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hay. In the end, one of them climbed the rooftop. The dog bit him

hard on the leg and he cried in pain. The other man gave the
dog a blow on the belly with a pole. The dog wailed. The
man bitten by the dog was crying in the boat. ‘Keep
quiet,’ the other man said. Both of them left the place.
It was quite some time before the dog barked again.
He was in pain.

There was no sound except that of the storm. No one

heard the groan of the dog after that. Rotten corpses
floated across the water here and there. Crows were
eating them. There was no sound at all. The thieves
were having a nice time.

After sometime, the hut came down and sank.
Nothing could be seen above the water. The loyal dog

guarded his master's house till the end. Now he too
was gone. The house stayed above the water until the
dog was caught by a crocodile. It was as if the house
did not go down before because of him.

Now the flood water was receding. Chenna came back,
swimming to his hut in search of the dog. He found the body of

the dead dog under a coconut tree. He turned it from side to side Have you ever Let’s connect
with his toe and examined it. He was not sure if it was his dog. helped a stray dog
One ear was bitten off. The colour had also changed as the body in need? How?
was all rotten.

—Thakazi Sivasankara Pillai

About the Author
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1912–1999), was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He wrote
over 30 novels and novellas and over seven short stories focusing on the lives of the oppressed classes. Known for his works
such as Kayar (Coir, 1978) and Chemmeen (Prawns, 1956), Pillai was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian
civilian award.

Time to answer

A. Choose the correct option.

1. What were the arrival of boats symbolic of?

good fortune survival hope fate

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