second attack.’
‘Oh?’
‘Pritam Singh didn’t, at first, pay much attention since my father used to suffer from backache, and often cried out in pain while rising from a chair or his bed. Yet, he would never allow anyone to help him up. Pritam Singh thought it was his backache that was bothering him again that morning. But now he says he might have been mistaken because apparently my father had screamed very loudly.’
‘Do you happen to know if anyone had visited your father that day? Can Pritam Singh remember anything?’
‘That’s something I’ve already asked him, but he cannot say anything definitely. Father did occasionally have visitors in the morning, but Pritam can’t now recall whether anyone in particular had visited him that day. When he eventually went into my father’s room, he found him in pretty bad shape; but he was alone. Pritamthen rang Dr Srivastava as the doctor who normally treated Father—Dr Graham—was away in Allahabad, attending a conference.’
‘And what about the spy?’
‘Spy? What spy?’ Mahabir sounded profoundly startled.
‘Oh, clearly you haven’t heard this one. Your father had started to tell Dr Srivastava about a spy, but died before he could finish speaking.’
Mahabir shook his head, ‘I had no idea. And I cannot imagine what my father could possibly have had to do with a spy!’
I had just finished my drink and twisted the straw when I noticed a tall and hefty man having tea at the next table, staring at us. He rose and came forward as he caught my eye.
‘Namaskaar,’ he said to Feluda, ‘hope you remember me?’
‘Yes, of course.’
I hadn’t recognized him at first, but now I could. We had seen this man in Bonobihari Babu’s house. He was supposed to be in charge of the zoo. Today, he had a piece of cotton stuck on his chin, held in place by two strips of sticking plaster. Perhaps he had cut himself while shaving.
‘Do sit down,’ Feluda invited. ‘Meet Mahabir Seth. This is Ganesh Guha.’
Now I noticed a scratch on his neck, although it was clearly an old one.
‘What happened to your chin?’ asked Feluda.
Ganesh Babu picked up his cup from the next table and joined us. ‘Don’t remind me!’ he winced. ‘I’m surprised my whole body hasn’t been torn apart. You know about my job, don’t you?’
‘Yes. But I thought it was a job you’d taken on willingly.’
‘You’re joking! I do it because I have to—simply for the money. I was once the keeper of a tiger in a circus. But that tiger was drugged most of the time. I tell you, compared to the animals I handle in Bonobihari Babu’s zoo, that tiger was little more than a baby! The wild cat clawed me the other day, and now the hyena slaps me on the chin! I couldn’t take it any more. So I told Mr Sarkar this morning I had made up my mind. I want to go back to that circus. He agreed to let me go.’
‘What!’ Feluda sounded surprised. ‘You’ve given up your job? Why, we were at your zoo only yesterday!’
‘Yes, I know. And no doubt many other people would like to goand visit my zoo. But I am clearing out! I’ll go straight to the station from here and buy myself a ticket to Howrah. Then I’ll soon be home, away from it all. The thing is—’ he stooped and spoke into Feluda’s ear, ‘That man is not . . . as straightforward as he might seem.’
‘You mean Bonobihari Babu?’
‘He was all right, I guess, until he laid his hands on something. Then he lost his head.’
‘What thing?’
‘No, I’ve already said too much!’
Ganesh Guha dropped a few coins on the next table and disappeared.
Feluda turned to Mahabir and said, ‘Have you ever seen Bonobihari Babu’s zoo?’
‘No. I’d have liked to have seen it, but my father was dead against the idea. He hated the kind of animals that zoo is reported to be filled with. In fact, the sight of a cockroach would have given him palpitations! But now . . . yes, I think I’ll go and see it.’
Mahabir snapped
‘Oh?’
‘Pritam Singh didn’t, at first, pay much attention since my father used to suffer from backache, and often cried out in pain while rising from a chair or his bed. Yet, he would never allow anyone to help him up. Pritam Singh thought it was his backache that was bothering him again that morning. But now he says he might have been mistaken because apparently my father had screamed very loudly.’
‘Do you happen to know if anyone had visited your father that day? Can Pritam Singh remember anything?’
‘That’s something I’ve already asked him, but he cannot say anything definitely. Father did occasionally have visitors in the morning, but Pritam can’t now recall whether anyone in particular had visited him that day. When he eventually went into my father’s room, he found him in pretty bad shape; but he was alone. Pritamthen rang Dr Srivastava as the doctor who normally treated Father—Dr Graham—was away in Allahabad, attending a conference.’
‘And what about the spy?’
‘Spy? What spy?’ Mahabir sounded profoundly startled.
‘Oh, clearly you haven’t heard this one. Your father had started to tell Dr Srivastava about a spy, but died before he could finish speaking.’
Mahabir shook his head, ‘I had no idea. And I cannot imagine what my father could possibly have had to do with a spy!’
I had just finished my drink and twisted the straw when I noticed a tall and hefty man having tea at the next table, staring at us. He rose and came forward as he caught my eye.
‘Namaskaar,’ he said to Feluda, ‘hope you remember me?’
‘Yes, of course.’
I hadn’t recognized him at first, but now I could. We had seen this man in Bonobihari Babu’s house. He was supposed to be in charge of the zoo. Today, he had a piece of cotton stuck on his chin, held in place by two strips of sticking plaster. Perhaps he had cut himself while shaving.
‘Do sit down,’ Feluda invited. ‘Meet Mahabir Seth. This is Ganesh Guha.’
Now I noticed a scratch on his neck, although it was clearly an old one.
‘What happened to your chin?’ asked Feluda.
Ganesh Babu picked up his cup from the next table and joined us. ‘Don’t remind me!’ he winced. ‘I’m surprised my whole body hasn’t been torn apart. You know about my job, don’t you?’
‘Yes. But I thought it was a job you’d taken on willingly.’
‘You’re joking! I do it because I have to—simply for the money. I was once the keeper of a tiger in a circus. But that tiger was drugged most of the time. I tell you, compared to the animals I handle in Bonobihari Babu’s zoo, that tiger was little more than a baby! The wild cat clawed me the other day, and now the hyena slaps me on the chin! I couldn’t take it any more. So I told Mr Sarkar this morning I had made up my mind. I want to go back to that circus. He agreed to let me go.’
‘What!’ Feluda sounded surprised. ‘You’ve given up your job? Why, we were at your zoo only yesterday!’
‘Yes, I know. And no doubt many other people would like to goand visit my zoo. But I am clearing out! I’ll go straight to the station from here and buy myself a ticket to Howrah. Then I’ll soon be home, away from it all. The thing is—’ he stooped and spoke into Feluda’s ear, ‘That man is not . . . as straightforward as he might seem.’
‘You mean Bonobihari Babu?’
‘He was all right, I guess, until he laid his hands on something. Then he lost his head.’
‘What thing?’
‘No, I’ve already said too much!’
Ganesh Guha dropped a few coins on the next table and disappeared.
Feluda turned to Mahabir and said, ‘Have you ever seen Bonobihari Babu’s zoo?’
‘No. I’d have liked to have seen it, but my father was dead against the idea. He hated the kind of animals that zoo is reported to be filled with. In fact, the sight of a cockroach would have given him palpitations! But now . . . yes, I think I’ll go and see it.’
Mahabir snapped
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