{"collection":"folklore-oral-tradition","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_22756/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_22756","id":"gutenberg_22756","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22756","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Novels","Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy","Fairy tales"],"text":"Produced by Al Haines\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[Frontispiece: \"With these on you will see everything as it really is,\nno matter how it may look to other people.\"]\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE ENCHANTED ISLAND\n\n\nBY\n\nFANNIE LOUISE APJOHN\n\n\n\n\nNEW YORK\n\nE. P. DUTTON & COMPANY\n\n681 FIFTH AVENUE\n\n\n\n\nCopyright 1919\n\nBy E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY\n\nAll rights reserved\n\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\n\"With these on you will see everything as it\n  really is, no matter how it may look to other\n  people\" . . . _Frontispiece_\n\nThe toucan . . . seized the basket by the handle\n  and flew away\n\nUp sprang the lid, and there behold! were the\n  wonderful big pellets\n\nHe was trying to induce her to make an effort to\n  pass the dead tigers\n\n\n\n\nTHE ENCHANTED ISLAND\n\n\nCHAPTER I\n\nOnce upon a time many years ago there lay five islands in the South\nPacific ocean where the weather was always fine.\n\nFour of them were set in a kind of square, but the fifth, which was\nmuch smaller than any of the others, stood in the center of the group\nso that it was nearer to each island than they were to each other, for\nthey were all so many miles apart that they could not see each other's\nshores.\n\nThe little island in the middle was not inhabited, but was surrounded\nby very dangerous reefs.  It was called the Island of Despair, though\nnobody seemed to know how it got its name, and was supposed to be\nhaunted.\n\nIt had not always been there, and that was another reason why it was\nlooked upon as an uncanny place, for all the grandmothers and\ngrandfathers could remember when there had been nothing but the great\nsea between the four islands, and then suddenly one morning a ship had\ncome upon the small island and nearly wrecked itself on the great rocks\nabout it.  After that of course it was put on all the charts, but even\nso, many a ship had since gone on the rocks in a storm and been lost.\n\nEach of the four big islands was a separate kingdom, and had nothing to\ndo with the others.  The largest of all was called the Island of Sunne\nbecause it was the nicest and had the finest weather.  It never rained\nthere in the day time, but only at night, which you must admit was very\nconvenient.\n\nHowever, every place has disadvantages, and instead of mothers telling\ntheir children that it was not fine enough to go for a picnic they\noften said it was too fine, which meant that the very bright sunshine\nand blue sky would be apt to dazzle them, and then they would have to\nsit in a dark room every day for a week before they would be able to\nsee anything again.\n\nThe King of Sunne was a good, kind man, who never made war with any of\nthe other kingdoms, and was quite satisfied with all that he had.  The\nQueen was very nice too, and gave a great deal of money to the poor, so\nit was not to be wondered at that the country was very prosperous, and\nthe people thought their rulers the best in the world.\n\nThe King and Queen had only one son, who was called Daimur.  When\nPrince Daimur was sixteen years of age his father gave him the most\nbeautiful horse he could find in the kingdom, and the Prince was so\ndelighted with his present that he used to ride all day long in the\nforests, sometimes with his servants, and sometimes alone.\n\nOne day, as he was returning from a long ride, he passed a small hut\ndeep in a wood, which he did not remember ever having seen there\nbefore.  He dismounted, and going up to the door asked for a drink of\nwater.\n\nAn old man opened the door and asked him to come in.  He did so, and\nthe old man got him a pitcher of water from the well, but did not offer\nhim anything to eat.  The Prince wondered at this, as it was nearly\nnoontime, and the people of the forest were extremely hospitable.\n\n\"You are wondering, my dear young Prince,\" said he, \"why I have no\ndinner cooking.  It is because I am so poor that I have nothing to eat\nin the house, and I do not know what is to become of me.\"\n\nThereupon the Prince pulled out of his knapsack a package of meat, some\nbread and butter, cakes, and a big piece of fine cheese.\n\n\"Poor old man,\" he cried, \"take this food, which I will not need, and I\nwill send you some more to-morrow.\"\n\nThe old man thanked him with tears in his eyes, and the Prince rode\naway.\n\nNext day, when Daimur was again setting out to ride he called some of\nhis servants and bade them fill up several baskets with food and\nprovisions of various kinds, which he intended to give to the old man\nat the cottage.\n\nWhen all was ready they set out, and soon reached the wood, but what\nwas Daimur's surprise to find the cottage door broken down and the poor\nold man lying upon the floor.\n\nDaimur ran forward and attempted to raise him.\n\n\"Tell me what has happened, my poor old friend,\" he cried, \"who has\ndone this?\"\n\n\"Alas, my enemy has found me,\" whispered the old man, \"and I am dying.\"\n\nThen he motioned to Daimur to send the servants away from the room, as\nhe had something he wished to tell him.  As soon as Daimur had shut the\ndoor the old man said:\n\n\"Prince Daimur, I am not merely the old man you see lying here; I am\nalso a fairy, and am called the Good Old Man of Sunne.  By my powers I\nhave been able to keep away all evil and unhappiness from this island,\nand at one time from all the other islands in this Land of Brightness.\nBut I have had for the last two hundred years a very powerful enemy who\nis known as the Evil Man of Despair.  He makes his home now upon the\nIsland of Despair, and wicked men consult him when they have deeds of\ntreachery to do.\n\n\"He has a great many chemical secrets which he learned in foreign\nlands, and as I am older than he and not so clever he has outwitted me\nmany times upon the other islands, and evil times have followed, with\nwars and bloodshed.  I have always lived upon this island, and of late\ntook refuge in your father's wood, as I had a warning that he was going\nto seek me out and kill me.\n\n\"Last night when it was very dark a tremendous wind sprang up and the\nfury of it burst my door open.  I knew it was he, although he did not\nspeak, but in a moment the cottage was filled with a sweet smell of\nspices which soon became overpowering and I lay like one stupefied, too\nweak to move.  I heard him moving around searching for my treasures.\nHe did not find them, however, and I am going to give them to you, as\nin a few moments I will be dead, and then I do not know what will\nbecome of this Land of Sunne.  Alas!  Alas!\"\n\nPrince Daimur was greatly moved, and tried to tell him that he might\nget better if he sent back and fetched the Court doctor, who was very\nwise, but the old man shook his head feebly.\n\n\"No, it is of no use,\" he said, \"I am very old, and the poison has\nkilled me.  My brain is already growing numb, and I must act quickly,\nLook on that nail behind the door and you will find the door key.\nBring it to me.\"\n\nDaimur did so, and the old man pinched it.  It split in two and there\ncould be seen a smaller key resting in a groove in the middle.\n\n\"Now,\" said the old man, \"put this in the lock which you will find in\nthe under side of the window sill and turn it.  Bring me what you see.\"\n\nDaimur did as he was told, and after fitting the little key into the\nlock and turning it, he found that a piece of the window sill rose up\nand disclosed a small black morocco case like a pocketbook lying in the\ncavity.  This he carried to the old man, who grasped it eagerly in his\nfeeble hands.\n\n\"This,\" he said, \"contains my greatest treasures.  In this case is a\nsmall black velvet cap.  It is a poor, worn-looking one, but whoever\nwears it knows all things, and will be able to act wisely.  Inside the\ncap you will find a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles.  With these on\nyou will see everything as it really is, no matter how it may look to\nother people.  You must, however, be careful, as the Evil Magician has\nalways coveted these treasures and if he finds out that you have them\nhe will do his best to get them from you.  Let no one know that you\npossess them, and always keep them concealed about you.  As the\nMagician will no doubt came back to search the cottage I advise you to\nburn it up as soon as I am gone.  See, you had better take the magic\nkey too, as it will open any lock, however large or small.  Beware of\nevil times, my poor Prince, as my good influence will no longer be felt\nin this kingdom.\"\n\nWith these words the old man began to shrink thinner and thinner,\nnarrower and narrower, until Daimur could see through him, and finally\nhe was just a streak of pale sunlight upon the floor, which wavered and\nfaded, and at last went out completely.\n\nDaimur was so surprised that he sat quite still for a time.  Then\nrising to his feet and putting the key into the black case with the\nspectacles, he hid it in his bosom, and went out to call his servants.\nHe told them that the old man was dead and would not need the food, and\nsent them on with it to the home of a poor farmer who had a sick wife,\ntelling them to ride around by the high road and meet him, as he was\ngoing to ride that way.\n\nAs soon as they were out of sight he built a little pile of chips and\ndry leaves under the edge of the house, and set fire to it.  What was\nhis astonishment to see the flames leap up at once over the whole\ncottage, which burnt like paper.  In a moment there was nothing left\nbut a little pile of ashes, which the light wind took up into the air,\nwhere it formed a white cloud that sailed off into the sky, leaving a\nperfectly green space where the cottage had been, with no marks of fire\nat all.\n\nPrince Daimur rode slowly out of the forest, thinking of all the good\nold man had said, and wondering very much, as he had never heard before\nof the Evil Magician of Despair, although he had heard his father say\nthat a good fairy had always presided over the fortunes of his kingdom,\nbut Daimur had thought it only a saying.\n\nHe longed to put on the magic cap and spectacles, but was afraid the\nEvil Magician might be hovering around, so he made up his mind that he\nwould wait until some need arose before he took them from their case\nagain.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II\n\nIt was not long before, as the Good Old Man had foretold, evil days\ncame upon the kingdom of Sunne.\n\nThe King's brother, who until this time had apparently been very well\nsatisfied to live peacefully in his castle and mind his own affairs,\nwhich, were quite important enough to suit almost anyone, now began to\nstir up trouble in the kingdom.\n\nHe made speeches, traveling from place to place, and told the nobles\nhow foolish they were to be satisfied to stay in the Island of Sunne\nand work so hard collecting rents when they might go to war and win\nsome of the other islands and take possession of all the silver and\ngold, fine castles and estates there.\n\nAfter a while he made some of them very dissatisfied with their lot,\nand the King had to threaten to put him in prison if he did not stop\nit.  I do not know how it would have ended if a dreadful accident had\nnot occurred which threw the whole kingdom into the deepest gloom.\n\nThe King and Queen with some of the Court were one day out for a sail\non the bay, when a sudden squall arose which upset the boat, and all\nwere drowned.