All around the fort of Rohtasgarh lies a dense forest, where the thick shade of towering trees—sal, shisham, tendu, asan, and salai—casts a kind of perpetual gloom. Night is another matter altogether, but even by day, it was difficult to discern any path or trail, for the golden rays of the sun rarely found their way to the ground through the thick canopy of leaves. In some places, thanks to the smaller trees, the forest was so impenetrable that those who lost their way could hardly hope to escape. At such times, thousands of men could hide within it so completely that, even if one were to search and scour a thousand times over, it would be impossible to find them. Darkness reigned in this forest even during the day, but now we write of the night, when its shadows and the deep silence would seem to announce death itself to any lost traveler, and for the earth there, the nights of the new moon and the full moon were all the same.

On the right side of the fort, in the forest at midnight, we see three figures wandering—each cloaked in black robes and veiled, their identities concealed. Who knows what they seek, or what land they search for in such bewilderment? Among them are Kunwar Anand Singh, Bhairon Singh, and Tara Singh. After wandering for some time, the three arrived at a small walled enclosure, the surrounding wall of which was no higher than five cubits, and where the trees were less dense, the undergrowth thinner. Here and there, moonlight even touched the ground.

Anand Singh: "Perhaps this is the enclosure?"

Bhairon Singh: "Certainly, this is it. Look, there is a heap of bones at the gate."

Tara Singh: "Well, let us go inside and see what we find."

Bhairon Singh: "Wait a moment! The rustling of leaves suggests someone is coming this way!"

Anand Singh: (listening intently) "Yes, you are right. We should hide and see who it is, and why they come here."

All three, alert to the approach of the newcomer, concealed themselves behind the trees. Soon, they saw a woman dressed in white coming towards them. She paused at the gate, listened carefully for any sound around her, and then slipped inside. Bhairon Singh said to Anand Singh, "You two wait here; I will follow this woman and see where she goes." The others agreed, and Bhairon Singh, keeping himself hidden, set off after her.

Even within that enclosure, despite the dense forest, there were neither trees nor undergrowth—

It was indeed a matter of astonishment. Bhaironlil found the ground there to be very clean and tidy, though there were ten or twenty small wild jujube trees, which could neither cause any harm nor provide cover for anyone to hide behind. However, the abundance of dead animals and their bones made the place exceedingly dreadful. Inside that walled enclosure, there were many graves, some freshly dug, others made of brick, lime, and stone. In