The chapter opens with a flashback to Guma's time in prison. Guma explains that he has been thinking of ways to escape the prison, and he has come up with a plan. He plans to take out Oniguma with a blow, then steal his keys and disguise himself as a guard. He then feeds the guard some lines and takes over the last shift of that day. The guards don't notice that he's gone, so he doesn't need to worry about tracking him down. He'll be able to get the "proof" of his escape: the eyes and hide of Onigema's dead body. Then he and Guma go to the old woman's house and show her the proof of their escape. The old woman guides them to the other side of the prison and shows them the body of the dead bear. She tells them that it's no longer necessary for them to perform the ritual, and they'll forget about it. They'll just have to wait until the next day to do it again. The narrator notes that the guards didn't move the body to row, so they're probably not going to do the ritual anyway. He also notes that there's a window in the prison where he can catch a rope and use it to escape. He can use the rope to climb out of the window, and then he can use it as a ladder to get out. He says he'll keep his mouth shut if anyone tries to find out about the escape, but he can't say how long they've been in prison, because he was a virgin. He asks if they can remove the ropes and use the shed to clean up. He wants to play a game of "sword fight" with the guards, but they won't come until morning.