\n\nThe people of Sunne were greatly grieved and very much alarmed as well,\nfor the Prince was still quite young, and could not be expected to know\nmuch about ruling a country.  They, however, did not have very much to\nsay in the matter, as the dissatisfied uncle at once proposed to reign\nas King Regent until Daimur was eighteen years of age.\n\nAs most of the best statesmen and all the King's close advisers had\nbeen drowned, there was nobody in particular to disagree with him, and\nhe immediately took possession of the palace and began ordering\neveryone around.\n\nSoon people hated him, and he made the taxes so high that it took\nnearly all the money they could earn to pay them.  This was to keep up\nan immense army which he had formed with the intention of making war\nagainst the other islands as soon as he had built a large fleet.\n\nWhen Daimur was eighteen all the people of the kingdom demanded that he\nshould be crowned king.\n\nDaimur wanted to be crowned at once too, so that he could put back all\nthe good laws his father had made, and save his country from going to\nwar, but his uncle begged him to wait for a couple of months.\n\nOne night shortly after his birthday, Daimur had gone to his apartment\nand was sitting at his window thinking sadly of his troubled kingdom,\nwhen suddenly his door was opened and before he could say a word a gag\nwas thrust into his mouth, his hands and feet were tied, and he was\ncarried quickly downstairs, out of doors and down the garden path to\nthe sea, where he was dumped into a boat that was anchored at the\nlittle wharf there.  The night was very dark, and Daimur could not see\nbecause they had thrown a cloak over him and fastened it over his head,\nbut he could tell that it was a small boat by the way it rocked when\nthey moved about.  The men ran up a couple of sails and pushed off to\nsea.  The boat raced swiftly through the waves, but Daimur thought the\njourney would never end as he lay bound in the bow of the boat, and\nhalf smothered by the cloak.  They sailed all night.  The sun came up\nand it was a very warm day, but still they kept on, and it was not\nuntil the middle of the afternoon that they came at last to land and\nran onto a sandy beach.  Here the men pulled the poor Prince out of the\nboat more dead than alive, set him free, and putting off a large jug of\nfresh water and a big bag of biscuits, sailed away again and left him.\n\nIn vain Daimur cried after them to return, not to leave him there\nalone.  They paid not the slightest attention.\n\nAfter watching them for some time he saw in the distance a large\nsailing barge running towards the small boat, which he recognized as\nhis uncle's, so how he felt certain that his uncle had caused him to be\nleft upon the Island of Despair in order to take possession of the\nKingdom of Sunne.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III\n\nAfter a while poor Daimur gave up staring blankly at the sea, and\ntaking up his jug of water and his bag of biscuits walked slowly up the\nshore to a shady place and sat down to eat and drink a portion, for he\nwas nearly dead of hunger and thirst.\n\nHe had been sitting there only a few minutes when he heard a strange\nnoise overhead, and looking up he saw a large hawk pursuing a beautiful\nbrown dove.  The dove flew this way and that, squeaking piteously, and\nat last fluttered to the ground at Daimur's feet, while the hawk\nswooped down to seize it; but Daimur jumped to his feet, and waving his\narms beat it off and it flew away in fright.\n\nWhen it was gone Daimur turned to look at the brown dove, which was\nlying quite still on the grass with its eyes closed.\n\n\"Poor thing,\" thought he, \"I wonder if water would revive it,\" and he\npoured out a little in his hand and dropped some of it into the bird's\nbeak.\n\nIn a few seconds the dove opened its eyes, and to Daimur's surprise\nspoke.\n\n\"Thank you, brave young man,\" it said.  \"You have saved my life, and I\ncannot tell you how grateful I am.  The reason I am so weak is that I\nam nearly dead of hunger and thirst.\"\n\n\"Unfortunate creature,\" exclaimed Daimur, as he gave it a few drops\nmore of the water, \"I have some biscuits which you shall share,\" and so\nsaying he proceeded to crumble one of the biscuits, which the dove\nseemed to hesitate to take.\n\n\"Unhappy young man,\" it said in a sorrowful voice, \"I cannot take your\nlast morsel, for this is the last pure food and fresh water you will\never get while you stay on this island.\"\n\n\"That may be quite true,\" replied Daimur, \"but I cannot eat any of it\nwhile I feel that another creature is more in need of it than I,\" and\nafter some pressing the dove hungrily ate up the biscuit.\n\nWhen he had finished he was apparently much stronger, and hopped upon\nDaimur's knee.\n\n\"Look at me,\" he said, \"and tell me what I am.\"\n\n\"You are a very beautiful brown dove with a golden crest,\" said Daimur.\n\n\"I am more than that,\" said the dove with a sigh; \"I am Cyril, King of\nthe Island of Shells, one of those which surround this Island of\nDespair, and you, I am sure, are a Prince or a King also, who has been\nput here to be out of the way.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" answered Daimur, \"I am Prince Daimur of the Island of Sunne, and\nmy wicked uncle has sent me here to starve, so that he may be made King\nin my stead.\"\n\n\"I thought it was something like that,\" said the dove.\n\n\"But that is not the worst of it,\" he went on.  \"You are wondering how\nI came to take the form of a dove.  As you can see for yourself, I am\nenchanted.  I was brought here with my wife the Queen and one little\ndaughter, the Princess Maya, who is now seventeen years old.  We too\nwere given a bag of food and some water, but naturally I began to\nsearch for other food to eat when that was gone.\n\n\"I found that all the trees upon this island were fruit trees of\ndifferent kinds and bore the most tempting and luscious fruits.  There\nwas also a well of clear water in the middle of the island, all neatly\nstoned around, which was fed by a small shallow stream flowing from the\nhill at the north side.  You can imagine my relief.  I had no fears of\nstarvation anyway.\n\n\"We immediately began eating the fruit, and found it so delicious and\nsatisfying that we threw the biscuits into the sea.  What was my alarm\nin two days' time to find that I was growing stupid.  I could not get\nenough sleep.  The Queen was the same, and as for the Princess, when\nshe was not eating fruit she was sleeping.  We thought it must be the\nsea air, but on the third day we could hardly open our eyes at all, and\nas soon as we had eaten some fruit for breakfast we fell sound asleep,\nand when I woke I looked around in vain for my wife and little daughter.\n\n\"They were nowhere to be seen.  Only beside me were a grey dove and a\nwhite one sitting on a branch sound asleep.  Then on looking down I saw\nthat I too was sitting on the branch, and that I was a brown dove, and\nI knew immediately that this was the work of the Evil Magician of\nDespair, and that it was through eating the charmed fruit that we had\nbecome changed into birds.\n\n\"It was not long before we found that there were many others here, who\nlike ourselves had been sent out of their country.  And to make it more\nhorrible I discovered that the longer they stayed and the more fruit\nthey ate the more stupid they became.  Some of the older ones could not\nremember anything at all, and did nothing all day long but eat, drink\nand sleep.\n\n\"I do not eat more than will keep me alive, and I try to keep the Queen\nand our daughter from eating much too, knowing that we also are in\ndanger of losing our minds.  I have gone about imploring the others on\nthe island to be careful, in hope of our being at some future time able\nto escape, but to very little purpose.  Of course they must eat the\nfruit or starve, and most of them prefer losing their minds to going\nhungry.\"\n\nPrince Daimur listened to the tale with a shiver, for he did not in the\nleast want to be enchanted and lose his mind.\n\n\"Have you ever seen the Magician?\" he asked after a pause.  \"I have\nbeen told he knows many secrets of chemistry.\"\n\n\"No,\" answered the dove.  \"We have never seen him.  We feel that he is\ncoming sometimes by the great wind that goes sweeping by, but as it is\nalways coming and going in the path to the shore I think he must go\nback and forth a great deal from this island to some of the others.  We\nknow that he has a house on the hill on the north side somewhere, but\nhave never been able to get close enough to see it, as the wind is\nalways so strong around the hill that we cannot fly against it.\"\n\nNow all this talk of wind made Daimur think of the day he had found the\nGood Old Man of Sunne in his cottage with the door blown in, and when\nhe put his hand in his bosom, there safe and sound was his little case\nwith his cap, spectacles and key, which in his distress he had entirely\nforgotten.\n\nHe opened the case and putting on the spectacles looked at the dove.\n\nWhat he saw before him was not a dove, but a tall, splendid looking\nman, very thin, with a sad, pale face.  He was clad in a rich suit of\nbrown velvet, and wore a gold crown on his head, and he looked at\nDaimur in some surprise as the Prince next drew on the cap.\n\nNow he knew all things.  He knew that the Magician had been called away\nsuddenly by his uncle, and that his uncle intended to have the Magician\nconstruct some tale whereby he could make the people believe that\nDaimur had died a natural death.\n\nHe turned to the dove, or King Cyril, as he really was, and said:\n\n\"You may think it strange for me to put on these articles at this\nparticular time, but by them I am enabled to see and to know all\nthings, and I must ask you to swear that you will tell no one I have\nthem, for the Evil Magician is looking for these very treasures, and\ntheir possession would make him a hundredfold stronger than he is.\n\n\"I am able through this cap to know that he is now at Sunne with my\nwicked uncle, and will not be back until to-morrow night, so come, let\nus walk about, and I will look for something to eat besides this\nenchanted fruit.\"\n\nKing Cyril promised solemnly that he would tell no one about Daimur's\ntreasures, not even the Queen, for fear he should be overheard, and\nthen they set forth on their way.  King Cyril flying slowly in front\nand giving Daimur time to look about.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV\n\nThey had gone but a short distance and had come to an opening in the\ntrees, when Daimur said.\n\n\"I see a field of potatoes on that slope about two miles away.\"\n\n\"Potatoes!\" exclaimed Cyril.  \"How can you see so far?\"\n\n\"Oh, it is quite easy with these spectacles on,\" said Daimur.  \"Let us\ngo and see them.\"\n\nThey set out, and after a long and tiresome walk through tangled\nunderbrush Daimur found himself on the edge of the potato field.  King\nCyril resting on a branch beside him.\n\n\"Now, if I only had a spade,\" said Daimur, as he fell to looking about\nfor a sharp stick or anything which would dig up the earth.  After\nquite a search he found, half buried in sand and dead leaves, an old\nspade with part of the handle gone.\n\n\"What good luck!\" he exclaimed, as he seized it and commenced digging\nup a hill of potatoes, and he soon had a large mound of them on the\nground.\n\nThen the question was where to put them, as it would never do to let\nthe Evil Magician suspect that Daimur was not going to eat the charmed\nfruit, but was taking his potatoes instead.\n\nAfter searching about for half an hour they suddenly broke through the\ntrees and found themselves on a shore, the like of which they had never\nseen before.  It was wild and rocky and barren, and some of the rocks\nwere of very curious shapes.  