into the main road. Chunnu Dada was returning to
his farm after six days. He had gone to town to buy a
pair of Great Danes for the farmhouse.
"Hello, Chunnu Dada!" Sameer shook hands with
his brother as he stepped down from his jonga. Chunnu
Dada hugged him. Seven small dogs, Boota, Dopu,
Kali, Cherry, Parry, Pixie and Tooney ran out of the
house, tails wagging.
Chunnu Dada was very fond of his dogs. Each one
tried to lick his face as he kneeled to pat them. The
little black dachshund, Kali, the most affectionate
of them all, struggled to make her way towards him.
He picked her up and walked towards Tooney, who
stood behind the group. She was heavy with a litter
and unable to jump about and play like the others.
She waited patiently for her turn to be patted.
"How is mama-to-be?" asked Chunnu Dada.
Tooney wagged her tail.
Sameer went inside with Chunnu Dada.
"Have you brought the dogs?" he asked.
"Oh yes. But, what have you been doing?" asked
Chunnu Dada, grasping Sameer's hand affectionately.
"I went for a ride on the tractor with Dharamvir."
"That's good. So you are enjoying your holidays,
aren't you?"
"Of course, Dada! It's so wonderful. Watching the
paddy plantation, tractor rides everyday, playing with
the loveliest dogs on earth and..."
A call from Ganga Singh interrupted their conversation.
"Your meal is ready. Come and get it."
The dogs could hardly conceal their excitement as
they heard the lattle of dogs' plates. Dopu and Pixie
leapt over the rest as they made for the backyard.
"You see Dada, Dopu and Pixie just cannot resist
food. They're always hungry," Sameer laughed. "Go,
all of you!" he motioned to the rest of the dogs.
Coming out of his bedroom into the big hall,
Daddy asked, "Chunnu is that you? Have you
brought the dogs?"
"I have brought a pair of Great Danes," said
Chunnu Dada touching his father's feet. "Come I'll
show you. They are inside the jonga." They went
towards the jonga.
"Where are they, Dada?" Sameer asked somewhat
impatiently.
"In here," said Chunnu Dada. He opened the
jonga's rear door and urged the pair to come out.
"That's Sultan and this is Ruby," Chunnu Dada
proudly introduced the two enormous Great Danes,
a dog and a bitch, as they stepped out.
"They look superb," Sameer cried out in excitement.
"Saheb, they are frightening." Ganga Singh
watched them from a distance.
"Yes, that's why they are called Great Danes.
They are just right for this lonely farmhouse," said
Chunnu Dada.
The two Great Danes looked around.
The bunch of seven dogs stood away from the
jonga and growled at the new comers.
"Keep quiet!" Sameer tried to quieten them.
"Come on little ones, they are your new friends.
Hey, you two, come here," said Chunnu Dada to
Sultan and Ruby.
The two did not budge. Chunnu Dada patted them
muttering "Come on, come on."
"They are a fine pair, eh? Good size, too," said
Daddy as he patted the new arrivals. Encouraged by
Daddy's gesture, Sameer went close to the pair and
touched their fur hesitantly.
"Look at them," cried Ganga Singh, pointing towards
the little dogs which, by then, had collected near the gate.
They were giowling and barking.
Boota, the hairy fawn-colouied terrier, stood in
front, assuming the leadership. Behind him had gathered
Cherry and Pixie, the Tibetan
terriers, and Kali, Dopu and Tooney, the dachshunds.
Sameer went towards them to pacify them.
"Boota, why're you so angry? Come, be a sport."
He stroked the terrier, while Dopu and Pixie sniffed
his hands. They were quite agitated and Sameer could
sense that.
Chunnu Dada took Sultan and Ruby round the
house. Sameer accompanied him. The servants' kids
peeped through the windows, eager to catch a glimpse
of the huge new dogs.
Finally, Sultan and Ruby were led to a room upstairs,
where they rested on beds of gunny bag padded with
straw. Food bowls were kept nearby.
Chunnu Dada, as usual, woke up early the next
morning. But the little dogs were not there to greet him.
Entering the hall he called out, "Ganga Singh,
where are Kali, Boota and the others?"
