The Bond of Love
By Kenneth Anderson

About the Author

Image: yelp.com

Kenneth Douglas Stewart Anderson was an Indian-born, British writer and hunter who wrote books about his adventures in the jungles of South India. He was born on 8th March, 1910 in Bolarum, Secunderbad in India. Anderson went to Bishop Cotton Boys’ School and also studied at St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore. He was sent to study law at Edinburgh but he quit studies and returned to India, he worked for fifteen years in the posts and telegraph department and later worked at the British Aircraft Factory in Bangalore (later HAL) in the rank of Factory Manager for Planning. He owned nearly 200 acres of land across Karnataka, Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu. In 1972 he was diagnosed with cancer from which he died in 1974, he was buried at the Hosur road cemetery.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Introduction

This is the story of love and friendship between an animal and a human being. The story is developed around the concept that love is reciprocal. Even animals respond sincerely to the affection and care shown to them by human beings. In fact, the emotional bond that animals form is so strong that they do not easily forget those who care for and love them.

One day the author found a bear cub in a field. He took it home and presented it to his wife. The bear and the author’s wife developed a great love for each other. When the bear grew up, it was sent to the zoo at Mysore. She became very sad. After three months, she visited the zoo. The bear, whose name was Baba, at once recognized her and danced with happiness. She came back. But she could not live without the bear. So she got the permission of the zoo superintendent to get the bear back. A special place was made at home for the grown-up bear. Now both the bear and the writer’s wife were happy. The story shows that animals too have as much love and affection as human beings have.

Summary

Two years ago, the author and his friends were passing through the sugarcane fields near Mysore. People were driving away the wild pigs from their fields by shooting at them. Suddenly a sloth bear came out of the field. One of the writer’s companions shot at the bear. It fell dead. They came near the fallen animal. They saw a bear cub riding on its mother’s back. The cub was making pitiful howls. The writer tried to catch it. But the bear cub ran away into the field. The writer and his companions ran after it. At last, they were able to catch it. The baby-bear tried to free itself. It tried to scratch the author with its long, hooked claws. They put the bear into a gunny bag and brought it to Bangalore.

The author presented the little creature to his wife. She was very happy. She named the bear cub Bruno. The author’s wife brought up Bruno with love and care. She looked after the bear cub as he were her own child. At first, Bruno was taught to drink milk from a bottle. Within a few days, he started eating normally. He drank and ate everything. Ile ate porridge made from any ingredients. He ate vegetables, fruit, nuts, meat, curry and rice. He ate bread, eggs, chocolates, sweets, pudding, ice-cream, etc. As for drink, he drank milk, tea, coffee, lime-juice, aerated water, beer and other things. He became attached to all the children of the tenants living in the bungalow. He spent time playing, running into the kitchen and going to sleep in the beds of the author and his wife. Because of the love and affection showed by the author’s wife, he developed great affection for her

One day, Bruno went to the library of the narrator and by chance consumed barium carbonate, a kind of poison that had been kept to kill the rats. The poison soon showed its effect and Bruno suffered an attack of paralysis. However, he managed to reach the narrator’s wife who at once informed her husband. Bruno was immediately taken to a veterinary doctor who administered two antidote injections of 10 c.c. each to the bear. Bruno got well and soon started eating like normal. At another time, he accidentally drank old engine oil. However, it did not have any effect on him.

With the passage of time, Bruno grew up in size. But he was just as mischievous as before. He was very fond of the people around him. But he especially loved the author’s wife. With the passage of time, the bear became too big to be kept at home. The author, his friends and his son advised the author’s wife to gift Baba to the zoo at Mysore. Baba was sent to the Mysore zoo in a cage. But the author’s wife felt very sad. She wept and for the first few days, refused to take food. She wrote a number of letters to the curator of the zoo. She asked in her letters about the condition of Baba. At the zoo, Baba was also in a similar position. He was inconsolable. He also did not take food for the first few days. He was well but looked thin and sad.