A few were high and conical, like caves,\nand had smooth flat floors.\n\nThey began to look for a cave in the rocks near the shore, and at last\nfound one at the foot of a great tree which overshadowed it.  This cave\nhad an opening in front looking out to the sea.\n\nKing Cyril flew into the air as high as he could and looked for the\nhill where they knew the Magician lived.  He was quite breathless when\nhe came down, but he said that the hill was away at the other end of\nthe island, and that they were facing the south.\n\n\"Then we must be looking towards the Island of Laurel,\" said Daimur,\n\"and these must be some of the rocks on which ships are often wrecked.\"\n\n\"Do you think,\" he continued as he looked about him, \"that if we were\nto make a fire in the cave the Magician could see the smoke?\"\n\n\"I do not know,\" answered King Cyril, \"it might be very risky to try;\nbut anyway let us see if there is not another entrance to the cave.\"\n\nHe flew around it carefully, pulling away the bushes which grew close\nto it with his beak, and at last called Daimur to come and see the nice\nback door he had discovered, for the cave ran for some distance into\nthe earth, and at the end of it, behind some shrubs, was another\nopening about five feet high.\n\n\"Now,\" said Daimur, \"we can come and go from this end and there will be\nno danger of the Magician seeing us.\"\n\nWith grateful hearts they went back to get their potatoes.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V\n\nAfter Daimur had carried all the potatoes into the cave and piled them\nup in a heap he took King Cyril on his shoulder and went back for the\nbiscuits and water, as he was feeling very hungry and thirsty.\n\n\"Can you not call the Queen and the Princess,\" asked Daimur, \"so that\nthey may share some of this food?\"\n\n\"You are very kind,\" said King Cyril, \"but I am afraid they are both\nasleep yet.  They were so hungry this morning that they ate more fruit\nthan usual, but I will go and see,\" and off he flew, leaving Daimur to\nwonder how long it would be before he could get away from this strange\nand dreadful island.\n\nIn a short time King Cyril flew back, followed by a beautiful grey\ndove, the Queen, whom Daimur perceived through his wonderful spectacles\nto be a handsome woman dressed in a grey satin gown, and wearing a\nsmall crown of gold set with diamonds and sapphires.\n\nBeside her flew a little white dove, the Princess Maya, and Daimur\ncould see that she was a golden-haired young girl, all dressed in white\nfrilly lace.\n\nHe asked them to be seated and have some biscuits and water, which\nthough poor fare was at least wholesome and nourishing.\n\nThe Queen wept at the sight of a human being again after such a long\ntime, and the Princess stared at him as much as good manners would let\nher, and thought him extremely handsome (as indeed he was), for she had\nseen nothing but doves for the last four years.\n\nKing Cyril then told them how Daimur was going to do them a good deal\nof good, and had already found a hill of potatoes and a cave where they\ncould live so that they might have no fear of animals or birds of prey.\n\nQueen Emily was very much overjoyed, and extremely grateful to Daimur\nfor saving her husband from the hawk, about which he had just told her,\nand as soon as they had had sufficient to eat she asked to see the\ncave.  Daimur picked up the balance of the biscuits and the jug of\nwater, and they all went to look at it.\n\nThe Queen and Princess thought it a lovely place, and volunteered to\nstay and gather bits of moss and leaves for Daimur to sleep on at\nnight, while he and King Cyril continued their search for food.\n\nAccordingly they set out again, Daimur still wearing his cap and\nspectacles, the King on his shoulder.\n\nAfter walking for some time Daimur, who was carrying the old spade, set\nit down suddenly.\n\n\"There are yams here,\" he said, \"lots and lots of them,\" as he looked\nabout at a mass of slender vines which twined about the trees and\nclimbed towards the light.  He set to work with his spade, and in a few\nminutes had about a dozen nice big ones lying on the ground.\n\n\"We will leave them here for the present,\" he said to King Cyril,\n\"while we see whether we can discover anything else.\"\n\nA short distance farther on Daimur stopped again to examine some more\nvines.\n\n\"Why these are peanut plants,\" he said to King Cyril (though he had\nnever seen peanuts growing in his life before), \"we must have some of\nthese,\" and he dug up enough to fill all his pockets.\n\nAgain they continued their walk, and Daimur now began examining the\ntrees.  Certainly they were very fine ones, some of them reaching away\nup into the sky, and taller than the tallest buildings in the Island of\nSunne.\n\nThey were all hanging full of the most luscious fruits.  Monstrous\noranges, beautiful peaches, cherries as big as plums, and plums bigger\nthan anything you ever saw, bananas, cocoanuts, dates, figs,\nbreadfruits, and grape vines bearing heavy clusters of black, red, and\nwhite grapes, grew in abundance, and although Daimur felt very much\ntempted to pick some of the lovely things he saw, he did not, as his\nspectacles showed plainly that they were all poisoned.\n\n\"It seems to me,\" said Daimur, \"that everything which grows above the\nground is poison, but that everything that grows in the ground is good\nto eat.\n\n\"So you see,\" he continued, addressing King Cyril, who was fluttering\nabout him in a great state of excitement, \"we need not starve after\nall.  Now let us go back to the cave, as it is beginning to grow dusk,\nand besides I am very thirsty.  And good gracious!  That reminds me\nthat we have not found any pure water yet, and we have very little\nleft.\"\n\nThey hastened back to where they had left the yams, and taking off his\ncoat Daimur threw them into it and they started off towards the cave.\n\nWhen they drew near it the Queen and Princess came flying to meet them,\nand crying that they had found a great treasure.\n\n\"What have you found?\" asked Daimur in surprise, hoping it was not\nanother of the Evil Magician's wicked devices.\n\n\"Water,\" replied the Queen.  \"It is just outside the cave and bubbles\nup from between two rocks.  It must be a natural spring as it tastes\nquite pure and fresh.\"\n\nDaimur went with the Princess to look at it, and found it was indeed as\nthey had said.  Between the cave wall and a rock which jutted from the\nbank a little spring bubbled up and trickled into a small rocky basin,\nwhich it overflowed and so ran into the sea sand.\n\nDaimur knew by his cap that it was pure, and they were all much\nrelieved to think they had been so lucky as to find both pure food and\npure water in such a short time.\n\n\"Thank goodness,\" said Daimur, \"we are safe for the present at least.\"\n\n\"We found something else, which I am sure will be nice,\" said the\nlittle Princess.\n\n\"What is it?\" asked Daimur.\n\n\"Come and I will show you,\" she said.  \"Mother and I discovered them\nwhile looking for leaves for your bed, but we could not carry them.\"\n\nA little distance up the sand the Princess led him to where there was a\nlarge nest of turtles' eggs, which Daimur joyfully dug out of the sand\nand carried to the cave.\n\n\"Now we will have a splendid feast,\" they said.\n\nThey waited until it was quite dark and then dug a hole inside the\nopening at the back of the cave, and made a fire.  Luckily Daimur had a\nlittle silver box of matches with him.  They roasted the potatoes and\nyams in the coals, toasted the peanuts, and baked the turtle eggs on a\nhot stone, and thoroughly enjoyed their supper.\n\nThen, as they were all very tired, Daimur jammed some branches across\none corner of the cave for the doves to sleep on, and gratefully threw\nhimself down on the nice soft bed which the Queen and the Princess had\nprepared for him, and they all slept soundly until morning.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI\n\nNext morning they ate some of the food which they had put aside for\nbreakfast, took a drink of water from their little spring, and then\nDaimur put on his cap and spectacles, shouldered his spade and filled\nhis pockets with potatoes and peanuts and some of the biscuits.\n\n\"Now,\" he said to the three doves, \"I want King Cyril to come with me\nand see if we cannot locate something like a boat near the Magician's\nhill so that we may get away from this place.\"\n\nQueen Emily and the Princess begged to go too, so they all set out\ntogether.\n\nIt was a long way across the island, but finally they came to the\npoisoned spring which flowed near the Magician's hill, and there they\nsaw many doves of all colors drinking and splashing around in the\nshallow well, while others sat stupidly on the branches of the trees\ndevouring fruit.\n\nThe poor King and Queen shuddered at the sight and kept close to\nDaimur, who was so busy thinking that he hardly noticed them.\n\n\"By my cap,\" he said to himself, \"I know there is a stair to the\nMagician's house from the shore on the other side of this hill, and the\nhouse is a strong stone one built into the hill.  I wonder,\" he\nthought, \"if we can find the stair.\"\n\nThey walked, or rather Daimur walked and the doves flew slowly towards\nthe hill, but soon came to a great wall of rock that jutted out for\nhalf a mile, and over which they could see by the tree tops a terrific\nwind was blowing.\n\nDaimur announced his intention of trying to scale the wall, but even as\nhe spoke a sudden gust of wind swept down upon them, causing the trees\nto scatter fruit in all directions, and almost upsetting the three\ndoves.\n\n\"What did I tell you?\" said King Cyril.  \"We do not get much of it\nhere, but look how the treetops are bending above us.  It is of no use\nto try to climb up.\"\n\nFeeling rather disconsolate Daimur turned around and started following\nthe great wall of rock which ran away around the hill, winding in and\nout until it ran right into the sea.\n\n\"This wall is the same on the other side of the island,\" said the King,\n\"it runs into the sea on that side also, so that the Magician's\ndwelling is completely shut off from the rest of the island.\"\n\nThey went on, keeping close beside the wall, until they came to the\nplace where it crossed the sand of the seashore, and Daimur stood lost\nin thought, gazing at the rough stones which towered above his head.\nThen with a sudden exclamation he took his spade from his shoulder and\ncommenced digging in the sand at the foot of the wall.\n\nHe soon found that it was only buried about three feet in the sand, and\nin a few minutes he had succeeded in making a hole under it wide enough\nto crawl through on his hands and knees, the doves immediately\nfollowing him.\n\nOnce inside, the shore looked very much the same as it did elsewhere,\nand the only wind was the natural breeze, fresh and briny, which blew\nin from the sea.\n\nThey crept along, keeping close to the ground, under the shade of the\ntrees, and after a while came up close to the hill, which at this side\nseemed to be of solid rock, and ran very close to the water.\n\nBuilt against the hill was a long, low house of white stone, with a\nflight of marble steps leading up to the door, while directly in front\nof it running out a short distance was a wide landing, seemingly\ncomposed of one immense slab of white stone.\n\nThey crept close to the house, but Daimur was afraid to mount the stair\nfor fear of being seen from one of the windows which faced the sea on\neach side of the door.  He was very anxious to know who was in the\nhouse, but to his surprise his cap could not tell him anything about it.\n\nThe Princess eagerly volunteered to go.\n\n\"I am white like the gulls that are flying about,\" she said, \"and will\nnot likely be noticed.\"\n\nUp she flew and alighted on the window sill, which was open, and after\nlooking carefully in, she disappeared inside.