of running away?

I am sure to catch you.

Little fool, look at mel

Darzee's wife knew better than to do that,

for a bird who looks at a snake's eyes

may get so frightened that she cannot move.

Rikki found the cobra's nest,

and crushed all but one of the deadly eggs, when...

Rikki-tikki, Nagaina has gone to the house and...

Oh, come quickly. She means killing!

Sit still, Teddy. You mustn't move, Teddy.

Keep very still.

Son of the man that killed Nag!

If you move, I strike!

And if you do not move, I strike!

Oh, foolish people!

Turn around, Nagaina. Turn and fight.

All in good time.

I will settle my account with you presently.

If you come a step nearer,

I will strike the boy!

What price for a cobra's egg?

For a young cobra?

Give it to me, Rikki-tikki.

Trick! Trick! Trick!

Trick! Trick! Trick!

And Nag was dead before the big man blew him up.

I killed Nag!

Come and fight with me, Nagaina.

Very few mongooses,

however old and wise they may be,

care to follow a cobra into its hole.

You never know when the hole might open out

and give the cobra room fo strike.

It's all over with Rikki-tikki.

We must sing his death song.

♪ Sing him a sad song of birds ♪

♪ Bowing with tail feathers spread ♪

♪ Sing to your fledglings again ♪

♪ Mother, O bow down your head I

♪ Nagaina will hunt ♪

♪ In the garden once more I

♪ For Rikki the valiant is dead ♪

It's all over. Nagaina will never come out again.

♪ Who has delivered us, who? ♪

♪ Tell me his nest and his name ♪

♪ Rikki, the valiant, the true ♪

♪ Tikki with eyeballs aflame ♪

♪ Rikk-tikki-tikki ♪

♪ The ivory-fanged ♪

♪ The hunter with eyeballs I

♪ Aflame ♪

He saved our lives and Teddy's life.

He saved all our lives.

Rikki had a right to be proud of himself.

But he did not grow too proud.

And he kept that garden as a mongoose should keep ft,

with tooth and jump and spring and bite,

till never a cobra dared show its head

inside the wall.