CHAPTER 27
It seemed as if all of India had assembled for our demonstration. Albert gave a speech, wherein he told of the various types of activity that, if engaged in, would cause the animal forces to assemble. The things that would provoke a calling to fangs of the animals included:
Bullies picking on smaller, younger, or more docile people
Husbands beating their wives or children, and men abusing girls and women in other ways
Employers withholding the pay of their employees or otherwise abusing them
Mistreatment of widows and orphans
Mistreatment of people because of their (supposedly) belonging to a lower caste, or class
Mistreatment of animals
. . . and the list went on. In a nutshell, any time people were cruel to others — especially to those smaller or weaker than them — they would be first advised to stop, then warned to stop; finally, if the warnings were not heeded, they would be forced to stop.
Each repeat offense was dealt with quicker than the previous one. To be specific, on a second offense, the advice was dispensed with, and a stern warning was immediately given. Third-time offenders were forced to stop without any further preliminary warnings. For those who proved themselves incorrigible, the ultimate punishment was meted out.
And what was the ultimate punishment to be? The smallest half of the animal world would go to work on them, namely the insects. The adage “there’s strength in numbers” was never truer than when all of the insects within 100 yards were sicced on the worst of the worst offenders. Being swarmed by thousands upon ten thousands of Giant Water Bugs, Hornets, Weevils, Earwigs, Silverfish, Paper Wasps, and Fire Ants — to have these relentlessly crawl over their bodies and into their eyes and ears and nostrils — is not an experience most people would invite or relish, by any stretch of the imagination.
Some of the onlookers at the demonstration were, perhaps understandably, skeptical at first. After all, how could they know that what Albert — a person they didn’t know — was telling them would really occur?
We Eco Defenders had, however, anticipated that some initial skepticism would exist, and so we were ready for it. Albert told the crowd that we would demonstrate to them by way of example what would happen in the event a gang of thugs were planning to rob and murder a wayfarer.
Mullah played the role of the unsuspecting traveler, sitting on a log enjoying his dinner around a cozy campfire. Albert represented a thug and slowly crept up behind Mullah. As he got within a few yards, Albert pulled a dagger (a fake one made of cardboard) from a sheath attached to his belt. At this point, there suddenly appeared — seemingly from out of nowhere — a prowl of Leopards, leaping over fences bordering the ring in which the demonstration was being held. These surrounded Albert. Next on the scene were a claw of Black Panthers, reinforcing the Leopards. Then a streak of Bengal Tigers showed up, strengthening the contingent yet more.
Finally, the hushed silence that resulted due to this unexpected and choreographed assemblage of big Cats was broken by the strident trumpeting of a parade of Elephants, who took their stations behind the big Cats.
Albert did not need to be a talented tragedian to appear fearful; with the animals that close to him — being able to see, smell, and hear them — it was not difficult for him to imagine how terrifying it would be if he were to find himself in a situation where he was the object of their wrath and righteous indignation.
But that was not all. A quiver of Cobras slithered up and, taking their place in front of the big Cats, raised up and flared out. As if that were not enough deterrent, a cyclone of Scorpions then appeared, one between each pair of Cobras, with raised stingers stretched menacingly forward, toward Albert.
Finally, a sleuth of Sloth Bears ambled up and sat down at the outer edge of the group, silently waiting and watching, ready to prevent any would-be escapees from evading the gauntlet.
All of the onlookers could plainly see that nobody — not even an entire gang of thugs — would stand a chance against such a well-rehearsed and determined assemblage of animals.
The audience was now persuaded beyond the shadow of a doubt. They were fully convinced, but still they wanted to know details: How would the animals know when to come? Could they really assemble that quickly when danger threatened a potential victim?
Albert informed them that there would always be vigilant watchers keeping track of the locations of every gang of thugs, as well as keeping watch on others known — or suspected to be — on the verge of committing mayhem.
But Albert did not divulge precisely how the animals would know when to come, and where to go. For good reason, he preferred keeping an air of mystery about the details of our operations.
One of the things that Albert discreetly withheld was that many of the ‘watchers’ were Mongooses. These, in turn, would tell the Bulbuls, Hornbills, Plovers, White-throated Kingfishers, Cormorants, Black Kites, and Old World Babblers. These birds would then fly around and spread the message to the rest of the animals, sending their reports from the sky as they flew over the dens, lairs, nests, and burrows of their fellow Eco Defenders.
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