Within a chamber of the Chunar Fort, Maharaj Surendra Singh, Virendra Singh, Jeet Singh, Tej Singh, Devi Singh, Indrajit Singh, and Anand Singh were seated, engaged in conversation.

Jeet Singh said, "Bhairon acted with great cleverness, disguising himself as Indrajit Singh and allowing himself to fall into the hands of Shivdutt's ayyars."

Surendra Singh replied, "Shivdutt's ayyars were cunning indeed, but…"

Virendra Singh added, "Babaji may have become a siddha riding a lion, but he could not accomplish his true purpose."

Indrajit Singh said, "Be that as it may, Bhairon Singh must be rescued very soon."

Jeet Singh reassured him, "Prince, do not worry. Your friend will not suffer any harm, but for now, it is best that he remains in Shivdutt's custody. He is no fool—he can escape on his own without assistance. Still, Pannalal, Ramnarayan, Chunnilal, Badrinath, and Jyotishiji have already been sent to aid him. Let us see what happens! After lying low for so many days, Shivdutt has once again girded himself to bring about his own ruin."

Devi Singh asked, "What orders are there now for the army that accompanied the princes to the hunting grounds?"

Jeet Singh replied, "For now, it is not advisable to break camp at the hunting grounds." (Tej Singh's…

Looking in that direction) Why so urgent?

Tej Singh (folding his hands): "Yes, sir. If we keep our camp in the hunting grounds, we'll be able to carry out our work with great ease and amusement."

Surendra Singh: "If any ayyār returns from Shivdattgarh, we might learn some news."

Tej Singh: "Not tomorrow, but by the day after, someone will surely come."

The conversation continued for more than a quarter of a watch. We do not find it appropriate to reveal the entire discussion, especially since even we could not ascertain the final matter that Jeet Singh explained to Tej Singh in private after the assembly dispersed. Well, let it be; whatever is to happen will be seen in due time—what's the hurry?

On the banks of the Ganga, in a lofty barahdari, the two brothers, Indrajit Singh and Anand Singh, sat observing the state of the waters. It was the rainy season; the Ganga was greatly swollen, the water had reached the base of the fort, and small waves were striking against the walls. The ruddy glow of the setting sun fell upon the water, doubling the beauty of the rippling waves. Silence reigned; in this barahdari, besides these two brothers, not a third soul was to be seen.

Indrajit Singh: "The water will rise a little more yet."

Anand Singh: "Yes, last year the Ganga was much higher than this, when Grandfather told us to swim across."

Indrajit Singh: "That day was quite an adventure. Bhairon Singh outpaced everyone; Badrinath tried his utmost to get ahead of him, but could not."

Anand Singh: "We both kept pace with the boat that accompanied us for our safety, for nearly a kos."

Indrajit Singh: "That was our last test. Since then,