"They must be somewhere outside."
"Good morning, Dada," said Sameer, getting up
from the sofa, "I too, missed my routine good mornning
from
the
little
ones."
"Come, let's see," said Chunnu Dada.
As both of them came out of the house, Kali, Dopu
and Parry rushed towards them.
"Where were you Boota?" asked Chunnu Dada
affectionately. Boota wagged his tiny tail, but didn't
move from where he sat.
"They are angry because the big dogs have come.
How will they become friends, if they don't even come
into the house?" Sameer asked anxiously.
"They'll be all right. Don't worry."
Sameer pulled up a cane chair and was soon en-
grossed in a book.
"Dopu, Dopu, Dopu, take it!" shouted Daddy
from inside. Dopu and Pixie wagged their tails furiously
and ran towards the house. A big growl from
Boota stopped them. Boota's scornful gaze seemed to
say, "I'm ashamed of you, greedy ones". Dopu and
his companion turned round and slunk away.
At breakfast, these dogs usually collected round
Daddy, who gave them each some toast and jam from
his plate. But this morning not even Dopu and Pixie,
forever the hungry ones, went in to claim their share.
"What's the matter? Why aren't the dogs coming
in?" shouted Daddy.
But the little dogs paid no heed.
Instead, they rushed towards, Ganga Singh's
quarter, whining and collected under his cot. On seeing
Sultan and Ruby sprawled on the floor beside Daddy,
they began barking furiously.
"See, Daddy, they are so angry with the big dogs.
Yet they are too scared to fight them," Sameer said.
"Yes, I can see that," replied Daddy thoughtfully.
"These little dogs spent the night in my room.
They did not enter the house," explained Ganga Singh.
Chunnu Dada came round the cattle house and
stopped the tractor near the lawn, where his father and
Sameer sat.
"Chunnu, the dogs are on strike. Look!" said his
father pointing towards Ganga Singh's room.
That afternoon Tooney gave birth to five pups—
four dogs and a bitch—in Ganga Singh's room. Sameer
went to see them.
"Come on Tooney, I'll carry your babies and put
them in a cozy blanket. Come," urged Sameer.
As though she understood every word, Tooney
spread herself close to her pups with a reluctant growl.
Sameer lost hope. He felt depressed. It was a pleasure
to see—the little dogs jump round Daddy for a share
of his meal.
"Chunnu Dada, let's do something. Boota and
company are still on strike," said Sameer at dinner
that night.
"Don't worry. I'll take them for a ride in the jonga
tomorrow."
Five days passed. Boota and the little dogs would
not come into the house.
One day, Tooney's pups crawled out of the quarter,
squeaking like a bunch of rats. Sameer sat on the lawn
enjoying the sun.
A big eagle, hovering in the sky, cried shrilly when
it saw the puppies. Sultan and Ruby cocked their ears.
They looked up at the eagle. Sameer looked up, too.
Suddenly the eagle swooped down and pounced
on one of the pups with its claws.
"No!" cried Sameer in despair.
Instantly, Sultan leapt with a swiftness that matched
the eagle's dive. With a giant leap in the air, he caught
the eagle in his mouth and shook it ferociously until
it dropped the pup. The seven little dogs, standing in
a row at a distance kept barking their heads off.
Ruby hastened to the scared pup, picked it up with
her mouth and placed it gently among the other pups.
It was now Tooney's turn to rush to her pup. She
sniffed it all over, wagging her tail furiously. Satisfied,
she turned to Ruby and licked her legs as if to thank
her. Off she ran to Sultan and licked him too.
"What's the matter?" asked Chunnu Dada, who
had been woken up by the noise of the dogs barking.
Daddy and Ganga Singh also came running.
Sameer was wiping the sweat off his forehead. He
was so shocked by the incident that he could hardly
speak. He merely pointed towards the dogs.
The little dogs had encircled Ruby and Sultan.
Curled up between Sultan's paws was Boota. Dopu,
Pixie and Parry played their never-ending game of
chase, running round and round the Great Danes.
"They are all one family now, Dada," said Sameer
smiling contentedly.
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