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