question_answer

“"As swine. Horses are as highborn as men, you can tell when you look in their eyes. The only higher birth is the cow-mother. Cow-eyes are more human than ours.”"

"“Still, we can’'t save the horses, even if they are our equals by birth. See how they swing their heads to and fro? And their necks are too thick for the vests. There’'s no way to garland one precisely, even if we descend closer to the waves.”"

"“The men, then. Look there - there are five of them, holding onto each other.”   "

"“It’'s the same way you and I hold each other for warmth at night.”"

"“Those must be a group of deserving friends.”"

The balloon drifted high above the cluster of sailors, who broke apart when they saw the balloon. They waved their arms wildly and shouted. Come down! Lower, lower! We can’t reach your ropes!

“"What are they saying, Khudabaksh?”"

"“I don’'t know. I can barely understand our officers, how will I understand a shivering sailor?”"

"“They must be wounded. All I can make out is ‘'bloody, bloody.’'

"“You’'re right, they are saying ‘'bloody'” a lot. They might well be wounded, Bhola! Come on, let'’s throw them the life vests.”"

So the two soldiers dropped their life-vests beside the five sailors. The sailors, realising what these were, fell silent. For a moment, all five stared at the life-vests rolling serenely on the waves. Then they lunged into action, clawing their way to the vests, kicking and snarling.

From above, the commotion looked like sharks in a feeding-frenzy. More than one pale hand snatched at the vest, other hands got hold of the straps. Two more sailors, treading water nearby, swam over with great windmill-spins of the arms, and they got in on the struggle as well.

When they found it hard to get a hold of a vest, they started punching whomever was closest, and forcing heads underwater. The five who had been friends moments before could not make out who struck them; and so everyone fell on everyone else, and the fight was all against all.

Bholanath and Khudabaksh, distraught at the violence they had caused, searched the basket for something else to throw. Kabira flung overboard no less than six pinecones, but as flotation devices they were far too small and merely jumped on the splashes. The soldiers settled on the oar and tossed that into the stir of white torsoes, torn shirts, upside-down shoes, and froth. Instead of using it as debris that might help him kick to safety, one sailor grabbed it and cracked it across the head of another.

This second piece served another sailor as a cudgel; when the cudgel splintered across a back, it served as a spike. Khudabaksh and Bholanath called down, begging the men to stop and throw the life-vests back up if they were causing discord. Soon, as if obeying them, the water went calm. Only there were no sailors left. A few scraps of cloth marked the spot, along with the straps of the two shredded life-vests. The drowned sailors sank as one to the floor of the Atlantic, their bodies tangled in an embrace that looked like brotherhood.

Who had caused the violence?

A) The sailors

B) Bholanath and Khudabaksh

C) The pirates

D) Not given in the passage