That night, after the last watchman had come and gone, Vandiyathevan waited anxiously to find out what the madman in the next room was going to say. From one side of that room’s wall, he heard a noise, as if a rat were gnawing at it.

Vandiyathevan had no fear of tigers or lions. But he was afraid of cats and rats. He worried whether he would have to spend the whole night in that dark room with rats for company. Troubled by this thought, he called out, “Madman! Have you fallen asleep?”

There was no reply. Only the faint sound of the rat’s gnawing continued.

After a while, a few stones fell from the wall, and an opening appeared. Through it, the madman’s voice asked, “Hey there, have you fallen asleep?”

“No, I haven’t slept. I’m waiting for you. What is this work you’re doing?” Vandiyathevan replied.

“This is a task of six months. Before that, it took me six months just to break my handcuffs,” said the madman. After a short while, he made the opening in the wall even larger and entered Vandiyathevan’s room.

After helping him down, Vandiyathevan asked, “You’ve gone through so much trouble to make a hole in this wall—what’s the use? Wouldn’t it be better to make a hole in the outer wall?”

“There is no such thing as an outer wall from here. One can only get out through the tiger’s cage room. Sometimes, this room is left empty and unlocked. So, escaping from here is easier than from my own room.”

“You’ve revealed all this to me, a stranger who just arrived today, trusting me. What will you do if I betray you?”

“One can tell from a man’s voice whether to trust him or not. I would trust Sendhan Amudhan, but never Pinagapani. From your voice, I decided I could trust you. Besides, if the escape is to happen, it must happen now. This is the right moment!” “Why is that?”

“I told you, didn’t I, that the guards have been changed? I overheard two of them talking. They were discussing opening the tiger’s cage. ‘What if, when we open the cage, the tiger leaps upon us?’ one of them asked. To that, the other replied, ‘Then we must die!’ From this, it’s certain they will not dare open the tiger’s cage. Since they are new guards, I thought I might suddenly spring upon them and escape. In any case, isn’t it better to make an attempt at freedom than to lie here and die?”

“That’s true!”

“It’s easier for two to attempt this than for one alone. You’re not like me; you’re newly arrived and seem strong and sturdy. The two of us could tie up the guards, snatch the keys from them, and escape, couldn’t we?”

“That’s a good idea. When shall we set out?”

“Wait a bit; I’ll tell you when the right moment comes.”

“I’m very tired too. Even if it takes a day or two,