There are two cobras that Rikki-tikki faces off against. Nag is the male cobra and Nagaina is the female cobra. The first snake that Rikki-tikki sees is Nag, and he is a rather imposing figure.
Then inch by inch out of the grass rose up the head and spread hood of Nag, the big black cobra, and he was five feet long from tongue to tail. … he looked at Rikki-tikki with the wicked snake's eyes that never change their expression, whatever the snake may be thinking of.
Nag raises himself up and shows off his great hood. On his hood there is a “spectacle-mark on the back of it that looks exactly like the eye part of a hook-and-eye fastening.” Rikki-tikki is only intimidated for a moment, and is not tricked when Nagaina tries to come up behind him.
Nag and Nagaina know that a mongoose is very bad news for them. As the new house mongoose, it is Rikki-tikki’s job to kill all of the snakes. The cobras would definitely be on his hit-list, and this worries them because they have a family of new cobras waiting to hatch in the melon-bed.
Even though Riki-tikki knows it is his job to kill the cobra, the cobra is huge. Rikki-tikki is scared when he knows that Nag has come in the house.
Rikki-tikki tingled all over with rage and hatred at this, and then Nag's head came through the sluice, and his five feet of cold body followed it. … Nag coiled himself up, raised his head, and looked into the bath-room in the dark, and Rikki could see his eyes glitter.
Despite the size and danger of the cobras, Rikki-tikki manages to kill both of them. He has to follow Nagaina into her hole to do it, which makes it even more dangerous. The other animals do not think he will survive, but he wins.
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