Bhavananda was handed over to the local police. The charges against him were many. They included an attempt to murder Hemanga Hajra, disappearing with his belongings, and trying to pass himself off as Dr Hajra. We were back in the dak bungalow, having coffee (made with camel’s milk) on the veranda. Mukul was romping happily on the lawn in front of us. He knew he would leave for Calcutta the same night. Having seen the golden fortress, he had no wish to remain in Rajasthan any longer. Feluda turned to the real Dr Hajra and said, ‘Bhavananda was truly a fraud, wasn’t he? I mean, what he did in Chicago, and all that I read in the press reports . . . was all of it true?’ ‘Yes. One hundred per cent. Bhavananda and his accomplice cheated and swindled others in various countries, not just one. Besides, back in Chicago, they were doing something else. Not only were they out to deceive everyone, but they were also spreading evil tales and rumours about me, which was affecting my work. So, in the end, I was forced to take certain steps. But all that happened four years ago. I do not know when they returned to India. I came back only three months ago. One day, I happened to be in Mr Dhar’s shop, when I heard about his son. So I went to meet him. You know the rest. When I decided to travel to Rajasthan with Mukul, I had no idea I’d be followed!’ ‘Who wouldn’t want to kill two birds with one stone?’ Feluda asked. ‘There was the chance to grab that hidden treasure, plus settle scores with you . . . But didn’t you see them anywhere in Calcutta?’ ‘No, not once. The first time I met them was in the refreshment room in the station at Bandikui. The two men came up to me and began chatting.’ ‘You didn’t recognize them?’ ‘No, bow could I? I had only seen them in Chicago, where they had long hair, flowing beards and fat moustaches!’ ‘What happened next?’ ‘They sat at the same table and had a meal with us. They told Mukul they knew magic and even pulled some tricks. Then they got into the same compartment with us. I got off at Kisangarh to show Mukul the fort there, but didn’t realize that those two characters had followed me. They reached the fort soon after us, and hid somewhere until the coast was clear. It was a deserted place, in any case. There was no one in sight. When they found an opportunity, they pushed me down a slope. I rolled down, perhaps a hundred feet. Luckily, my fall was broken by a clump of bushes. If I take my shirt off, you’ll see that my body is still covered with bruises. Anyway, I remained by the side of that bush for a whole hour. I wanted them to think that they had managed to get rid of me, and leave with Mukul. At least, Mukul would then be safe. By the time I got up and walked to the station, the eight o’clock train to Marwar had gone. Those two criminals had left by the same train, with Mukul and my luggage. All my papers were in my suitcase, so there was no way I could prove to anyone who I really was.’

‘Didn’t Mukul mind going with them?’ Dr Hajra smiled. ‘Mukul was in a totally distracted state of mind. Didn’t you realize that? He had no problem leaving his own parents and setting off with me. So why should he make a distinction between one strange man and another? Bhavananda told him he would take him to the golden fortress. That was enough to entice Mukul. Anyway, I didn’t give up. If anything, I was more determined now to get to the bottom of this business. Fortunately, I still had my wallet with me. So I could buy new clothes—local Rajasthani ones. I packed my old torn ones into a bundle. I wasn’t used to wearing naagras, you see, so I got blisters on my feet. ‘The next day, I boarded the train at Kisangarh and got into your compartment. Then I took the same train as you from Marwar to Jodhpur. I went to stay in a place called Raghunath Sarai. I knew someone in Jodhpur—one Professor Trivedi. But, at first, I told him nothing. If the matter came to be known, the two men might have tried to run away, or Mukul himself might have felt scared and refused to cooperate. By then I had guessed that the fort in Jaisalmer was where Mukul should be taken. All I had to do was wait until Bhavananda had the same idea and left with Mukul. Until then, my job was to keep an eye on the pair.’ ‘We saw someone hanging around the Circuit House on the very first day. It was you, wasn’t it?’ ‘Yes, and that caused another problem. Mukul saw me, and seemed to recognize me! At least, that’s how it appeared from the way he came out of the gate and began walking straight towards me.’ ‘So, later, you followed Bhavananda and got into the same train that was going to Pokhran?’ ‘Yes. The strangest thing was that I saw you from the train, trying to stop it!’ ‘Bhavananda must have seen me, too. He would then have realized we would try to catch the early morning train from Ramdeora.’ Dr Hajra continued with his story. ‘Before I caught that train, I told Trivedi to inform the police in Jaisalmer. Before that, I had spoken to Mr Dhar from Trivedi’s house; and then I borrowed one of his suits to dress normally.’ ‘And when you got to Pokhran, you saw that Bhavananda’s assistant was already there with a taxi, is that right?’ Feluda wanted to know. ‘That’s where things went wrong. I lost them. Then I had to wait