The author’s wife was very sad at her separation from the bear. For three months, the author restrained her from visiting Mysore. At last, he took his wife to Mysore zoo to meet Baba. The author and his friends had guessed that the bear would not recognize her after three months. But as soon as Baba saw her, he recognized her. He cried with happiness. She ran up to him and patted him. He stood up on his head in delight. For the next three hours, she did not leave the cage. She gave him tea, lemonade, cakes, ice-cream and other things. At last, the ‘closing time’ came and she had to leave. The author’s wife wept bitterly. She felt that she could not live without the bear. She requested the superintendent to send Baba back. He was a kind man. He consented and Baba was brought back into the author’s home.

At home, an island was made for Baba. It was twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide. It was surrounded by a moat, six feet wide and seven feet deep. A wooden box was kept for Baba to sleep at night. Straw was placed inside to keep him warm. Baba was very happy in his new home. The author’s wife spent hours sitting there. It is the story of the love between man and animal. It shows that animals also have a sense of love, affection and loyalty

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. How did the narrator get the baby sloth bear?

Ans. The author got the baby sloth bear in a freak accident. It was found moving on the body of his mother who was wantonly shot dead by one of his companions. It was in great shock and tried to flee but the narrator managed to capture it and brought it home.

Q2. How did the author’s wife receive the baby sloth bear?

Ans. The author’s wife was extremely happy to get the baby sloth bear as a pet. She put a coloured ribbon around his neck to adorn him. She even gave him the name ‘Bruno’.

Q3. How was Bruno, the baby bear, fed initially? What followed within a few days?

Ans. Initially, the little Bruno was given milk with the help of a bottle. But soon he started eating all kinds of food and drank all kinds of drinks. He ate a variety of dishes like porridge, vegetables, nuts, fruits, meat, eggs, chocolates etc., and drank milk, tea, coffee, lime juice, buttermilk, even beer and alcoholic liquor.

Q4. How did Bruno get paralyzed?

Ans. One day Bruno ate the rat poison (barium carbonate) kept in the library to kill rats. The poison affected his nervous and muscular system and left him paralyzed. He rapidly became weak, panted heavily, vomited, and was unable to move.

Q5. How was Bruno cured of paralysis?

Ans. Bruno had mistakenly consumed poison and had got paralyzed. He was taken to the veterinary doctor who consulted his book and injected 10 c.c. of the antidote into him. The first dose had no effect. Then another dose was injected which cured Bruno absolutely. After ten minutes of the dose, his breathing became normal and he could move his arms and legs.

Q6. What kind of tricks did Bruno do?

Ans. Bruno was mischievous and played a lot of tricks. When he was called to wrestle, he would vigorously tackle anyone who came forward. When asked in hold the gun, he pointed a stick at the members around. On being asked where the baby was he brought out a stump of wood and cradled it as if it were a baby.

Q7. Bruno once got paralysis. Why? How was he treated?

Ans. Once the author kept barium carbonate in his library for killing rats. Bruno ate most of it. It was poison. So he got paralysis. He was taken to a veterinary doctor. He gave Bruno two injections of antidote. It cured Bruno.

Q8. Why had Bruno to be kept in chains most of the time?

Ans. Bruno had grown up very fast. Therefore, it was felt that it could be dangerous to let him move about freely with the children of the tenants around. Therefore, it was decided to keep Bruno in chains.

Q9. Why was it decided to send Bruno to Mysore zoo?

Ans. The narrator, his son and friends advised the narrator’s wife to send Bruno to a zoo because he was now too big to be kept at home. But she loved the pet bear so deeply that she could not accept the proposal readily. It took her three weeks to make up her mind and give her consent.

Q10. How did the narrator’s wife react when Baba was sent to Mysore zoo?

Ans. When Baba was sent to Mysore zoo, the narrator’s wife felt so miserable that she could not be consoled. She wept and kept worrying about the bear. She refused to eat anything for some days. She wrote letters one after another to the curator of the zoo to inquire about Baba’s well-being.

Q11. When did the narrator take his wife to the Mysore zoo and why?

Ans. The narrator had managed to prevent his wife from going to the Mysore zoo for three months. But one day she put her foot down and told him that if he was not ready to take her to the zoo by car, she would go by bus or train. So, the narrator took her to the zoo by car to see Baba.

Q12. How did Baba behave when he saw the narrator’s wife in the zoo?

Ans. Baba was overjoyed to see the narrator’s wife. He recognized her from a distance of some yards and jumped and cried with delight. To express his pleasure at meeting her again, he stood on his head.

