THE FAITHFUL DOG

Halku came and told his wife, "Sahana has come to collect the dues; give me the money you have set aside. I will pay him up; I can breathe easy after that."

Munni was sweeping the floor. She turned and said, "There are only three rupees. If you give that away how can you buy a blanket? How will you spend the winter months in the fields? tell him you will pay him after the harvest, not now."

For a moment Halku stood in a state of uncertainty thinking over the matter. The coldest winter days were almost knocking at the door; it was impossible to sleep in the field without a blanket on such chilly nights. But Sahana was not likely to give in; he would insult and hurl abuses. Better pay him up and get rid of the trouble.

Halku was a heavyset man, and not the lightweight person as his misleading name suggested. He came closer to his wife and pleaded, "Give the money; let me get rid of this trouble. I will think up something else for the blanket."

Munni moved away and rolling her eyes said scornfully, "Yes, you will think up something else! Let's hear what you will do. Is someone going to present you with a free blanket? Don't know how much we owe; no matter how much we pay, our debts don't ever seem to become any less! Why don't you give up tenant farming? You work yourself to death, and yet if there is a good harvest it only goes into paying off debts! It seems as though we were born merely to keep paying our debts all through our lives. Take up employment as a labourer; it will be better than such useless farming? I will not give the money .... I won't."

Halku was depressed. "So, what do I do? Listen to his abuses?"

Munni said angrily, "Why should he abuse you? Does he rule here?"

But she lowered her raised eyebrows immediately. There was in Halku's statement a harsh truth, which was like a deadly germ.

She fetched the money and gave it to Halku. Then she said, "You give up tenant farming. We can at least enjoy our bread peacefully from the money earned through labour. No one will be able to browbeat us then."

Halku took the money and with heavy steps made for the door. He felt very miserable, as though he were about to tear his heart and give it away. He had very carefully saved the three rupees for a blanket; today, he had to give the money away. His head felt heavier with every step he took under the weight of his poverty.

It was a dark winter night. Even the stars appeared to be shivering in the sky. Halku was shivering under a canopy of sugarcane leaves. He had an old shawl wrapped around him and was lying on a cot, strung from bamboos, at one corner of his field. Jabra, his dog and constant companion, lay under the cot with his mouth pressed to his abdomen. Jabra was feeling very miserable because of the cold, and let out a whine from time to time. Sleep eluded both of them.

Halku pressed his knees to his shoulders and said, "Jabra, are you feeling cold? I told you to stay at home and lie on the straw. But you wouldn't listen. Now shiver in the cold; what can I do? You thought I was coming here to have a feast and came running after me. Now, whine as much as you want."

Jabra wagged his tail and after giving a long sigh, stopped whining. His doggy intelligence, perhaps, inferred that his master was unable to sleep because of his whining.

Halku removed a hand from the shawl and caressed Jabra's cold back. "Don't come with me from tomorrow, else you will die of cold. I don't know from where this wind brings so much ice; I think I will get up and have a smoke. That will help me to somehow stay put through the night. I have already smoked eight pipes. This is the fun of farming. There are some fortunate people from whom the cold runs away in fright; they have thick blankets, which the cold dare not penetrate. That's fate. It is we who have to do all the work, and it is they who enjoy!"

Halku stood up and lighted his "chillum (clay pipe)" from the fire pit. Jabra also got up.

"Do you want to smoke?" Halku asked Jabra while smoking his chillum. "This doesn't ward off the cold; it only cheers you up a bit."

Jabra looked up at his master with melting eyes.

"Bear up today; tomorrow I will spread some straw, and then you will not feel so cold," Halku told him.

Jabra put his front paws on Halku's knees and brought his mouth closer. Halku could feel his warm breath.

After smoking his pipe Halku lay down on the cot, determined to sleep come what may. But almost immediately his heart began to quiver, and he tossed and turned in discomfort. The cold, like the devil, sat on his chest.

When he could no longer bear the discomfort, Halku gently lifted Jabra and stroking his head, took the dog on his lap. There was a foul odour from Jabra's body, but Halku experienced great comfort in pressing the dog to his body; he felt a warmth that seemed to have been deprived to him for months together! As for Jabra, the dog perhaps thought that this was heaven! Halku did not have even a trace of aversion for the dog. He would have embraced a close friend or a brother in the same way. He did not rue his poverty that had reduced him to this state. No, it was as if this strange friendship had opened all the doors of his soul, and every atom of his body was shining brightly.

At that instant Jabra pricked his ears at the sound of some animal. The affection shown by his master gave him fresh energy that scoffed at the cold breeze. He rose and, coming out of the improvised shelter, started barking. Halku called him several times but Jabra disregarded his master's commands. Jabra ran around the field in great frenzy, barking all the while. The dog, in response to his master's calls, would come to him now and then, but would immediately dart off again. It was some sense of duty which was forcing the dog to behave in that manner.

One more hour passed. It became much colder; the night had started fanning the cold with an icy wind. Halku rose and sat with his knees pressed to his chest and his head buried between his knees. Yet he felt cold. It was as though the blood in his body had frozen; and it was ice that was flowing through his arteries! He looked up at the sky to see how long the night would last. The Great Bear constellation was not even halfway to the highest position in the sky; it is only when the constellation reached its zenith could one be assured of the dawn. Daybreak was still a long way off!