\n\nThe King and Queen and Daimur waited in the greatest suspense for more\nthan half an hour.  At the end of that time she reappeared, looking\nvery frightened.\n\n\"There is a witch in there,\" she whispered.  \"Let us go back at once.\"\n\nThey said nothing further, but all hurried away as fast as they could,\ncrawled under the stone wall, and Daimur threw back the sand against\nit, and smoothed it down.  They did not stop until they had reached the\ncave.  Then they all sat down, very tired, and the Princess told them\nwhat she had seen.\n\n\"I went in at the window,\" she began, \"and was in a great kitchen.  At\nthe far end of it I saw a room with a window in the end of it, so as\nthere seemed to be no one about I cautiously slipped into the other\nroom, which from the bottles and pots on the shelves I thought must be\na sort of chemist's work-room.\n\n\"I hopped up on the window sill and looked out, and saw a beautiful\nlarge ship with three masts tied up in a small bay at the end of the\nhouse.  I was then coming away, when I heard a noise and looking\naround, saw coming through the kitchen a very ugly old crone hobbling\ntowards me, muttering to herself.\n\n\"I crept into a large box that stood empty in a corner, and saw her go\nup to a big wicker basket near the window out of which I had just been\nlooking.  She opened the basket and out came a long green snake, which\nfastened itself around her neck.  I quite quivered with terror.\n\n\"'How are you to-day, my daughter?' asked the old crone.\n\n\"'Oh, much better, thank you,' said the reptile, in a horrible rattling\nvoice.  'Did you find the magic tablets yet, mother?'\n\n\"'Alas, my dear,' replied the witch, 'I found hundreds of them.  They\nare on a shelf behind the cupboard, in a dark corner, but are locked up\nin a glass box.  I am afraid the Magician carries the key with him, and\nI dare not break the lock.'\n\n\"'Oh, dear, how much longer must I wait to get out of this horrid\nshape?  I wish I had not touched his old bottles and made him angry,'\nsaid the snake, and it began to shed streams of tears which ran down\nand made little green lizards that crawled about on the floor.\n\n\"'Not much longer, dear,' replied the witch.  'The Magician is coming\nback to-night, and nothing can be done now, but he is going away again\non a special journey in five days' time, to hunt for some treasures\nwhich he says he must have, so I will go out across the fields as soon\nas he is gone and consult my old cat as to what is best to be done.'\n\n\"The Witch then put the snake back in the basket, fastened down the\nlid, and went away, so after a while, not seeing anything more of her,\nI crept out of my hiding place, determined to get some of the tablets\nwhich will give us back our human shapes.\"\n\n\"Did you see them?\" asked the Queen quite breathlessly.\n\n\"I did,\" replied the Princess, \"I got in behind the cupboard, which has\na piece gone out of the back, hopped up on the shelf, and found them\nquite easily.  They are locked up in a strong glass box, and are as big\nas corn kernels.\"\n\n\"Well, well,\" said Daimur, after a pause.  \"Why, I have a key here that\nwill unlock anything.  We shall go back when the Magician goes away\nnext time, and see if we cannot get some of the magic tablets.\"\n\nFeeling very cheerful indeed they then went with Daimur while he dug a\ngreat many more potatoes, nuts and yams, and helped him to make a fire\nafterwards to cook them for supper.  While the fire was getting hot\nDaimur went out along the shore to see what he could find.  The tide\nwas out, and he went looking about for clams.  He was not disappointed,\nfor he soon found a great many nice big ones, and you may be sure they\ntasted very delicious when baked in their shells.\n\nLong after they had had their supper, when it was quite dark, they\nheard a great wind blowing, and Daimur, putting on his cap knew that it\nwas the Magician coming home.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII\n\nAll the next day the King and Queen and little Princess Maya went about\nquietly among the doves in the woods and told them about Daimur, and\nabout the tablets they hoped to get to release them from their\nenchantment, and begged them if they valued their lives to leave the\nfruit they were eating and come and live in the cave with them.\n\nThey soon had nearly all the brightest doves fluttering excitedly to\nthe cave, so anxious were they to seize any chance that might set them\nfree.\n\nThe very stupid ones were harder to rouse, but by dint of coaxing and\ndriving they managed to get them all into the cave, where pure food and\nfresh water soon began to clear their poisoned brains, and in a few\ndays' time they were nearly all as bright and wide awake as when they\ncame to the island.\n\nThe cave at night now was full of chattering and whispering, and Daimur\nhad put up a great many more branches for them to sleep on.\n\nHe had plenty to do, for there was now a large number of doves to\nprovide for, and they ate a surprising quantity of food, and for fear\nthe Magician should see him he had to go for potatoes and other\nprovisions at night.\n\nIt was thought best for the birds to fly through the island\noccasionally in the day time, so that the Magician might not be\nsuspicious.\n\nThe first night, after they were all inside and had finished supper,\nDaimur told them of the ship which was anchored at the Magician's door,\nand they immediately cried out, \"It is the one he stole from Prince\nRedmond,\" and Prince Redmond, a big black dove with a huge red ruff and\nred crest, nodded, and said he knew it must be his.\n\nThen they talked about the magic tablets, and Daimur told them he felt\nsure his little key would open the glass box.\n\nNow Daimur was naturally very much interested to know who these doves\nwere and from which of the islands they came, so they decided that each\nshould tell his own story.\n\nKing Cyril was the first one called upon, and after Daimur had stirred\nup the fire he began:\n\n\"I am, as most of you know, Cyril, King of the Island of Shells.\n\n\"My father was a kind, gentle man, who was more interested in study\nthan in governing his kingdom.  He had only two sons, my brother\nArnolde and myself, and we grew up together and were the greatest\nfriends until I married.\n\n\"As my father was getting very old, and I was the elder son, I soon had\nto devote a good deal of my time to the management of the kingdom, and\nmy brother, who was three years younger than I, and who took absolutely\nno interest in matters of state, was now left very much to himself.\n\n\"One day he announced to my father that he was about to marry a\ncharming young lady who was living with her aunt, a duchess, in another\npart of the kingdom.  My father was naturally displeased that he should\nhave chosen for his wife some one who was not very high in rank, but\nupon making inquiries he found to his horror that the young lady was\nthe daughter of a magician who had never liked our family.\n\n\"My father did everything in his power to try and persuade my brother\nto give up the idea of marrying the lady, saying that she would no\ndoubt have some of her father's secrets and might be dangerous, but my\nbrother would not listen, and was married almost immediately, taking\nhis bride to a castle of his own which was near the royal palace.\n\n\"In a short time the new Princess began to show what she was.  Not that\nshe was ever disagreeable, but she was too nice.  My wife and I began\nto suspect her of magic at once, and were quite sure of it when we saw\nher effect on my brother.  He became so unfriendly that he actually\nwould not speak to me at all, and gradually many of the ministers were\nthe same.  My father was so broken-hearted over the affair that he died\ninside of a year, and I ascended the throne.\n\n\"Hardly had the Queen and I been crowned when there began to be strange\nmurmurings among the nobles.  They said that my brother was such a\nclever fellow, and I so stupid, that he should be reigning in my stead.\nAs he had always been noted throughout the kingdom as a very athletic\nyoung man, who found learning a great trouble, I was convinced that my\nsister-in-law was at the bottom of this opinion.\n\n\"By accident I found out how she accomplished her evil purpose.  She\nhad a little gold snuff box full of a magic powder, which when thrown\ninto people's eyes made them see everything just as she wished they\nshould.\n\n\"One day the Queen was seated in the garden reading, and I was walking\ntowards her, when I saw my sister-in-law creep noiselessly across the\nlawn behind the Queen's chair, open a little gold box, and take out a\npinch of something, which she was just in the act of throwing into the\nQueen's eyes when I screamed at her.  In her fright she dropped the\nsnuff box and ran away, and upon opening it we found that it contained\na rose-colored powder.  We guessed what it was for, and walking to the\nriver bank we threw box and all into the stream, but the incident you\nmay be sure made us very uneasy.\n\n\"After that my sister-in-law did not try to hide her hatred for us, and\nit was only a few weeks later, when we were one day out driving, that\nwe were set upon by a large band of men in disguise, among whom I\nrecognized my own brother and many of the gentlemen of my court.\n\n\"We were seized, bound, tied up in sacking, and hidden away in a cellar\nuntil night, when we were brought out here and left on the shore, more\ndead than alive.  Here we have been for four years, living in a state\nof enchantment, until now Prince Daimur has come to bring us the hope\nof freedom.\"\n\nEverybody sympathized with King Cyril and the Queen and Princess, and\nDaimur assured him that as soon as he had taken his own kingdom from\nhis wicked uncle he would go with him and help him to win back his\ncountry from his brother and witch of a sister-in-law.\n\nThen as it was quite dark Daimur took his shovel and went off to get as\nmany potatoes as he could before going to bed.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII\n\nThe next night after everyone was inside and supper was over, it was\ndecided to be Prince Redmond's turn to tell his story.  He accordingly\nbegan, everyone listening attentively:\n\n\"I am the youngest of three brothers.  My father was King of Laurels\nand loved us very dearly.  I cannot remember my mother, as she died\nwhen I was quite young.\n\n\"My eldest brother Tasmir was a fearless fellow, who did a great deal\nof riding, and was always on the lookout for adventure.  I was very\nfond of him and often went with him, as I liked riding and adventure\ntoo, while my second brother Sadna, who detested any kind of outdoor\nexercise, stayed at home holding receptions and going to balls.  He was\na vain fellow, fond of fine clothes and flattery, and we used to laugh\nat him.\n\n\"Sometimes he would say 'Oh, never mind, my good brothers, I shall get\nahead of you both one of these days,' which answer we always took\ngood-naturedly.\n\n\"It so happened when my father was quite advanced in years that he\nslipped one day and fell, and was so badly injured that he became an\ninvalid and could only sit in a chair and be wheeled about.\n\n\"He was very fond of flowers, and we had an immense conservatory where\nhe spent most of his time.  It was his wish to possess a flowering\nplant from every part of the world.  Each ship which came in brought\nsome new specimen, until there remained but a single little spot on\nearth which had not contributed a plant.  As this place was surrounded\nby a desert which no one would venture across, it did not seem as if my\nfather would get the 'Wonder Plant' as it was called.  He was very\nanxious to possess it and offered a large sum of money to anyone who\nwould find it and bring it back, but in vain.