Vandiyathevan stood hesitantly for a while near the threshold, weighed down by anxiety. For a moment, he considered whether he should leap upon the guard—who stood there twirling his moustache, eyeing the tigers—and subdue him, tie him up, and make his way forward. But beyond the cages of the tigers, he could see two more guards stationed at the next entrance. One of them signaled something to this guard and then moved on. Were they, perhaps, speaking in gestures about him? Even if he managed to overpower and escape this guard, there would be many such entrances ahead, each with its own sentry. Would it be possible to overcome them all and escape? Would it not be easier, instead, to make a single bold leap, open the tiger cages, and, in the ensuing chaos, slip away unnoticed?

As these thoughts ran through his mind, the guard said, “Oh ho! Are you thinking of escaping?” Vandiyathevan started for a moment at these words. One of the tigers growled. “Hey, you dog! Lie still!” the guard shouted harshly.

When Vandiyathevan realized that the man was speaking to the tiger, he smiled. The guard turned and looked at him.

“Look here, sir! This tiger is trying to threaten me. I have seen plenty of tigers like this! This lion’s pride will not be humbled by it,” he said, twirling his moustache once more.

Vandiyathevan replied, “As long as it’s inside the cage, a tiger and a rat are one and the same! How can its pride be humbled?” With these words, he displayed the signet of the great Velar in his hand.

“Go on, sir, go on! The Prime Minister’s men are waiting for you at the entrance! Hurry up!” said the guard, and then, turning towards the direction they had come from, he shouted, “Hey, madman! Will you never keep quiet?”

At that moment, Vandiyathevan was holding the madman’s hand. Sensing the tremor in his companion’s hand, he gripped it tighter to give him courage. Then, both of them passed the guard and moved forward. As they did, they heard the guard mutter, “Everyone wants liberation, liberation! If we set everyone free, what will become of our livelihood?”

Even though Vandiyathevan was a man of great courage, at that moment his heart was pounding “pak, pak” within his chest. The words of the guard—that the Prime Minister’s men were waiting at the entrance—remained etched in his mind. It was dark inside the prison; because of this, it would be easy to deceive the guards here and slip away. But outside, there would be light, wouldn’t there? What would happen if the Prime Minister’s men discovered this exchange of identities? Still, let’s try our luck! One must be prepared for anything! Fortunately, this madman is a clever madman; he will lend a hand at the right moment!…

After passing through several gates of the underground prison, they hurried past the doors of the gold coin minting hall as well. The guards stationed here and there, upon seeing the insignia of the Velar in their possession, stepped aside and gave way. No one suspected them. No one scrutinized them closely. As they walked, Vandiyathevan, his mind racing, devised a plan for himself. As they were proceeding through a long corridor, his companion whispered in his ear, “Are you going to the Prime Minister’s house? Or will you come with me?”

“If I go to the Prime Minister’s house, it will be back to the underground prison again! I’ll come with you! But where do you intend to go?”

“If God’s grace is with us, we might even go to Eezha Nadu! In front of the Prime Minister’s men, call me ‘Pinagapani!’ What is your name?”

“Madman!”

“Your real name! The name your parents gave you?”

“Oh, that? My parents named me ‘Kariya Thirumal.’ Relatives and townsfolk called me ‘Karuthiruman!’”

“A fine name! Karuthiruma! As we walk through the streets of Thanjai, I will touch your shoulder. At once, you must be ready to run away with me. You can run well, can’t you?”

“Oh! Even Mahindan, the king of Eezham, could not compete with me in running!”

Vandiyathevan laughed. “You are truly a madman!…” he said.

They crossed the gold coin minting hall and stepped outside.

To Vandiyathevan’s relief, there were not many of the Prime Minister’s men there. Only two of them. One was a stout fellow, and Vandiyathevan felt as if he had seen him somewhere, sometime before; but he could not clearly remember. I do not remember.

“Aren’t you the men of the Prime Minister?” asked Vandiyathevan.

“What, brother? Have you forgotten already?” said one of them.

“No, no! You are the ones who are supposed to take us to the Prime Minister’s house, aren’t you?” said Vandiyathevan.

“Yes, it’s us! Even if you forget the way to the Prime Minister’s house, you’ll still get there!”

At that moment, Karuthiruman, recalling what Vandiyathevan had said, spoke up, “Ayyo, Pinagapani! I am afraid! What if the Prime Minister throws me into the underground dungeon again?”

“That won’t happen, father! It seems you don’t know our Prime Minister’s nature. But just don’t try to escape! If you do anything like that, we’ll be the ones who end up in the underground dungeon!” he said.

Saying this, the stouter of the two men walked ahead. The other followed behind Vandiyathevan and Karuthiruman, acting as their guard.

There was no bustle in the streets of Thanjavur. There was no crowd. After the disturbances caused by the funeral rites of Aditya Karikalan had subsided, those living within the fort had returned to their respective duties. Outside the fort, the Kodumbalur troops were keeping strict watch. No one was allowed to enter from outside the fort. Vandiyathevan walked on, carefully observing both sides. It would be very easy to escape from these two men. But he must not be caught again. He must also have a way to get out of the fort. With these thoughts, Vandiyathevan