CHAPTER 29
The first instance of this turning of the tables happened on the outskirts of Calcutta. The Cobra and Mongoose were let out of their cages, and acted as had been prearranged, with the animals turning on the humans instead of each other. They were then joined by many other animals, who surrounded the spectators in a menacing show of force.
As the onlookers thus became unwilling participants in a confrontation between themselves and the coalition of animals, a young man named Hadji Singh — a new member of the Eco Defenders — approached, bowed, and addressed the assembled throng:
“Greetings, my fellow Indians! This change in the outcome of your entertainment is no mistake or coincidence. Nor is it a one-time occurrence. All Mongoose-Cobra fights staged from henceforth will end this way. The Cobras and Mongooses have joined forces.
“Yes, they have aligned as one, against you, not each other. Take this as a warning, and spread the word. Throughout India, this will continue to happen whenever you stage a battle between two animals, regardless of the species.
“You are free to go now — the animals will allow you to leave peacefully without doing you any harm — but never, ever, pit animal against animal again in a fight to the death for your amusement or pecuniary advantage. If you do, the Cobra and the Mongoose — and their friends the Leopards, the Bengal Tigers, the Black Panthers, and the Elephants, the Sloth Bears, and various others — will find it necessary to apply stricter measures against you. I think you can imagine how that would turn out.
“And beware! Although it is true that you might kill one or two of these animals, they will prevail in the end. They will always prevail. They have you greatly outnumbered and, in the aggregate, possess much greater combined strength. Keep in mind that all of the animals in India are working together in this.
“Mark my words and heed our solidarity. Namastey!”
Imagine that in your mind’s eye: You are there, one of the crowd. You anxiously await the release of the Cobra and the Mongoose from their cages so you can watch them duel to the death. Perhaps you have a personal interest in the match, based on a preference for one species, or due to a wager you have made.
But then, when the supposed bitter rivals are released, rather than circle and dance and weave around each other, darting in and out, probing, striking, retreating, until one of them has been mortally wounded, they advance on you! As if that is not enough to give your heart a sudden shot of adrenaline, the other animals then emerge from their hiding places: Leopards, Tigers, Panthers, Elephants, and so forth.
If you were in that situation, it could be that you would suddenly remember you had pressing business at home — you might feel a sense of urgency about walking your Dog, mowing the lawn, washing the dishes, preparing your taxes, or something else too scintillating to postpone.
Having imagined what that must have been like for the spectators, you can probably understand why once that happened to a group of people, and the reports of it were spread from town to town, village to village, and city to city, the Cobra and Mongoose fights to the death quickly became a thing of the past, relegated to a mere quaint footnote in the annals of Indian history.
Although a wary eye was still kept on what the humans were up to, it was only on extremely rare occasions that the animals had to repeat their performance, and on only one occasion did a human dare to defy the forces arrayed against him, thinking perhaps that the animals were only bluffing. It was the last thing he ever did. From then on, the staged fights between Mongoose and Cobra ceased altogether.
There was still much work for us to do in other areas around the country, though — the Thugs were still a problem, as were the bullies and abusive husbands and fathers and suchlike depraved, evil and psychopathic people.
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