\n\n\"Then Tasmir asked permission to go and seek it, and promised that he\nwould return within a year.  After much consideration the King\nconsented to let him go, and Tasmir was overjoyed.  I was very much\ncast down at the thought of being alone but Sadna seemed to be secretly\nglad.\n\n\"Before departing my brother gave me a locket of silver which he said I\nwas to wear about my neck constantly until he returned.  If it remained\nbright I would know he was alive and well, but should it turn black I\nwould know that he was dead, and it would be of no use searching for\nhim.\n\n\"I wore the silver locket, and at the end of the year it was still\nbright, although Tasmir had not come home.  Up to this time my father\nhad been patiently waiting for Tasmir's return, but now he became very\nanxious and wanted my brother Sadna to set out in search of him.\n\n\"This Sadna refused to do, saying that he knew quite well Tasmir was\ndead, and it served him right for going on such a foolish errand in a\nwild country, which so upset my father that he at once summoned all the\nmagicians and wise men in the kingdom to see if they could tell him\nwhat had become of Tasmir.  None of them could tell him anything,\nexcepting the Evil Magician, who had come with the others, and he said\nTasmir was dead.\n\n\"Then my poor father believed it, although I tried to make both him and\nmy brother understand that it was not true, as my locket was still\nbright.  They would not listen to me.\n\n\"Sadna immediately seized the King and locked him up in a large unused\nwing of the castle, giving out the news to our subjects that his father\nwas out of his mind and unfit to reign, and that he, Sadna, wished to\nbe crowned at once.\n\n\"I was horribly disappointed with my brother, and taking all the money\nI had in the world, I bought a good ship, which I manned with fifty of\nthe best sailors in the kingdom, and started out to look for Tasmir.\n\n\"We had gone only a short distance out to sea when a terrific storm\narose.  It lasted all night, and in the morning we found ourselves\nstranded high on the flat reefs to the south of this island, and were\nobliged to take refuge on shore, as we feared the ship might go to\npieces in the storm.\n\n\"We came inland, brought some food with us, and when in the evening we\nwent back to the shore we found the sea calm enough, but the ship had\ncompletely disappeared, as had also our small boats.  Not a timber or a\nsplinter remained.  We knew that the ship could not have sunk, as it\nlay in shallow water and it would be impossible to break up and not\nleave some wreckage on the shore.\n\n\"I did not know what to think, but finally agreed with some of the\nsailors that pirates had stolen the ship and also our small boats\nduring the day.  As we had no possible means of escape we were obliged\nfor the meantime to seek food and shelter in the interior of the\nisland, believing that perhaps before long we would be able to hail\nsome passing boat.\n\n\"We soon found our way to the fruit trees, you may be sure, with the\nresult that in three days we had all been transformed into birds, which\nshape we had no hope of changing for our own again until you, Prince\nDaimur, came to rescue us.\"\n\n\"And your brother Tasmir,\" asked Daimur, \"do you still believe him to\nbe alive?\"\n\n\"Indeed,\" replied Prince Redmond sadly, \"I do not know.  My locket,\nbeing a charmed one, could not be transformed with me, and is still\naround my neck, but it seems to be turning darker every day.  Wherever\nTasmir is I fear he is dying.\"\n\n\"Well,\" said Daimur, \"do not give up hope.  Just as soon as you are\ndelivered from this place you will be able to go and seek him, and I\nwill give you every assistance in my power.  In the meantime I will try\nand find out something about him.\"\n\nSo they retired to rest with hopeful hearts, each to dream of freedom.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX\n\nThe next evening, after supper was over, some of the doves brought\nforward a very plain-looking old dove, who wore suspended around her\nneck on a thin chain a little gold key.\n\nThey all begged her to tell Daimur her story, and after some hesitation\nshe began:\n\n\"I am not a Queen,\" she said, \"I am only the Duchess of Rose Petals,\nbut through my misfortune I am causing a great deal of misery to my\ndear, dear niece, Queen Amy of the Island of Roses.\"  Here she shed a\nfew tears, then shaking her feathers, she continued her story.\n\n\"When my cousin, the late King Richard, died he left no heir.  In his\nwill, however, he named his successor.  He said that whichever of his\nnieces (his two brothers each had one daughter) should grow up more\nbeautiful and more clever than the other should be crowned Queen on her\neighteenth birthday, and that until then the Prime Minister should\nmanage the affairs of the country.\n\n\"As the girls were both in their sixteenth year at the time there were\ntwo years to wait.\n\n\"We all thought it a silly plan, and that it would have been much\nbetter to name one of the girls as Queen and be done with it, but of\ncourse the King's wishes had to be observed, and the people settled\ndown to wait.\n\n\"The two Princesses after that were very seldom seen, each being kept\nbusy by her respective parents learning all manner of things which she\nwould need to know if she became Queen, and at the same time building\nup her beauty.\n\n\"Princess Amy was always my favorite niece.  She was a dear\ngood-hearted little thing with pretty golden hair, a fine\npink-and-white complexion, and the kindest blue eyes in the world.\n\n\"Princess Bethel was neither good-looking nor sweet-tempered, and no\none thought she had any chance of being chosen Queen, especially as she\nwas known to be rather stupid.  I really felt sorry for her, as I knew\nshe could not manage to change her looks altogether in two years, but\nshe had a surprise in store for us.\n\n\"Her father was a studious man, fond of making scientific experiments,\nand I used to hear that she spent a great deal of her time in the\nlaboratory watching the making of strange mixtures, but I did not pay\nmuch attention to this, as it was nothing new.\n\n\"Nobody ever saw her excepting heavily veiled, and her mother said that\nthey were trying a new treatment for her complexion and that the sun\nmust not touch her skin.\n\n\"The two years passed away, and at last a day was named in May when the\nchoice of Queen should be made.\n\n\"For days the roads were full of people traveling towards the Palace\ngates, and when the great day dawned bright and clear the square in\nfront of the Palace looked as though a large army had encamped there.\nFlags were flying everywhere, and inside, the Palace all preparations\nhad been made to crown the chosen Queen and have a great feast.\n\n\"The first thing the two Princesses had to do was to appear at nine\no'clock in the morning before seven of the greatest college professors\nin the kingdom and write examinations on seven different subjects, the\nresult of which would be announced before the assembled multitude.\n\n\"At seven o'clock it was given out that Princess Amy had made very high\nmarks in all subjects and had come away ahead of Princess Bethel.  At\nthis loud cheers were heard for Princess Amy, and it was murmured about\nthat she would be Queen.\n\n\"At midday all the Court were assembled, and the two Princesses, each\nwith her parents, walked slowly into the great ballroom.\n\n\"A murmur of admiration arose, for indeed they both looked exceedingly\nbeautiful in their white satin dresses, richly trimmed with lace.\n\n\"I noted with pride that Princess Amy's golden hair and blue eyes were\nbrighter than ever, her complexion more delicately pink and white, but\nwhat was my surprise on turning my eyes towards Princess Bethel to see\nthat her complexion was a great deal finer, and her hair most wonderful.\n\n\"In place of the straggly brown locks she used to possess she now had\nthe most beautiful masses of shining hair, falling to the floor in\nwaves and ringlets.  It was of a very pale yellow, but the charm of it\nlay in the way it seemed to change color, sparkling with every\nbeautiful shade around it as she walked.  It was most fascinating.\n\n\"We were all amazed, and after the first glance nobody saw Princess Amy\nat all.  The two girls walked down the hall, and every eye was fixed on\nPrincess Bethel and her wonderful glistening hair.\n\n\"It was only a few moments before it was announced from the Palace to\nthe people assembled outside that the beautiful Princess Bethel had\nbeen chosen Queen,--everybody had forgotten about the examination for\ncleverness,--and the crowning immediately took place, after which the\nnew Queen and Princess Amy appeared on the balcony and bowed to the\npeople, who were waiting to see them, and who professed themselves\ncompletely satisfied with the choice of Princess Bethel as Queen.\n\n\"The news quickly spread throughout the kingdom, and many people\ntraveled from the other side of the island just to get a look at the\nnew Queen and her wonderful hair.\n\n\"I was sorry for Princess Amy; not that she seemed to mind not being\nchosen--she was too sweet-tempered to be jealous--but she certainly had\nnot been treated fairly.  I felt too that there was something peculiar\nabout the Queen's hair, and after considerable thought and a number of\nquiet inquiries I determined to see for myself if she really had such\nhair, and such a fine complexion.\n\n\"Queen Bethel's mother spent a great deal of her time at the Palace\nwith her daughter, and I became very friendly with her and used to\nvisit her there a great deal.  I had to wait my chance, but at last it\ncame.\n\n\"One afternoon I drove to the Palace alone, and was told that the Queen\nwas taking a nap and must not be disturbed, and that her mother was\ntaking an airing, but would be back in an hour.\n\n\"I said I would wait in the Queen's private drawing room until her\nmother came in, and was shown upstairs, but the moment I was alone I\nhurried swiftly and softly to the Queen's apartments.  Just as I\nthought, the door was locked.  I went to a linen closet a short\ndistance down the hall where I knew I could get a small step-ladder,\nand mounting this I got into the room through the transom.\n\n\"I let myself down by stepping on the door handle, and found I was in\nthe Queen's boudoir.  I could hear someone snoring in the next room\nquite loudly, so after making sure that nobody was about I tiptoed\ngently to the door.\n\n\"On the bed, looking very pale and homely, lay the Queen, and there\nupon the dresser was her beautiful hair.  Beside the hair was a queer\nlooking pot marked\n\n  PERFECT COMPLEXION DYE\n  One Application warranted to stand\n  two washings.\n\n\n\"I could have laughed for joy, but I had no time to waste, and quickly\nputting both the complexion dye and the hair into my large pocket I\ncrept back to the boudoir.\n\n\"Here of course I had no difficulty in unlocking the door and getting\nout into the hall, and after pushing the key under the door, closing\nthe transom and carefully putting the stepladder back into the linen\ncloset, I left the Palace, saying that I could not wait any longer.\n\n\"I flew home and sent for Princess Amy's mother and father.  I showed\nthem the wig and the dye.  They were speechless with indignation and\nsurprise at the way their daughter had been imposed upon.  At my\nrequest they agreed to take possession of the articles until we could\nhave arrangements made for settling the matter.\n\n\"We then called upon the Prime Minister and told him the whole story,\nand he called a special meeting for twelve o'clock next day, at which\nall members of Government were ordered to attend, and it was added that\nthey might bring their wives with them.  