All that night Foster-father lay awake, feverishly wondering what Tumbu had meant, and all the next morning, having no means of telling the time, he waited and waited anxiously, until, just as he was beginning to give up hope, the familiar bark echoed down the well, and there was good old Tumbu on the steps! So he must have been sent by some one; and therefore some one must be alive and desire him to know the fact.
In truth, both his wife, Foster-mother, and Head-nurse had been racking their brains how to find out where either the Heir-to-Empire or Foster-father were imprisoned until little Bija had said, "Tell Tumbu to seek for them.

If you show him Mirak's cap and say, 'Go seek,' he will go." And so he did; but it was a long, long time before he found out where Mirak had hidden himself, for he had gone to the big palace in a litter, and so had left no trace.

Then little Bija came to the rescue once more.
"You say, Foster-mother, that you feel sure that Down must have gone away to keep Mirak company.

Now she _can't_ be prisoned, 'cos cats won't be caught unless they want to be caught, and she doesn't want to be, _of course_.

So she must be going about, so why don't you tell Tumbu to seek for Down; then we should find where Mirak was." "But we haven't got anything of Down's to show him," argued Foster-mother.