After the prince and Poonguzhali mounted the elephant and departed, it is our duty, dear listeners, to recount what befell those who remained behind.

When the Commander-in-Chief shouted, “The elephant has gone mad!” the others at first believed him without question. They tried to spur their horses to follow the elephant at full speed. But that proved impossible. As soon as the elephant reached the riverbank, their journey was brought to an abrupt halt. As usual, Vandiyathevan’s horse was the first to leap down into the muddy shore, only to become stuck in the mire. With great difficulty, they managed to pull it free, but the horse was no longer fit for travel.

Commander-in-Chief Boothi Vikrama Kesari struck his forehead in frustration, not knowing what to do next. “Never in my life have I made such a blunder. Why are you all standing idle? What can we do? How can we save the prince? If anyone has an idea, speak up!” he cried.

At that moment, Azhwarkadiyan stepped forward and said, “Commander! I have a thought; may I speak?”

“Are you waiting for an auspicious moment to speak? Out with it, quickly!” snapped the Commander.

“The prince’s elephant has not truly gone mad…”

“What nonsense are you babbling? Then who has gone mad? You?”

“No one has gone mad. The prince has begun to suspect that you are deliberately delaying the journey. That is why he spurred the elephant to leave us behind and sped away. We all know that the prince is a master of every secret art of handling elephants!”

The Commander realized this might indeed be true, and his heart found some peace.

“Very well; let it be so. But we must still reach the mouth of the Thondaimaan River. We must find out what is happening there, mustn’t we?” “We must go. We should follow the edge of the seashore and, if we find a boat somewhere, cross over in it. Otherwise, we will have to wait until Parthibendran Pallavan’s ship arrives.”

“Vaishnavar! You are a cunning man. It seems you have told the prince something of this sort.”

“Commander! Since this journey began, I have not spoken a word to the prince.”

After this, they proceeded eastward along the edge of the lagoon. Readers may already have some idea of the nature of the northern part of the island of Lanka. In those days, the northern tip of Lanka was known as Nagadweepa. The sea, jutting in from both sides, separated that region from the rest of the island. The narrowest point where one could cross from one part to the other was called the ‘Yaanai Iravu’ ferry. Sometimes, the water at this crossing would be shallow, making it easy to wade across. At other times, crossing was not so simple; one had to use boats. (The name ‘Yaanai Iravu’—the Elephant Crossing—came from the herds of elephants that would descend into the water and cross at this spot. It is also said that, in ancient times, elephants were loaded onto ships at this place and sent to foreign lands.)

At that time, almost all the boats along the Lankan coast had gone to Mathottam and Trincomalee. Even so, thinking that perhaps one or two boats might have been left behind by chance, the Commander and his companions kept searching as they went. At last, they found a small fishing boat belonging to a fisherman. Only the boatman was aboard. When he learned that his passengers included the Commander of Chozha Nadu, he agreed to take them.

They boarded the boat and crossed the sea channel. But then, how were they to reach the mouth of the Thondaiman River? Traveling through the forest would not be easy, nor quick. So, they decided to use the same boat and proceed along the southern seashore to reach the confluence of the Thondaiman River.

Until midnight, the boatman rowed along the coast. After that, he was exhausted. The others offered to help, but it was of no use.

“From here on, we must often change direction. There are many bends and rocky outcrops. If we hit a rock, the boat will shatter to pieces. We can only continue after daybreak,” he said. The Commander and his companions, too, were weary. So, they disembarked and lay down to rest in a grove by the shore.

Vandiyathevan did not like this one bit. He quarreled with Azhwarkadiyan.

“All this misfortune has come upon us because of you!” he exclaimed.

“What has come now because of me?” asked Azhwarkadiyan.

“You never speak your mind openly. Ever since Kadambur, I have been watching you. You speak as if you are telling everything, but you always keep half the matter secret. You knew the reason why the prince mounted the elephant, didn’t you? If you had told me that beforehand, wouldn’t I too have climbed onto that elephant? After all the trouble I went through to find the prince, now have I let him slip through my fingers? What shall I say to the young princess when I go to Pazhaiyarai?” said Vandiyathevan.

“Your duty ended when you handed over the letter. What more is there?” said Azhwarkadiyan.

“That is not so. Only after I bring the prince safely to the young princess will my duty be fulfilled. But it seems you yourself are standing in the way of that!”

“No, my friend, no! I am not standing in your way. Tomorrow itself, I will take leave of the Commander-in-Chief and go my own way.”

“Perhaps you think your task is done, that you have handed over the prince. I have always had some doubts about you. Now they are confirmed.”

In this manner, after quarreling for a while, they both fell asleep. So exhausted were they that they slept like men who had been knocked out.

At dawn, as the first light broke and the sound of oars reached their ears, Azhwarkadiyan was the first to wake. The sight before him startled him.