Somehow or other the news went\naround that the meeting was to be over the new Queen, and at twelve\no'clock next day the long table which ran the whole length of the great\nassembly room was crowded, and most of the ladies had to sit in groups\nabout the room.\n\n\"'Call the Queen,' said the Prime Minister.\n\n\"The Queen's mother hurried in in a terrible flutter, and said that the\nQueen had a frightful headache and begged to be excused.\n\n\"The Prime Minister replied that he was sorry, but if she was not able\nto come down we would have to go upstairs to her and hold the meeting.\n\n\"That settled it.  In a few moments the Queen appeared, very pale\nindeed, and with her head tied up in a lace scarf.  She looked anything\nbut beautiful without her fine hair and lovely complexion, and her\nsmall green eyes flew around the room as if looking for a means of\nescape.  I could see that everybody was shocked at sight of her.\n\n\"The Prime Minister came immediately to the point.  He told the Queen\nthat reports were circulating to the effect that her beautiful hair was\nnot real.  At this she flew into a perfect rage and stamped her foot at\nhim, crying that it was real.\n\n\"'Well, well, then,' said the Prime Minister, 'kindly remove your lace\nscarf and let us see for ourselves.'\n\n\"This of course she refused to do, whereupon the Prime Minister held\nout his hand for a bag which Princess Amy's father was carrying, and\ndrew out first the complexion dye and then the wig, which he passed\naround for inspection.  When he laid the Queen's beautiful hair on the\ntable everybody jumped up with an exclamation of amazement and looked\nat Bethel, who gave a scream and tried to snatch it, but her mother\ndrew her back.\n\n\"'What is it made of?' was the question they all asked.  I knew, I had\nguessed it for quite a long time, but had not felt certain until I had\nit in my hands.\n\n\"'It is made of spun looking-glass, colored a delicate yellow,' I said,\n'and was made by Princess Bethel's father, who, as you all know, is\nvery clever.  See, here is a doll's wig that he made for Princess Amy\nseveral years ago.  You will note that it is not colored, that it is\nmade of clear glass, and is coarser, but the idea is the same.  If you\nneed any further proof I have three witnesses whose testimony I think\nyou will be willing to accept.'\n\n\"'Wonderful, wonderful,' they all exclaimed, as they still examined the\nwig.\n\n\"'Who told you anything about it?' screamed the Queen.  'What do you\nmean prying into my affairs?  I'll pay you well for this, Aunt Sophie.'\n\n\"But nobody paid any attention to her.  The Prime Minister was asking\nwhat should be done with her, and various things were suggested.  One\nold Baroness would keep calling out, 'Have her beheaded, have her\nbeheaded,' and several members of Parliament felt that she ought to be\nimprisoned for life, and also her father and mother.\n\n\"No doubt they would have been imprisoned for at least a number of\nyears had not Amy's father risen and said that his daughter asked that\nfor her sake they would not punish either Bethel or her parents, but\nlet them go home, as she thought the shame of all this exposure would\ncertainly be punishment enough.  Most of the ladies thought so too, and\nfinally it was agreed to do as Amy had asked.\n\n\"So Princess Bethel was ordered to leave the palace at once, and it was\nsaid that her father and mother had a dreadful time trying to live with\nher for many a long day afterwards, but we all agreed that it served\nthem right.\n\n\"That very day Princess Amy was crowned Queen, and nobody was more\nhappy than I, for I knew that she would rule wisely and well.\n\n\"I was not mistaken, for she soon began to make new laws and change the\nold ones for the good of her subjects.\n\n\"I was one day with her in the cellars under the Palace looking through\nsome old chests of books, when we came upon one very large chest made\nof solid steel, which stood in a small room alone.  The key, a tiny\ngolden one, was in the lock and we opened it.  The chest was lined with\ngold, but had nothing in it but one gold coin in the bottom.\n\n\"'Why, what a splendid bank this would make,' said Queen Amy, 'I\nbelieve I shall start one.'\n\n\"That very day she began saving gold in the big chest, and continued\nputting by as much as she could spare to use it in a time when the\ncrops might be poor, or war threatened.\n\n\"There were very few banks in the kingdom, and it was not long before\npoor people were bringing their savings to the Palace to be put in the\nchest.  She had a great number of little glass boxes made, which fitted\ninto trays, and each box bore the name of the depositor.  The key of\nthe chest she carried on a fine strong chain about her neck night and\nday.\n\n\"One evening word came that the Princess Bethel's mother was very ill\nand wished to see her niece.  The Queen instantly called for her\ncarriage, and ordered a company of guards to accompany her, then as she\nhad to drive through a wood and was a little afraid of highwaymen she\ntook the gold key from her neck and fastened the chain around mine,\ntelling me not to remove it until she returned.\n\n\"I watched her drive away, and then went for a walk over the lawn\ntowards the water.  I reached the little pier and stood for a few\nmoments looking at a small row boat which was tied there, wondering\nwhether I should go out for a few minutes on the bay, but as the night\nwas rather chilly I turned to go back for a wrap.\n\n\"I had not taken six steps before I was seized in a kind of whirlwind\nwhich sprang up from the water and almost choked me.  In my hurry to\nget away I turned in the wrong direction and stepped off the pier into\nthe boat, striking my head.\n\n\"I can remember clutching the key as I fell, and after that I knew\nnothing until I awoke and found myself lying on the sands of this\nisland.  Here I have been for two years, and in that time who knows\nwhat may have happened to my poor Amy, for without this key she cannot\nopen the treasure chest.\"\n\nHere the dove stopped and heaved a great sigh.  \"Fear not,\" said\nDaimur, \"you shall go back in a very short time to your beloved niece\nif all goes as well as we hope.\"\n\nThen as it was very late they all settled themselves for the night and\nwere soon fast asleep.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X\n\nEarly in the morning Daimur was up and astir, and after breakfast he\nwent for a walk alone.  As he went along he thought of the stories he\nhad heard, but most of all he thought of Prince Tasmir and wondered if\nhe were still alive.\n\nHe had come to a clear space in the depths of the wood, and being\nrather tired, he leaned against a large tree, and looking up at the sky\nthrough the branches said aloud to himself:\n\n\"I wonder where Tasmir is?\"\n\n\"I am here,\" said a faint voice immediately back of him.\n\nQuite startled, Daimur turned sharply around and looked behind him.\nThere was no one in sight.  He looked into the branches of the tree\nagainst which he was leaning, thinking it might have been the voice of\na dove, but there was nothing to be seen.  But he noticed that the\nleaves of the tree were dropping, and what was still more strange on\nthat island, it was a laurel tree, and not a fruit tree.\n\n\"Tasmir,\" he murmured in a low tone, \"where are you?\"\n\n\"I am here,\" came the voice again, \"in this tree, and more dead than\nalive.\"\n\nImmediately Daimur put on his spectacles, and standing back looked at\nthe tree.  He could see imprisoned in the center of the trunk a young\nman with a pale, thin face.  His eyes were wild and his hair long, and\nhe looked back at Daimur with such a sad expression.\n\n\"Poor, poor fellow,\" said Daimur, \"your plight is worse than your\nbrother's.  This is more of the Evil Magician's work.\"\n\n\"Yes, he has enchanted me, and I am slowly dying,\" answered Tasmir in a\nweak voice.  \"You can see that the leaves of my tree are dropping.\"\n\n\"What can I do to save you?\" cried Daimur.\n\n\"You must make a hole in the side of the tree and let the sap run out.\nWhen it has all run away the tree will dry up in a day, and I will be\nable to break through the wood, as it will be brittle like dried-up egg\nshell.  You will have to do it at once, however, as I cannot last much\nlonger than another day.  I am nearly drowned now with sap.\"\n\nDaimur hastily drew out his knife, and finding a place where some\nbushes grew close against the tree he pulled them back and began\ncutting a hole in the bark.  He worked for more than an hour before he\nhad penetrated through to the pith.  Then the sap burst forth and ran\nout in a stream, sinking into the earth at the root.\n\n\"It will not be dry until night,\" said the poor prisoner, \"and then\nperhaps I will be able to break my way out.\"\n\nDaimur, who had been consulting his cap, now found that the Magician\nwas moving around the island, so he left the sap to drain away and\nhurried back to the cave where he lay hidden for the rest of the day.\n\nAfter supper Daimur called Prince Redmond to one side.\n\n\"Redmond,\" said he, \"I have news of your brother Tasmir; he is still\nliving.\"\n\nAt this Redmond was so overjoyed that he almost fainted, but after a\nmoment recovered himself and asked Daimur to tell where his brother was\nand what he knew of him.\n\nThen Daimur told him about his walk in the forest that morning, and how\nhe had heard Tasmir's voice come out of the tree.  When he had finished\nRedmond was in a great flutter of excitement and happiness, and wanted\nto go at once and see if the sap had all drained away.\n\nDaimur put on his cap again, and having ascertained that the Magician\nwas safe in his house, he led the way to the great laurel tree, where\nthey could see by the light of the moon that the sap had ceased to run.\nThe tree was drying up.\n\n\"Is it dry enough yet?\" he called softly to Tasmir.\n\n\"No, not yet,\" came the faint answer from the tree, \"but it is drying\nfast.\"\n\nDaimur sat down on the ground to wait, and Prince Redmond perched in a\nneighboring tree, so excited at the prospect of seeing his dearly loved\nbrother alive that he could hardly keep his hold on the branch.\n\nAfter a while they heard a faint cracking noise like the breaking of\nglass, and Daimur immediately jumped to his feet.\n\n\"Can I not help you?\" he called softly.\n\n\"Yes,\" answered Tasmir, \"you must cut the bark.  I am so weak I will\nnot be able to break that.  Cut a slit in it right up the tree.\"\n\nThis Daimur did, slitting it for above five feet up from the root.  No\nsooner had he stepped back than there was a great rending sound, the\nbark flew open, and out staggered the poor thin young prince, so weak\nand faint from his efforts that he could not stand, but had to lie for\na while on the grass.  His brother Redmond at once fluttered to his\nside and cried out how glad he was to see him, and that he had never\nexpected to behold him again alive.\n\n\"Is it you, dear Redmond?\" asked Tasmir.  \"I never expected to be able\nto speak to you again.  I knew you, although you did not know me, and\noften watched you flying past.  I tried to call you, but you never\nheard me.  I would have been dead in a few hours' time had it not been\nfor this good young man,\" he said, and he turned gratefully towards\nDaimur, who was pushing together the bark on the tree so that the slit\nwould not be noticed.\n\nThey waited until Prince Tasmir had taken some of the biscuits and\nwater, and a few of the nuts that they had brought with them, and felt\nstrong enough to walk, and then they made their way slowly back to the\ncave, where much excitement prevailed at the appearance of Tasmir and\nthe story of his rescue.\n\nHe was made to lie down and rest, and more food was pressed upon him,\nand the food and the fresh sea breeze which blew into the cave soon\nrevived him.