There was a mango orchard just a stone's throw away from Halku's field. The trees had started shedding leaves and there was a pile of leaves in the orchard. Halku decided to gather the dry leaves and burn them to warm himself. If someone sees me gathering the leaves at this hour, they will take me for a ghost, Halku thought to himself. There could be some animal hiding there; but can't give in to fears now, the cold has become unbearable.

He uprooted a few pigeon pea plants from the field and made a broom out of them. Picking up a burning cow dung cake, he then made for the orchard. Jabra came up to Halku and wagged his tail.

Halku told him, "The cold has become unbearable, Jabra. Let's go to the orchard and sweep the leaves into a pile and burn them. After getting warm, we will come back and sleep. There is still a long night ahead of us."

Jabra made some whining sound to express agreement and scampered ahead of Halku to the orchard.

It was very dark in the orchard. The heartless cold wind blew over the leaves and scattered them. The trees were laden with dew and the drops dripped continuously to the ground.

Just then a gust of breeze blew across carrying the sweet fragrance of myrtle flowers.

Halku said, "What a sweet fragrance Jabra! Can you smell it?"

But Jabra had found a bone and was busy with it.

Halku placed the burning cow dung cake on the ground and began sweeping the leaves. Within a short time, there was a big pile of leaves. His feet were sore and his hands were numb with cold. But Halku was determined to raise a hill of leaves and burn the cold to ashes.

After some time, there was a nice crackling bonfire. The flames rose and licked the leaves of the trees high above. In the unsteady light thrown by the bonfire, it appeared as though the huge trees were balancing the eternal darkness on their heads. The glow cast by the flames was like a small boat rocking on the sea of endless darkness.

Halku sat close to the bonfire and warmed his body. He stretched both his legs as if challenging the cold: "Let's see what you can do now?" Halku could not suppress his pride at having triumphed over the mighty power of the cold.

He asked Jabra, "Well Jabru, are you feeling cold now?"

Jabra let out a happy woof as if to say, "Cold! What cold?"

"Why didn't I think of this earlier!" Halku said. "There would have been no need to shiver in the cold."

Jabra wagged his tail.

"Okay, let's see who can leap over this bonfire. Boy, if you get scorched, I will apply an ointment."

Jabra looked at the bonfire mournfully.

"Don't tell Munni, else she will quarrel with me."

So saying Halku leaped over the bonfire and crossed over to the other side. The flames did touch his feet but it was nothing. Jabra walked around the bonfire and joined him on the other side.

"This isn't right," Halku told him, "you have to leap over the flames". Halku repeated his feat.

The leaves had burned down. Once again the garden was engulfed in darkness. Beneath the ashes, there were still a few cinders which tried to wake up when the wind blew, but would go back to sleep once the wind passed.

Halku wrapped the shawl around him once again and sat by the side of the warm ashes humming a tune. He was feeling warm. A laziness crept over him as the warmth from the ashes began to die and it grew colder.

All of a sudden, Jabra let out a stream of barks and ran towards the field. Halku got the impression that a herd of animals had entered his field. It was perhaps a herd of Nilgais. Halku could clearly hear the sounds they were making. Then he could hear them eating the crops in the field. "Chop-chop", the sound was easy to distinguish.

But Halku did not want to believe his ears. "No. With Jabra around, no animal would dare to enter the field," he said to himself. "I am only imagining things. There is no sound now. I cannot hear a thing."

He called out aloud, "Jabra, Jabra."

But Jabra kept barking and did not come to Halku.

Then, yet again, Halku could hear the sound of chomping coming from the field. This time, Halku could not deceive himself. He did not wish to leave the orchard; he was feeling so comfortable. He felt it would be foolish to go to the field in such cold to chase away the animals. He did not move.

He yelled at the top of his voice to scare away the animals. "Liho-liho! Liho!!"

Jabra once again let out a stream of barks. The animals were grazing. The crops were ready for harvesting. It was such a good field; but these bad animals were destroying the crops.

Halku got up with grim determination now and walked a few steps. But a sudden cold blast, like a scorpion's sting, hit him and he returned back to the dying bonfire. He stoked the embers and began warming his cold body.

Jabra was barking his head off; the nilgais were destroying the crops; and Halku sat peacefully by the dying bonfire. Lethargy, like a rope, had bound him tight.

After some time, he covered himself with the shawl and lying down by the side of the ashes, fell asleep.

When he rose in the morning, there was bright sunshine all around and Munni was saying, "Aren't you going to wake up today? You are sleeping here, and there the entire field has been destroyed.

Halku got up and asked, "Are you coming from the field?"

Munni said, "Yes, the entire field is in ruins. How can anyone sleep so soundly! What has been the use of your staying up in the field?"

Halku pretended to be sick. "I almost died, and all you can think of is your field. I had such a severe stomach ache - only I know how dreadful it was!"

Both of them went to the field and saw it was completely destroyed. Jabra was lying under the cot fast asleep, as if he had no life in him.

Both of them were looking at the destruction. Munni was downcast and there was a gloomy expression on her face, but Halku seemed to be happy.

Munni, her voice filled with concern, said, "Now you will have to pay up the land tax through your labours."

But Halku was happy. A smile lit up his face as he replied, "At least, I don't have to sleep out here in the cold anymore.