Now let us turn our attention to Rohtasgarh, and see what has become of poor Kishori, helpless in the underground chamber, as well as Kunwar Anand Singh and the others.

When Kunwar Anand Singh, Bhairon Singh, and Tara Singh were captured in the underground vault and brought before Raja Digvijay Singh, the king's men introduced the three of them, and upon hearing this, the king was astonished and began to wonder how they had managed to arrive there. Kishori was also standing in that place. When she heard who they were, she became anxious. She was convinced that now their lives could not be saved. At that moment, she silently prayed to God, wishing that somehow their lives might be spared—even if it meant her own life in exchange, she would not mind. But she could not bear to see them die before her eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that they had come solely to rescue her; otherwise, why would they have endured such hardship?

All those present in the underground chamber knew that at this moment, Kunwar Anand Singh had no one to help him. But our esteemed readers know that Pandit Jagannath Jyotishi, who was now present there in the guise of a daroga, would surely aid Kunwar Virendra Singh. Yet, what can one man accomplish in such a situation? Nevertheless, Jyotishi did not lose courage and began conversing with the king. Jyotishi knew that he alone could do little at such a critical time, and the situation there...

By reading the book, he had also come to know that, according to the rules of this underground chamber, they were certain to be killed. Yet, Jyotishiji still held some faint hope for their survival, for Pandit Badrinath had said, "Today, Kunwar Anand Singh will come into this chamber, and shortly after, we too shall arrive with some men." Now, Jyotishiji could do nothing except delay the king with conversation, hoping that Pandit Badrinath and the others would arrive in time. And so he did exactly that.

Jyotishiji, that is, the Daroga Sahib, went before the king and said—

Daroga: I am very pleased that Kunwar Anand Singh has come into our hands of his own accord.

King: (Looking Jyotishiji up and down, from head to toe) It is astonishing that you say such a thing! It seems your wits have wandered off to graze on grass today! Shame! Shame!

Daroga: (Startled, folding his hands) Why so, Your Majesty?

King: (With displeasure) And yet you ask, "Why so?" Tell me yourself, Anand Singh has fallen into our trap of his own accord—why should that make you happy?

Daroga: I am pleased because, when Raja Virendra Singh hears of Anand Singh's capture, he will surely send word, "Release Anand Singh, and in exchange, we will release Kunwar Kalyan Singh."

King: Now I see that your wits truly have gone grazing, or else you are not the real Daroga, but someone else in disguise.

Daroga: (Trembling) Perhaps you