A Chameleon reproduce by laying eggs, and some species exhibit elaborate courtship rituals. While many chameleon species are relatively small, some can grow to a considerable size. Read More Class 12th English Summaries.
A Chameleon Summary
A Chameleon Introduction:
The dictionary meaning of chameleon is a small lizard that can change colour according to the surroundings. It also stands for a person who changes his behaviour or opinion according to the situation. In Hindi and Punjabi a chameleon is a ‘girgit’. The story is about a Superintendent of Police. He is bothered by a man looking for easy money.
We come to know the man when he chases down a dog in front of the Superintendent. He shows the Superintendent his bleeding finger. He says that the dog has bitten him for no reason. He demands to be compensated for his pain. But the crowd complained that the man had burned the dog with a cigarette. So the dog had hit him back.
The Superintendent changes his stand like a chameleon in handling the case. The story goes on. It is asked whose dog it is. It comes to be known that the dog belongs to the General’s brother. Being friends with the General, the Superintendent sends the dog back to its owner.
A Chameleon Summary in English
The Police Superintendent whose name is Otchumyelov is walking across a market square. He is wearing a new overcoat. He carries a parcel under his arm. A red-haired policeman walks after him with a sieve full of gooseberries in his hands. There is silence all around. The doors of shops and inns are open. There is not even a beggar near them.
A dog is barking. Otchumyelov looks in the direction of the sound. He sees a dog. The dog is moving on three legs out of a timber-yard. A man is chasing him. While chasing him, he falls. The dog barks. The man catches him by his hind legs.
Soon a crowd of people gathers round the timber-yard. The policeman tells the Superintendent that it is a noisy quarrel. The Police Superintendent walks towards the crowd. He sees a man in an unbuttoned waist-coat.
He is Hryukin, the goldsmith. It is he who has created the sensation. A dog is sitting on the ground. It is trembling all over. The Police Superintendent asks the man Hryukin about the problem. He says that this dog has bitten his finger. He explains and further says that he is a working man.
He does fine work. His finger has been bitten by the dog without any reason. He must have damages. He regrets to say that he would not be able to use his finger for a week. The Police Superintendent wants to know who the owner of the dog is.
He would not allow such a thing to happen. He would teach a lesson to those who let their dogs run all over the place. He seems to be stern and is determined to teach a lesson to the owner of the dog.
He tells the policeman to find out the name of the owner of the dog and make a report. He orders that such a dog must be throttled. Such a dog is likely to be mad. Someone in the crowd says that the dog is General Zhigalov’s.
Summary A Chameleon
On hearing this, the Superintendent feels hot in his overcoat. He thinks that it is going to rain. He is not able to understand how the dog happened to bite Hryukin. He wonders how the little dog could reach. Hyrukin’s finger. Hryukin is a heavy man. He says that Hryukin must have scratched his finger with a nail. And then the idea came to him to claim compensation for it.
Someone from the crowd told the Police Superintendent that Hyrukin had put a cigarette in the dog’s face and the dog had hit him back. He added Hyrukin is a stupid person. Hyrukin said that it was a lie. He added that the honourable Police Superintendent could easily make out who was telling a lie and who was speaking the truth.
He said that his own brother is in the police. The policeman said that it was not the General’s dog. The Police Superintendent began to feel cold. He told the policeman to help him on with his overcoat. He ordered him to take the dog to the General. He should be told that his dog should not be in the street. It may be a valuable dog. He told Hryukin to put his hand down. He should not display his finger. It was his own fault.
In the mean time Prohor, the General’s cook came on the scene. He was asked if it was the General’s dog. The Police Superintendent himself said that it was no use wasting time talking about the dog. Since it is a stray dog, he must be destroyed.
Prohor said that the dog belongs to the General’s brother. Prohor calls the dog and walks away from there. The crowd laughs at Hryukin. The Police Superintendent threatens Hyrukin. He puts on his overcoat and then tells. Hyrukin that he will set him right.