If it has cracked, the pit will have burst into flames. A lesser yield. All his pains wasted. He yearns to go out there and save his charcoal, but he is not allowed to utter a word. Nor does anyone volunteer to go with him.
Fear is contagious, especially in such places.
And Gajala is afraid. He expects more than four hundred rupees from the pit. If the plaster gives way, the upper layer will turn to ashes. Two days, and still no news about the rogue. Someone says the whole thing was a hoax.