The Voice of God
The Voice of God
The Voice of God
The Voice
of God
Premchand
and II .shall
and cook my own food separately.
98 FAMoUs INDIAN SroRIES
some
erudee or other against
who had
100 FaMOUS INDIAN STORIES
as cholera and plague, for with such cheats and liars as this,
how could things be otherwise?
Ramdhan Misra and other members of the Panchayat,
however, were openly praising the righteousness of Algu,
This, they said, 'is what a true Panchayat does; like a swan
it separates water from milk, milk from water, truth from
falsehood. Of course, friendship has its place but it should
always be subordinated to truth and justice. It is because of
such truth-speakers as Algu Chaudhari that the world goes
on, else long ago it would have sunk to the bottom of Hell!"'
This decision shook the roots of Algu's and Jumman's
friendship. No more were they to be seen chatting together.
One breath of truth had blown down their tree of friendship
as it had been planted on the shifting sands. And whenever,
if at all, they happened to pass each other on the road they
met as sword meets shield. Jumman now harboured a secret
desire to take revenge on Algu and so all the while he was
devising ways and means towards that end.
Good deeds take a long time to be accomplished, while
bad deeds are done overnight. So Jumman got an early op-
portunity to avenge himself on Algu.
Algu Chaudhari had a pair of strong, beautiful bullocks
which he had purchased the previous year. They were the
cynosure of the whole village. As luck would have it, a month
after the Panchayat's decision one of the animals died. Jum-
man exploited the incident, saying Algu had been rightly
served by God for his unjust award. Algu began to suspect
that, perhaps, the death of the bullock was due to its having
been poisoned by Jumman. Algu's wife also was of the same
opinion. So one day she picked up a quarrel with Jumman's
wife and an endless exchange of abuse and invective fol-
lowed between their ladyships till, at last, Jumman dragged
his lady from the battlefield and silenced her with strong
language. Algu Chaudhari, on his part, silenced his queen
with his highly argumentative bamboo club.
THE VOICE OF GoD 103
market
lageto the to himself, that if his cart was drawn by that
ock, for, he said three trips instead of
he could make two or
strong creatureincrease his daily income. He therefore, ap-
and thus last a
one,
after a great deal of higgling,at one
nroached Algu and, to pay rupees
and Sahu promised
was struck
bargain month.
and fifty to Algu within a
hundred What was
the poor bullock to the limit.
tax
Sahu began to What a contrast to
its ease-
worse, he
did not feed it properly. In those
of its former master!
as the property in service
ful existence months or so it was yoked
o n c e in six But now
days only and ran for miles in pure joy.
round of
and then it jumped, n o w there
was an unending
such play, of
there w a s no starvation! No wonder
that a month
of
work -and well-nigh out. Why, the very sight
stick
made its ribs r u n cold.
such t r e a t m e n t to make its blood
bullock-cart was
enough the usual
the the cart double
afternoon Sahu
stowed in three previous
One exhausted by
creature, already it hard to
make
load. The poor Sahu whipped
its feet. but
hardly lift short distance
trips, could started and covered a
time harder
bullock this
it go. The master whipped
it again,
stopped. Its down on the
ground, alas!
again fell
before. The poor thing perhaps, the c r e a t u r e
than Sahu feared that, to w o n -
never to rise
again.
unyoked it. Then he began
therefore,
cart home.
He raised a
dead. He, the
was
be able to get because the
how he would was to be s e e n
der but no one closed in
cry for help, of
children-
Chaudhari.'
He rose and shouted,
beside himself with joy.
Algu was
and the whole audience
Panchayat!'
Hurrah! Victory to the
echoed that cry. verily, in
w e r e heard saying,
This is justice, the people
Panchayat dwells the Divine.
the to Algu and,
em-
Jumman went up
Shortly afterwards, realized today that
the
have
him, said, At long last I
bracing
is the voice of God.' and dying
Panchayat watered the dry
tears
began to weep. His lease of life.
Algu it another
and gave
their love
creeper of