Here, we shall recount the story of that pond which has been mentioned several times above—the pond into which the yogini and vanchari had leapt in order to capture a woman, or by the banks of which our ayyaars had sat and devised their plan to capture Madhavi's minister, the Kotwal, and the commander.

This very pond was the path leading to that enchanting place where Kunwar Indrajit Singh was imprisoned. Its other opening was the same water-filled tunnel into which Kunwar Indrajit Singh had entered, only to return after finding it filled with water a short distance in, or which Tilottama had now blocked with heavy stones.

On the other side of the hill beneath which this pond lay was the secret place where Indrajit Singh was held captive. It was difficult for just anyone to reach there by this route; yes, the ayyars—those whose breath was well-trained and who were expert swimmers—could certainly go, but even for them, the artisans had made a convenience for reaching that place through the pond. From the tunnel to the edge of the pond, a strong chain was fixed inside, which made it much easier to reach by holding onto it.

After the arrest of Kotwal Sahib, Chapla had tried several times to reach Indrajit Singh through the pond's path to inform him of the situation here, but she could not succeed, for Tilottama had blocked the tunnel's mouth. Now our ayyars were certain that the enemy was on guard and had become aware of their presence. Meanwhile, the arrest of Kotwal Sahib and the discovery of his soldiers' corpses had caused a commotion in the city. Diwan Sahib and others were troubled, searching for the mysterious enemy who had managed to make Kotwal Sahib disappear.

Several days later, one night at midnight, Bhairav Singh, Tara Singh, Pandit Badrinath, Devisingh, and Chapla sat by the pond, consulting with one another and pondering how they might reach Kunwar Indrajit Singh and what strategy they should employ to rescue him.

Kamla: "Alas, I brought with me the key I had prepared; otherwise, Indrajit Singh would surely have found some use for it. Now it has become very difficult for us to reach him."

Badrinath: "Indrajit Singh is just beyond this hill! No matter how rugged this hill may be, we can certainly make a way to climb over and descend to the other side."

Bhairav Singh: "But this work will take several days."

Tara: "First of all, we must ensure that no man can reach the place where Madhavi has imprisoned Indrajit Singh and torment him. Even if there are five hundred women, they can do nothing to him."

Devisingh: "Kunwar Indrajit Singh is not so naïve as to fall into anyone's trap so easily, but still, we must remain vigilant. If we do not get a chance to reach him in the next few days, we will lay waste to this house and send Diwan Sahib and the others straight to hell."

Bhaironsingh: If the prince finds out that the passage for us to come and go has been blocked, he will not sit quietly. He will surely stir up some trouble.

Tara: No doubt about it.

They were conversing in this manner when, across the pond, they saw a man entering the water. All of them fixed their gaze in that direction. The man dove into the water and, reaching the Jat, disappeared beneath the surface. Seeing this, Bhaironsingh said, "There is no doubt this is an ayyār who wishes to go to Madhavi."

Chapla: But he is not Madhavi's ayyār. If he were from Madhavi's side, he would have known about the passage being blocked.

Bhaironsingh: That's true.

Tarasingh: If he is not from Madhavi's side, then he must be an ally of our prince.

Devisingh: If he returns, we should call him over to us.

A little while later, the man emerged near the Jat and, holding onto him, rested for a moment. After a short pause, he came to the bank and sat on the platform above the pond, lost in thought.

Bhaironsingh rose from his place and slowly walked toward the man. When the man noticed someone approaching, he stood up. At the same time, Bhaironsingh called out, "Do not be afraid. As far as I can tell, you too wish to help the one whose rescue we are striving for."

No sooner had Bhaironsingh spoken than the man replied in a voice brimming with delight, "Well, well, well! So you have reached here too! To tell the truth, all this commotion has been stirred up by you."

Bhaironsingh: Just as you recognized my voice, so too did my heart tell me, Kamla, that it is you.

Kamla: Enough, enough, let it be. I know very well how great your affections are.

Bhaironsingh: If you know, what more need I say?

Kamla: One must have the tongue to say it!

Bhaironsingh: Kamla, I wish only to sit by your side and talk with you, but this is not the time, for (gesturing with his hand) Pandit Badrinath, Devisingh, Tarasingh, and mother are all sitting over there. We saw you enter the pond and return unsuccessful, and from this we understood that you are not on Madhavi's side. If you were, you would surely have known about the tunnel being blocked.

Kamla: Do you know about the tunnel being blocked?

Bhaironsingh: "Yes, I know."

Kamla: "Then, what should we do now?"

Bhaironsingh: "You should come with me to where our companions are. There, together, we can discuss and decide what to do."

Bhaironsingh took Kamla to his mother, Chapla, and called out, "Mother, this is Kamla. Surely you have heard her name before."

"Yes, yes, I know her very well." Saying this, Chapla stood up, embraced Kamla, and said, "My child, are you well? I have been hearing of your virtues for a long time. Bhaironsingh has praised you greatly. Sit beside me and tell me, how is Kishori?"