The Copy Book

The Mischief-Maker

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© Palegar Deepak P. Nayak, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

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The Mischief-Maker

© Palegar Deepak P. Nayak, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source
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Rajah Venkatappa Nayaka IVth of Shorapur was the last independent ruler of Shorapur. His rebellion against the British administrator in 1858 was not an easy step for him to take, as the East India Company’s Resident in Shorapur, our author Colonel Philip Meadows Taylor, had all but brought Venkatappa up. However, London’s seeming weakness after the Indian Mutiny was too tempting for a proud man. Taylor, in turn, was most unwilling to shed blood, in which he was largely successful, and after Venkatappa was captured Taylor managed to reduce his sentence for rebellion from life imprisonment to four years house arrest at Kurnool fort (with his two wives) followed by reinstatement. Sadly, Venkatappa committed suicide.

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Continued from Part 2

AFTER hearing the evidence and weighing learned counsel’s arguments, the Rajah inclined, he said, to blame the cat for being too great a temptation to the dog.* But the Brahmin respectfully disagreed, for the fly and the honey had started it all.

“Eh? What fly? What honey?” asked the Rajah, surprised. So the Brahmin told the court all that he had seen. “Enough!” exclaimed the Rajah presently. “Our eyes are opened. The cat and the dog did only what nature dictated. But the flour-dealer and the quarrelsome old man, they should have known better. We cannot order cats and dogs not to fight; but we can order you not to fight like cats and dogs!” And he gave the flour-dealer and the quarrelsome old fellow a spell in jail to think about it.

The Rajah did not, of course, forget to summon the source of all the trouble, the one who called himself a Mischief-Maker, to explain himself. But it seemed nobody could find him.

Based on a story in ‘Household Words’ Vol. I (March-September 1850) No 8. (May 18th), edited by Charles Dickens.

The rulers of Shorapur were traditionally Hindus.

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Word Games

Spinners Find in Think and Speak

For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1 Gorge. Hubbub. Rush.

2 Heaven. Palace. Pick.

3 One. Quarrelsome. Source.

Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)

Subject and Object Find in Think and Speak

Use each word below in two sentences, first as the subject of a verb, and then as the object of a verb. It doesn’t have to be the same verb: some verbs can’t be paired with an object (e.g. arrive, happen), so watch out for these.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1. Dealer. 2. Street. 3. Eye. 4. Handle. 5. Fat. 6. Friend. 7. Cry. 8. Length. 9. Can.

Variations: 1.use your noun in the plural (e.g. cat → cats), if possible. 2.give one of your sentences a future aspect (e.g. will, going to). 3.write sentences using negatives such as not, neither, nobody and never.

Confusables Find in Think and Speak

In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1. Although. However. 2. Assassinate. Murder. 3. Declare. Denounce. 4. Explain. Express. 5. Expose. Explain. 6. Invite. Invitation. 7. Respectfully. Respectively. 8. Start. Startle. 9. Too. Very.

Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak

Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.

rp (7+1)

See Words

rap. rape. reap. rip. ripe. rope. rupee.

rep.

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