The prince whispered a charm into the elephant’s ear; the elephant knelt down. Both of them hastily dismounted from its back. They went to examine the wooden ship that lay half-buried in the sand near the shore. The fate of that vessel was pitiable to behold. The planks were shattered and strewn about in utter disarray. They wondered if perhaps someone might be inside the wrecked ship or nearby. The prince clapped his hands to make a sound. Poonkuzhali cupped her hands to her mouth and called out. There was no response.

Both of them waded into the water, grasped the edge of the ship, and climbed aboard. The bottom planks had split open, and water and sand had poured in abundantly. Any hope that they might push it into the water and set sail was dashed. It was impossible to move that ship from there. Even to drag it ashore, a single elephant would not suffice; it would require many elephants and many men. To repair it, shipwrights would have to labor for months.

Amidst the broken planks, the prince found the tiger flag ensnared. It was clear that this sight caused him deep anguish.

“Poonkuzhali! Is this one of the ships you saw?” he asked.

“It seems so. The other ship appears to have sunk completely and disappeared!” replied Poonkuzhali, a note of excitement in her voice.

“Why are you so elated?” the prince asked.

“Should I not be glad if the ships that came to capture you have sunk and vanished?” said Poonkuzhali.

“It is wrong for you to rejoice, O Princess of the Sea! Something calamitous has occurred here. It pains me to see the ship bearing the tiger flag in such a state. I do not even know how this happened. What became of the warriors and sailors aboard? The thought troubles my heart even more. Are you saying the other ship must have sunk?”

“I only say it might have sunk. If it has, that would be for the best.” “There is nothing good about this, not at all. Such a day should never have dawned. After seeing the fate of this ship, perhaps another vessel has sailed away to where the waters are deeper. I do not understand why this ship had to come so close to the shore. The sailors of Chola Nadu come from a lineage that has been accustomed to the sea for thousands of years. Why would they make such a mistake? Surely, those who were on board must have escaped. Perhaps they boarded the other ship and left! Come! Let us go and see!”

“Where shall we look, Prince? The sun has set and darkness is gathering on all sides!” said Poonguzhali.

“Daughter of the Ocean! Where did you leave your boat?”

“My boat is almost in the middle of this river, is it not? Since we came on the elephant—and you were the one guiding it—we have arrived so quickly. Had we come by boat, we would