Q13. How did Baba reach back home?

Ans. At the request of the narrator’s wife, the Superintendent of the zoo agreed to permit her to have Baba back home. He wrote a letter to the curator and asked him to lend a cage so that the bear could be brought home safely. The cage was carefully put on the top of the car and Baba travelled back to his home in Bangalore.

Q14. What kind of a place was prepared for Baba at the narrator’s home and why?

Ans. With the purpose of keeping Baba at a safe distance from the children of the tenants, an island like a place, cut off from the house, was made in the compound. It measured twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide. Around the island, a dry moat was dug having six feet width and seven feet depth.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. How did the writer get a baby-bear for his wife?

Ans. Two years ago, the author and his friends were passing through the sugarcane fields near Mysore. People were driving away the wild pigs from their fields by shooting at them. Suddenly a sloth bear came out of the field. One of the writer’s companions shot at the bear. It fell dead. They came near the fallen animal. They saw a bear cub riding on its mother’s back. The cub was making pitiful howls. The writer tried to catch it. But the bear cub ran away into the field. The writer and his companions ran after it. At last, they were able to catch it. The baby bear tried to free itself. It tried to scratch the author with its long, hooked claws. They put the bear into a gunny bag and brought it to Bangalore. The author presented the little creature to his wife. She was very happy. She named the bear cub Bruno.

Q2. ‘Love is mutual/reciprocal’. Illustrate this with reference to the story ‘The Bond of Love’.

Ans. The Bond of Love’ is the story of love and friendship between an animal and a human being. One day the author found a bear cub in a field. He took it home and presented it to his wife. The bear and the author’s wife developed a great love for each other. When the bear grew up, it was sent to the zoo at Mysore. She became very sad. After three months, she visited the zoo. The bear, whose name was Baba, at once recognized her and danced with happiness. She came back. But she could not live without the bear. So she got the permission of the zoo superintendent to get the bear back. A special place was made at home for the grown-up bear. Now both the bear and the writer’s wife were happy. The story shows that animals too have as much love and affection as human beings have. Thus, the title of the story is very appropriate.

Q3. “Animals also feel the pleasure of love and the pains of separation.” Support your view by giving examples from the text.

Ans. With the passage of time, the bear became too big to be kept at home. The author, his friends and his son advised the author’s wife to gift Baba to the zoo at Mysore. After some weeks of such advice, she finally agreed. A letter was written to the curator of the zoo. He agreed to take the bear. Baba was sent to the Mysore zoo in a cage. But the author’s wife felt very sad. She wept and for the first few days, refused to take food. She wrote a number of letters to the curator of the zoo. She asked in her letters about the condition of Baba. At the zoo, Baba was also in a similar position. He was inconsolable. He also did not take food for the first few days. He was well but looked thin and sad.

Q4. Describe the two accidents that befell Bruno or Baba. How did he recover from them?

Ans. One day an accident befell Bruno. There were rats in the author’s library. In order to kill them, he had put down barium carbonate in the library. It was poison. Bruno entered the library and ate some of the poison. He suffered from a stroke of paralysis. But dragged himself slowly to the author’s wife. He was weakening rapidly. He was breathing heavily and vomiting. The author at once took him to a veterinary doctor. The vet gave him I0 cc of anti-dote through an injection. But his condition remained unchanged. Then another 10 ccs were injected. This improved his condition. Bruno got up and enjoyed a good meal. At another time, the little bear drank a lot of old engine oil. But fortunately, it had no effect on him.

Q5. Describe the meeting of the author’s wife with the bear at the zoo. Why did she bring it back home?

Ans. The author’s wife was very sad at her separation from the bear. For three months, the author restrained her from visiting Mysore. At last, he took his wife to Mysore zoo to meet Baba. The author and his friends had guessed that the bear would not recognize her after three months. But as soon as Baba saw her, he recognized her. He cried with happiness. She ran up to him and patted him. He stood up on his head in delight. For the next three hours, she did not leave the cage. She gave him tea, lemonade, cakes, ice-cream and other things. At last, the ‘closing time’ came and she had to leave. The author’s wife wept bitterly. She felt that she could not live without the bear. She requested the superintendent to send Baba back. He was a kind man. He consented and Baba was brought back into the author’s home.

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