Now, let us take our readers once again to that same cave where we left Prince Anand Singh unconscious—or, rather, to that cave where, having arrived with the soldier who had saved his own life, he had seen a woman cutting up a corpse with a knife, and where the Yogini had arrived and rendered everyone senseless.

After a short while, the Yogini revived everyone except Anand Singh by making them smell something. The unconscious Anand Singh was lifted and set aside, and then the same work resumed: questioning the man hanging there by cutting him piece by piece with a knife, demanding, "Tell us whatever you know about Indrajit Singh." The soldier also assisted them. But how stubborn that man was! His body was cut into pieces, yet as long as he remained conscious, he kept repeating, "We know nothing." The Habshi had already dug a grave; when the man breathed his last, he was buried in it.

Having finished this task, the Yogini looked at the soldier and said, "Go outside into the jungle and cut some wood to make a small litter, just enough to carry Anand Singh. You and the Habshi together can carry him on it. Leave him near the fortress of Chunar, so that when he regains consciousness, he may reach home without trouble. In fact, bring him to his senses before you leave, and then go wherever you please. If you need to meet us again, come to this very place."

Soldier: "That was my thought as well. Why should Anand Singh suffer? Do you think I would not care for him?"

Yogini: "Why not? Indeed, you care more than I do. Very well, go now and do this work as best you can. We shall now attend to our own affairs. (Looking at the other woman, the one who had cut up the corpse with the knife) Come, sister, let us go. Leave this girl here; she will be comfortable enough. We shall question her again later."

We have much yet to write about these two women. Therefore, until their true identities and names are revealed, we must assign them provisional names for the readers' understanding. One has already been called Yogini; consider the other to be Vanchari. Yogini and Vanchari both left the cave and, veering slightly to the south, took the road eastward. By now, the night had passed.

It was dawn, and with the whitening of the morning sky, two or three twinkling stars were still visible above.

These two women continued walking until well into the day. When the sun grew harsh, they spotted a dense shade beneath some vine-laden trees in the forest and decided to rest there, near a bubbling spring. They unfastened their pouches from their waists, took out some dried fruits to eat, and after drinking water, spread soft leaves on the ground and lay down to sleep.

Both had been awake the entire night, and as soon as they lay down, sleep overtook them. They slept soundly until midday. When only a quarter of the day remained, they awoke, washed their hands and faces in the stream, and set off again. In this manner, resting at intervals, the two continued their journey for several days.

One night, after walking continuously until midnight, they reached the edge of a pond nestled at the foot of a nearby hill.

This large, beautiful pond was surrounded on all sides by stone steps and small pavilions, built so close to the water's edge that they seemed to touch it. Around the pond, there was also a stone floor, and on each side, four platforms—like thrones—were exquisitely constructed for sitting. What was most astonishing was that the bridge in the middle of the pond, instead of being made of wood, was fashioned from such thick brass that even if two men stood on either side, their hands could not meet across it. Atop the bridge, the face of an ugly iron man was raised.

All around the pond, large, shady trees grew so densely that their branches intertwined overhead. The two women stood by the pond, admiring its beauty. After a while, they sat on one of the platforms, still facing the water.

Suddenly, the water near the bridge rippled, and a person, swimming, appeared on the surface. Both women fixed their gaze in that direction. The person came to the shore, stood on the upper step, and looked around. Now it became clear that it was a woman. Yogini and Vanchari hid themselves beneath the platform, but continued to watch her intently.

The woman appeared to be very young. Having just emerged from the pond, she glanced around at the silence and began drying her sari in the breeze. In a short while, her sari dried, and after putting it on, she took a path leading away.

It seemed that Yogini and Vanchari had been waiting for her, for as soon as the woman began to walk away, they sprang at her, attempting to seize her by force. But the young woman, seeing them approach and realizing she could not win against them, turned and swiftly climbed one of the trees that grew around the pond. Yogini and Vanchari reached the base of the tree; Yogini remained standing while Vanchari...

She climbed up to catch her.

As we have written above, the trees here stood so close together that all their branches were intertwined. Seeing the vanchari climb the tree, the jalchari leapt up onto another tree nearby. Observing this, the yogini seized the third tree ahead, hoping to trap her in the middle so she could go no further. But this cunning plan, too, failed. When that woman found the tree beside her surrounded by enemies, she descended to the ground, swiftly crossed the steps of the pond, and with a splash, plunged into the water. The yogini and the vanchari also descended from the tree and, following her, threw themselves into the water as well.