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, it’s all right.”

Afterwards, that madman questioned Vandiyathevan about all the important events that had taken place in the outside world during his time in prison. When he heard that Aditya Karikalan had died, he exclaimed, “Ah! Then it is all the more important that we escape now!”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because someone must be crowned as the next heir to the throne, mustn’t they?”

“Heir to the throne? The Emperor is afflicted by illness and weighed down by sorrow. He wishes to relinquish the burdens of rule entirely!”

“Who is being discussed for the crown?”

“Some of the minor princes wish to crown Madurantaka! Others wish to place the crown upon Ponniyin Selvan!”

“What is the Emperor’s opinion?”

“To prevent unnecessary conflict in the kingdom, it seems the Emperor wishes for Madurantaka to ascend the throne.”

“In that case, it is absolutely necessary for us to leave here as soon as possible!” exclaimed that madman.

Then, he began to describe in detail how he had come to know the location of the Pandya crown and the jeweled necklace in the land of Eezham. When Vandiyathevan once again inquired about the secret of the Chola dynasty, he replied, “I will not tell you that now. If both of us manage to escape from here alive, I will reveal it. Otherwise, that secret must die with me!”

Vandiyathevan’s mind plunged into intense thought. He tried to guess what kind of secret such a madman might possess. Many shadowy memories flickered across the screen of his mind, appearing and vanishing.

Suddenly, when he caught sight of the physician’s son, Vandiyathevan was startled. He worried that the man in the next room and he, together, might have their plans thwarted by this newcomer. He did not trust Pinagapani’s deceitful words. He and the madman were of one mind in this matter. They had decided that Pinagapani had come with some evil intention. They swore that neither would leave the other behind in the prison and escape alone. They also resolved what to do if Pinagapani returned.

Therefore, when Pinagapani came a second time, both of them were on their guard. While the physician’s son was showing the signet ring to the madman and urging him to reveal his secret, Vandiyathevan silently slipped into the room through a door already made in the wall between the two chambers. As Pinagapani turned to attack him, the two engaged in a fierce struggle. At another time, Vandiyathevan would have defeated the physician’s son in an instant. But the burns on his body had not yet fully healed, and the place where the Kalamukha demon had gripped his throat was still aching, so the struggle dragged on. At that moment, the madman came with a chain in his hand and looped it around Pinagapani’s neck, tightening it. Pinagapani fell to the ground.

After that, the two of them tied him to the iron rings fixed in the walls of the room. While they were binding