\n\nThey told him all about themselves and their plans, and it was agreed\nthat he would be of great assistance to Daimur in helping to make their\nescape.\n\nAfter a while when Tasmir had become quite rested, he turned to Redmond\nand said:\n\n\"My dear brother, I know that you are anxious to hear how I came into\nthe Evil Magician's hands, and I now feel well enough to tell you my\nstory.\"\n\nAll chatter immediately ceased, and everyone sat listening attentively\nfor Tasmir to begin.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI\n\n\"You will remember,\" he said, \"that I took passage on a ship called the\n'Seafoam,' which was bound for Aeda Land, where the great desert lay\nwhich I would have to cross to get the Wonderful Plant.\n\n\"This ship was recommended as being safe and fast, and Sadna said the\nCaptain was a fine honest man who would do his best to make me\ncomfortable.\n\n\"It was a long, low boat, built apparently for speed, as it did not\nseem to have much room for cargo, and what cargo was being loaded\naboard I noticed consisted mostly of oil and gunpowder.  However, I was\nwell pleased enough with the accommodation offered me, and in due time\nthe ship set sail.\n\n\"After we had been out a few days I began to notice the crew.  They\nwere the most murderous looking crowd of ruffians I had ever seen, and\nseemed to be continually quarreling among themselves.\n\n\"The Captain too I thought anything but honest looking.\n\n\"One evening while it was yet very early I told the Captain I would go\nto my cabin, for the weather being rough I was feeling rather seasick;\nbut after reaching my stateroom I decided that fresh air would do me\nmore good than sleep, so went up on deck and stood at the side of the\ncabin looking out at the sea, and trying to make out by the stars which\ndirection we were following.\n\n\"It was quite dark, for the time of year was late fall and the evenings\nclosed in quickly.  As I stood there in the shadow of the cabin two\npeople came towards me, talking in low tones.\n\n\"'When?' asked one voice, which I recognized as that of the first mate.\n\n\"'To-morrow night,' said the Captain's rough bass.  'We'll run up the\nmerry old skull and crossbones as soon as it gets dark, change our\nname, and get out the guns.  We ought to meet the Hesperus before\nmorning, and she carries a full cargo of Spanish gold.'\n\n\"'But what will we do with the Prince,' asked the first mate.  'Kill\nhim and throw him overboard?'\n\n\"'Oh, make him walk the plank at midnight, after we are all ready.\nWe'll tell him the ship's been captured.  He'll never know he's aboard\nthe \"Maneater.\"  He has a tidy sum of gold with him, and that we'll\ndivide, you and I.'\n\n\"They passed out of hearing and left me rooted to the spot with horror.\n\n\"I was aboard a pirate ship, and the 'Maneater' at that, for years the\nterror of all travelers on the high seas!\n\n\"How could I escape?  That was the one thought which filled my mind.\nYou may be sure I did not sleep at all that night, and early next day\nhad laid my plans.\n\n\"I went first and inspected the small boats.  The Captain's gig was the\nsmallest and lightest, and hung near the bow ready to launch.  I\nwatched my chance and when the cook was busy elsewhere stole a big\npackage of ship's biscuits and a pail of fresh water.  These I stowed\naway in the gig under the tarpaulin that covered it.  Then I cut the\nropes nearly through so that with much added weight it would drop into\nthe water some twelve feet below.\n\n\"I waited impatiently for nightfall, and when supper time came told the\nCaptain that as I still felt rather seasick I thought I had better\nretire to my stateroom.\n\n\"I waited until I knew that the crew were all at supper, and then stole\nout to the stern of the ship, raised one of the hatches carefully, and\nspreading some oakum on the top of a tar barrel set it afire and laid\nthe hatch on again, after which I hurried back to my stateroom to await\nthe result.\n\n\"An hour passed.  I began to fear that the fire had smothered for want\nof air, and wished I had left the hatch open a little.  Eight o'clock\ncame, and I heard the crew beginning to run about, and the Captain's\nvoice shouting orders.  I could tell by the creaking of the ropes in\nthe pulleys that the flag of Sunne was being hauled down and the black\nflag hoisted.\n\n\"Then there was a rumbling of heavy guns being pulled about the decks,\nand after that the sound of hammering, and I knew they were changing\nthe name plate.\n\n\"Fearing they would lock me in my stateroom I packed as much gold into\nmy purse as it would hold, distributed the rest throughout my clothing,\nand stole out of the cabin to the little passageway, where I lay\ncrouched behind the stair leading to the deck.\n\n\"All at once I heard a cry of 'Fire, fire,' and then a rush of feet\ntowards the stern.\n\n\"Now was my chance.  With a bound I rushed on deck, pulled the\ntarpaulin cover off the gig and sprang in.  It dropped with a splash\ninto the water.  Fortunately the sea was comparatively calm, and the\nboat did not upset.  I seized the oars and rowed away.  I could see the\nflames shooting to a height of perhaps twenty feet, and judged from the\nspace over which they spread that my fire must have crept through part\nof the hold.  The powder was all loaded in the bow, and was in no great\ndanger.\n\n\"Sharply outlined against the flames the men ran to and fro hauling\nwater in buckets from the sea.  I rowed on and on, thinking only of\ngetting away from the pirates before they got the fire under control\nand missed me, but as I watched I saw that the fire was getting beyond\nthem and soon I saw that nearly the whole ship was in flames.  Suddenly\nthere was a distant booming sound, and the flames shot into the sky in\nall directions, and when the black smoke had cleared away there were\nlittle dots of flame all over the sea, where pieces of the burning\nvessel were floating about.\n\n\"I was now about two miles away, and could not tell whether any of the\ncrew had escaped or not.  Indeed I do not care, as they had all\nmurdered scores of innocent men and women in the years they had been\nscouring the seas.  It seemed to me a fitting thing that they should\nhave lost their lives by the very powder with which they intended to\nkill others.\n\n\"By and by all the flaming specks disappeared, and I was alone on the\ndark sea, for all I knew, miles away from land.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII\n\n\"I kept on rowing until daylight, when ahead of me I saw a streak of\nland.  It was a great way off, so I rested and ate before recommencing\nmy rowing.  I was afraid to stop for fear a storm should spring up and\nwreck my small craft.\n\n\"It was early evening when I finally reached land, which was a rocky\nshore backed by high cliffs and mountains.\n\n\"I landed on the barren shore very stiff and weary, with my hands\nblistered and bleeding, and stumbled a short distance up the steep\nmountain path.\n\n\"I had not gone far before I met two shepherds who were eating their\nevening meal at the door of a little hut at one side of the path.  I\nmust have looked rather ill, for they both got up and took me into the\nhut and were very kind to me.  They gave me a big bowl of warm broth,\nsome oaten cakes, and made me stay the night with them.  I tried to\ntell them of my adventure, but as they spoke a strange tongue they\ncould not understand me.  I made up my mind that I had better stay with\nthem until I could find out where I was.\n\n\"The chief business of that mountainous country is sheep raising and\nweaving baskets from a very pliable kind of shrub that grows on the\nslopes of the mountains.  I hired as a shepherd to a sheep rancher, and\nalso began to learn to weave baskets to while away the time as I\nwatched the sheep.  Before long I learned the language, which is a very\nsimple one, and found that I was in Aeda Land, but that the desert I\nsought lay far to the south, through the mountain passes.  It was\nalready winter high up in the mountains, and the passes were full of\nsnow, so I would be obliged to wait until spring before going on.\n\n\"I settled down to wait and soon became so skilful at weaving that I\ncould make more baskets in a couple of days than many of the older\nweavers could make in a week.\n\n\"Early in the spring the merchant ships arrived for their annual cargo\nof wool and baskets, and after I had sold my baskets I found that I had\nadded quite a nice little sum in silver to my store of gold.\n\n\"The snow had now all melted in the mountain passes, so I said good-bye\nto my kind friends the shepherds, giving each of them a tiny basket as\na keepsake, in which I had hidden some gold pieces, packed a knapsack,\nand set off on foot for the desert country.\n\n\"It was a long walk up the steep mountain path, but after two days'\njourney I reached the top and could look down into the valley.  Miles\naway stretched the yellow sands of the desert, perfectly bare,\nexcepting for a sort of island of trees in the middle.  All around the\ndesert lay the mountains excepting to the west, where the sandy valley\nextended to the sea.  Villages and peach orchards lay just at the foot\nof the mountains, and extended part way up to slopes, but the largest\nvillage appeared to be on the seacoast, and to that one I directed my\nsteps.\n\n\"As I descended the steep winding path the air became warmer, and when\nI reached the valley I found that it was already midsummer there, and\nthe fruit was ripening on the trees.\n\n\"I came at last to the town on the edge of the sea, where I put up at\nan inn, and after a much-needed rest I sought out the inn-keeper and\nasked for information about the Wonderful Plant.\n\n\"Nobody, he told me, had ever crossed the desert, though hundreds had\ntried to do so, for everyone knew that it was in the very center of the\noasis that the Wonderful Plant grew.  He had never been able to find\nout why it was a Wonderful Plant; some said it had a flower that never\ndied, the perfume of which would keep off trouble, others said that its\nleaves, crushed and eaten, would cure all ills, and yet others thought\nthat if planted in an orchard it would ensure a wonderful fruit crop\nforever afterwards.\n\n\"However, nobody really knew, because there were great creatures that\nguarded the oasis and chased travelers.  Giants they were, with\ndreadful twisted features, and sometimes they rode horrible twisted\nhorses, and sometimes awful camels.  Nobody had ever been killed by\nthem, for all had been wise enough to return as quickly as possible\nwhen the giants approached.\n\n\"Sometimes indeed travelers had been attacked and chased by a huge\ntoucan which lived on the oasis, and which knocked them down and\nbattered them with its wings, but they had managed to escape with their\nlives.  Nobody, he added, had tried to cross for a long time now; it\nwas altogether too impossible.\n\n\"I was very much interested, especially in the toucan, and asked what\nmanner of bird it was.\n\n\"'It is a terrible creature,' answered the inn-keeper, 'and the terror\nof the countryside.  It is at least ten feet in length and has an\nenormous beak.  It delights to steal our peaches, and in spite of all\nwe can do ruins a good many crops every year.  Scarecrows, be they ever\nso large, do not frighten it, and it will eat all the fruit from a\ndozen trees in an hour.  It merely stands on the ground, shakes the\ntree with its beak until the fruit falls, and then gobbles it up.'\n\n\"I asked him what it lived on when there were no peaches to eat, but he\ndid not know.  It did not matter, he added gloomily, it did damage\nenough, and had just the day before cleaned off two of his very best\ntrees.\n\n\"For the next few days I wandered about, going to the edge of the\ndesert and wondering how I was going to get across the yellow sands\nover which no traveler had ever journeyed far.