Every time Oorkudumban took aim, one dacoit fell to the ground, howling in pain. The Nayakkar brothers were assaulting them from the first floor, inside the house and from the sides. Before the bandits could formulate their counter-attack, the young men rushed in from the fields.

The bandits could do nothing else but carry the hurt ones on their shoulders and scoot.

The whole village went crazy yelling victory on that night. Lights came on in every house, some ran to clang the temple bells and beat on the drums, and others cheered loudly. Their joy was wondrous in the cool night.

After cleaning the floor of ragi seeds, Akkayya picked up one of the torches that the dacoits had left behind and laughed loudly.

For days after the incident, the torch was strung to the front door step, above the thinnai, as a sign of victory. Generations after that pointed to the torch and boasted with pride to each other.

Even today, not just in the Kottaiyar house, you can go up to the terrace of any of the houses in the village and you’ll find a pile of stones.

Once the sun came up the village was abuzz about the night before. Just before dawn, the pen-keeper hurried to speak to Keethari Ramappa Nayakkar. He reported that the dacoits, on their way out, had plundered the pen and had carried away four of the fattest goat kids.

When they heard this there was shocked laughter.

‘Of course they can’t return home empty-handed,’ sneered Akkayya.

‘Let them go. They deserve to drink plenty of hooch and have mutton fry to soothe their pain,’ remarked Kovappa Nayakkar.

Ramappa Nayakkar looked at them as they joked, but didn’t say a word. ‘Thambi,’ consoled Krishnappa Nayakkar, ‘do not let that bother you. Stop worrying. If the village won’t reimburse the loss, we’ll make it up ourselves.’

Govindappa Nayakkar nodded, agreeing.

‘Anna, had we killed those four bastards and buried them here, they wouldn’t have dared to walk off with my goats,’ snapped Ramappa Nayakkar.

No one dared to answer him. Only Oorkudumban gave Akkayya a telling look. In turn, Akkayya looked at Krishnappa Nayakkar, who could not even glance at his elder brother. Govindappa Nayakkar noticing this play of looks gave a gentle smile, bobbing his head up and down.

16

GOVINDAPPA NAYAKKAR SPREAD THE LIME paste on his betel leaf as he looked up at the torch. A thought flashed through his mind. He walked to the backyard and returned. He felt his throat was parched, and blamed it on the white tobacco. He rinsed his mouth, his hands, feet and legs with the cool water from the brass pot. Wiping his face with his top cloth, he entered the kitchen by the side door. On the thinnai along the wall were a few unfinished palm fans and tools. That’s where one would usually find Kannappa. Now he was with Oorkudumban and the rest, fetching the bandit to the village commons.