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Chapter five. Change of Course |
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Luikai back; arrival of the dog, Khamba |
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And then, in the very middle of it all, came the dog Khamba. |
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Luikai, one of my servants, was back, and hard on his heels had come a pockmarked Tangkhul friend selling dogs in the Naga market. He called on me to know if I needed one. I told him No; but he came back an hour later, and behind him, at the end of a chewed string, rolled a fat, soft, fubsy, solemn toy, black-and-white like a giant panda. It fell over its own feet and sat down; and it was mine for a rupee |
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With that, not a dog but a personality entered the (42) household. He was, it is true, a hound of the old, true Naga breed; big, massive beasts resembling Chows. But nobody could have confused Khamba with a mere canine. His independence, his dignity, alone marked him as apart. By the time he was full-grown he knew exactly where he came in the household; directly after me, but above the men, whom he treated always with an affectionate courtesy. He never fawned. Caresses he asked for when he wanted them, took, and departed. His life was lived in parallel with mine, together, but apart, as bachelor friends might share the same house. Yet he had, all the same, a sentimental and tender nature. He and I were deeply attached. Despite our one or two disagreements (such as over the question of the village goats), each went to the other for comfort in adversity, and his arrival did much to cheer me at this particular time. |
