‘However, to come back to the story. Surappa and Ranganna wanted somehow to kill Seetharamu, because they knew he would never think of digging out that gold their ancestors had offered to the gods. By the way, my son, do you know what they say about it? First, it was under the sanctum. Then it moved— under the earth, of course! — to the dining room, then later to the granary, and lastly it was under the lumber-room by the kitchen. Not that anyone knows about it, for sure. But wherever the serpent sleeps is the spot. If not, why should Kanakapala change places so often? And why does he not sleep always in the same place, once he has chosen his abode? Gold, you know, moves about from place to place lest the wicked find it. Only the holy ones can touch it. Seetharamu alone could go to the lumber-room, for Kanakapala knew the true from the false, as the rat knows the grain from the husk. Once, it was said, Surappa actually entered the lumber-room when Kanakapala was being fed with milk by Sata, and somehow — for the snakes have understanding where we human beings do not have — he knew of it, and spitting back the milk into the cup rushed to the spot, and having spread his hood hissed and bellowed and bit Surappa, without of course injecting any venom, for being of the temple it can never sting a Vision-House man. He yelled and ran into the kitchen. ‘What is it?’ cried Seetharamu, running to his brother’s rescue.
‘Nothing, nothing at all. When I was passing by the lumber-room, Kanakapala pursued me, though I’d done nothing. Perhaps he was just chasing his prey. . ’
Seetharamu hurried to the lumber-room, scolded Kanakapala angrily; and the poor fellow lay there quiet, curled and flat, and with wide-open eyes. He seemed tame as a dog. Since then Kanakapala has never pursued anybody. Somehow Seetharamu seemed to have commanded him not to. Oh! that he should have faith in these people! But, my son, who can ever imagine that your own brothers are going to murder you so that they may have the money — and holy money too! — holy money that your grandfathers have offered to the gods?. . Well, but the world is changing. We are living in Kali Yuga. And don’t they say, for every million virtuous men there were in the first Yuga, every thousand in the second, every hundred in the third, there is but one now? Unrighteousness becomes the master, and virtue is being trodden down. Oh, when our grandfathers were alive, how happily we lived. We bought a khanda of rice for half a rupee, and seven seers of ghee for a rupee. And now. . you must beat your mouth and yell. . Oh, to live in this poor, polluted world. .
‘Anyway, Ramakrishnayya died. You know, Kanakapala lay by his corpse till they took him away. And when they had lifted up the corpse, Kanakapala spat out poison once, twice, thrice. . That was how he showed his grief. And he never touched milk for three full days. Such was Kanakapala!
‘A week later the three brothers had begun to quarrel about the division of property. Each one said — though it is impossible to believe that Seetharamu could have said it — that he wanted the mango garden. They could not agree over it. First it was Surappa and Ranganna that had growled at each other. And when Seetharamu simply said: ‘Why quarrel over such small things?’ they both fell upon him — it must surely have been planned out — and beat him on the stomach and on the back. The old blind aunt went into the kitchen, and Sata ran about the house, pretending to cry and sob. That widow to sob! If she had a lover in her bed, she would not sob, hè? And nobody came to separate the fighting brothers. It was Kanakapala, who, strange to say, suddenly appeared and, slipping between the two aggressors and Seetharamu, tried to separate them. But when they continued he roped himself round the foot of Surappa who staggered and fell. Then Kanakapala frightened Ranganna with his spread hood, and Ranganna ran out breathlessly. . And Seetharamu lay on the floor, quiet, blank-eyed, and with no evil in his heart, while Kanakapala gently moved his tail about his face in friendly caress.