He was quiet, even friendly and affectionate with you.

He only attacked the snakes, which is, after all, his business in life." "That is so!" "Then we must try to find some reason why he attacked Lady Arabella." "May it not be that a mongoose may have merely the instinct to attack, that nature does not allow or provide him with the fine reasoning powers to discriminate who he is to attack ?" "Of course that may be so.

But, on the other hand, should we not satisfy ourselves why he does wish to attack anything?
If for centuries, this particular animal is known to attack only one kind of other animal, are we not justified in assuming that when one of them attacks a hitherto unclassed animal, he recognises in that animal some quality which it has in common with the hereditary enemy ?" "That is a good argument, sir," Adam went on, "but a dangerous one.

If we followed it out, it would lead us to believe that Lady Arabella is a snake." "We must be sure, before going to such an end, that there is no point as yet unconsidered which would account for the unknown thing which puzzles us." "In what way ?" "Well, suppose the instinct works on some physical basis--for instance, smell.

If there were anything in recent juxtaposition to the attacked which would carry the scent, surely that would supply the missing cause." "Of course!" Adam spoke with conviction.
"Now, from what you tell me, the negro had just come from the direction of Diana's Grove, carrying the dead snakes which the mongoose had killed the previous morning.