\n\n\"One day as I sat under a tree on a favorite stone meditating I noticed\na large dark object coming through the air towards me.  It was the\ntoucan.  I kept still and watched him.  He stopped over a peach tree\nwhich grew at the bottom of an orchard not far off, and alighting on\nthe ground walked over and deliberately shook the tree.  Down fell the\ndelicious fruit in a shower.  Harder and harder he shook until not a\npeach that was at all ripe remained.  Then he walked around and\nleisurely swallowed the peaches as a chicken swallows corn kernels.\n\n\"He had not finished before the farmer came running out with his wife\nand sons, all beating tin pans and shouting.  The toucan let them\napproach quite close, and then made a sudden dive at them with his\nwings down, rose in the air right over their heads and flew away with a\nloud chuckling kind of noise that sounded like a laugh.  The farmer and\nhis family fell over each other in their fright, and when they had\nrecovered their feet the bird was far away.\n\n\"It was all so funny that I had to laugh, and then I thought of a\nscheme for getting across the desert.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII\n\nThat afternoon I went up the mountain sides for a short distance and\nfound some good reeds that would make a basket.  It took me several\ndays to weave what I wanted.  I made a basket five feet long by two and\na half feet wide, and put a false bottom in it, leaving a compartment\nunderneath deep enough for me to crawl into.  I put a hinge on the side\nof this bottom compartment so that I could let the side up and down,\nand lock it from the inside.  When the basket was finished I wove a\nstrong openwork cover for the top, leaving spaces just a little smaller\nthan a peach, and fastened it securely to the basket.\n\n\"I took my basket to the edge of the desert, hid it in a tree, and went\nto purchase peaches enough from the nearest farmer to fill it.  I\ncarried several pails before it was full, taking care to put the most\nluscious ones on top, and after fastening the cover with the clamps I\nhad put on it, crawled into the bottom compartment, fastened up my side\nopening and lay still to await results.\n\n\"It must have been two hours, and I was beginning to feel very much\ncramped when I heard a whirring of great wings, and then the toucan\nalighted on the ground beside me.  He had evidently spied the basket\nand was curious to know what it was.  He came over and then I could\nfeel him pecking at the peaches through the woven covering.\n\n\"It was only a moment before somebody saw him, for every farmer had a\nboy watching, and the cry rang out, 'The toucan, the toucan!'  I could\nsee people running hurriedly towards us waving shovels, scythes, hoes,\nand various other implements.  The toucan did just what I had hoped he\nwould.  He seized the basket by the handle and flew away over the\ndesert with it, and I lay in the bottom looking down at the desert\nsands below, and thinking of what a dreadful death I should have if he\ndropped me.\n\n[Illustration: The toucan . . . seized the basket by the handle and\nflew away.]\n\n\"On we sailed, leaving the village far behind.  I turned my head and\nlooked towards the center of the desert.  We were nearing the oasis,\nand I could see great trees with something silvery shining between them\nwhich I supposed must be a lake.  Nearer and nearer we drew, and now I\ncould see quite plainly the tree tops waving in the wind, but no water.\nThe top of the wall appeared under me suddenly.  Then we were quite a\ndistance past the wall and settling down among trees upon a green\nspace.  The toucan alighted on the grass, put the basket down and again\nbegan pecking at the peaches through the cover.  I opened my side\nfastening, crawled out and jumped to my feet sword in hand, supposing\nthe toucan would attack me, but I evidently startled him, as he gave a\nloud clack, seized the basket again and flew with it over a tall hedge\na short distance away.\n\n\"I looked about me then, and found myself on a beautiful lawn under\nmagnificent trees, with here and there a wide avenue leading among\ngardens of gorgeous flowers and fountains of splashing water bordered\nby flower beds.  There were many comfortable seats under the trees, and\nhammocks hung here and there in a most inviting manner.  I walked along\nthe nearest avenue which led under the trees, and came out upon a broad\nstretch of lawn in the center of which stood the most beautiful\nbuilding I had ever seen.  It was long and low, and all of carved white\nmarble, decorated here and there with black marble facings.  Many\nwindows and glass doors stood open, and lacy white curtains swayed in\nthe breeze.  There was no one in sight, and I walked on towards the\nhedge over which I had seen the toucan disappear.\n\n\"Suddenly I heard a woman's voice say, 'Bowser, Bowser, what have you\nthere?  Oh, you wicked bird, you've stolen somebody's washing.'  A\npause and then the voice went on:\n\n\"'Why, it's a peach basket!  What a strange contrivance!  Go away,\nBowser.  Oh, Richard, come and see what Bowser has brought home.'\n\n\"Another pause, and then a man's voice.\n\n\"'My dear, that's been made for something else besides peaches.  Look\nat the opening at the bottom.  Why a man could hide in there quite\neasily, and good gracious!  Here's a man's handkerchief, with T on the\ncorner.'  (I felt myself turning pale.)  'Do you suppose there is\nsomebody in our stronghold, Mary?  Good Bowser, where is the tramp?\nThat's it.  Bowser get him, old boy!  Bring him here.'\n\n\"I shrunk away from the hedge, and was just turning to look for a place\nwhere I could hide, for I had no mind to be dragged forth in this\nunceremonious way, when a dark form appeared over me, seized me around\nthe middle, and the next moment I was lifted through the air and laid\nin a heap on the other side of the hedge.\n\n\"I jumped to my feet, not knowing who or what I should see, drawing my\nsword as I did so, but when I caught a glimpse of a nice motherly\nlooking woman and a mild-looking old gentleman standing before me\napparently very much alarmed, I hastily stepped forward and made a low\nbow, begging their pardon for having intruded in this unseemly fashion.\nI explained my errand, told them who I was, and how I had contrived to\nget there, and when I had finished they both looked much relieved.\n\n\"'That is quite all right, Prince Tasmir,' said the old gentleman, 'and\nnow if you will come into the house and partake of some refreshment I\nwill tell you about the Wonderful Plant which you have come so far to\nseek.'\n\n\"'First, may I ask,' I said, 'does Bowser bite?'\n\n\"'No,' said the old gentleman, 'he is quite good natured, and besides\nhe has no teeth.'\n\n\"'Well,' I said, 'I am rather grateful to him for carrying me safely\nhere, and I should like to give him those peaches, but did not wish him\nto bite me in two while I was doing it.'\n\n\"So saying I went to the peach basket, where Bowser was vainly\nendeavoring to get the peaches out, and opened the fastenings, while he\nhopped around me on his huge legs and uttered his strange chuckling\nlaugh.  I picked out a few dozen of the ripest for the old lady, and\nlet Bowser have the rest, which we left him swallowing greedily.\n\n\"They took me around to a spacious veranda, where a dark-skinned maid\nserved us with delicious iced drinks, fruit and small cakes, and then\nthe old gentleman told me about the Wonderful Plant.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV\n\n\"'You are no doubt wondering,' he said with a smile, 'who we are and\nwhat manner of oasis this is, and I am going to tell you about\nourselves first.\n\n\"'To begin with, we are not fairies, but quite ordinary mortals, and we\nlive here alone.  We have no children, and no pets but Bowser, but we\nare never lonesome.  Now Bowser is just a common toucan, and I found\nhim on the ground under a big tree one morning, where a bad storm the\nnight before had tossed him out of the nest.  We brought him in and my\nwife cared for him, and the only reason he is so big is that he has\nsuch a voracious appetite and eats ten meals a day.  In fact he is\neating practically all the time, and I believe is still growing.  I\nsuppose his brothers and sisters might be as large as he if they could\nget enough to satisfy their appetites the way Bowser does.  He would\neat most families out of house and home, but as our store-room never\ngives out it does not matter.  But although we do our best to feed him\nenough to satisfy his appetite we cannot cure him of stealing peaches.\nWe are very sorry for the poor farmers whose orchards he raids, but in\none sense it is rather a good thing, as it serves to keep people afraid\nof him, and he is our only watchdog.\n\n\"This desert around us was not always here.  The whole valley was once\nmuch higher than now, and was a happy little kingdom where we all dwelt\nin peace and prosperity until the unlucky day when the Evil Magician\ncame this way and swept the whole kingdom out to sea, drowning\neveryone, including the king and queen and their little son and\ndaughter, and leaving nothing here but bare sand.\n\n\"'We were absent from home when it happened.  I was a merchant, and had\ngone to buy a new supply of goods, and my wife accompanied me,\notherwise we would have met the same fate as our friends and neighbors.\n\n\"'You can imagine the sight which met our eyes when on our return we\ncame out at the head of the pass on yonder mountain and looked over the\nvalley.  At first we thought we must surely have lost our way and come\nupon some strange barren place, but on looking about we saw certain\nfamiliar landmarks which made it clear to us that a hurricane must have\nswept our kingdom away, and of course all our possessions.\n\n\"'We rode on, trying to find some trace of our house, but nothing could\nbe seen on the bare sands but a clump of bushes and a few small trees\nwhich had somehow escaped the force of wind and water.\n\n\"'On reaching this spot we thought it better to stay and camp for the\nnight, as the day was fast fading and we would have to wait until\ndaylight to go back through the mountains.\n\n\"'Fortunately we had plenty of food left, and after tying our horses\nand giving them their supper I went to gather some dead twigs to make a\nfire while my wife unpacked our camp outfit.\n\n\"'While we were thus engaged I thought I heard a sound of crying.  We\nboth listened, and it came again.  Leaving our tasks we followed the\nsound and behind a scrubby willow tree came upon a most beautiful young\nwoman crouched on the ground weeping and moaning, and at the same time\ndigging into the earth with a small wand as if in search of something.\nShe did not appear to heed our approach.\n\n\"'\"What have you lost, my dear?  Is it money?\" asked my wife, thinking\nthat she like ourselves was homeless on account of the storm.  She\njumped and looked at us in a startled manner, then rising to her feet\nanswered sadly:\n\n\"'\"No, it is not money, but something much more precious.  It is a\nlittle black seed, and I am afraid I shall not find it again.\"\n\n\"'\"Oh, if that is all, perhaps you can get another,\" I said, thinking\nthat misfortune had probably affected their reason.\n\n\"'\"Come,\" I continued, \"we will have to remain here to-night, but in\nthe morning we will help you to find it if it can be found,\" and I left\nmy wife to comfort her while I went back to see to my fire.  We soon\nhad our kettle boiling and supper laid out, and the strange young lady\nseemed very grateful for our hospitality.  After supper she sat and\nlooked into the flames for a long time in silence while we discussed\nour plans for the future.\n\n\"'By and by we too became quiet, and then she spoke.\n\n\"'\"I am not a mortal like yourselves,\" she said, \"I am the fairy who is\ncalled 'Peaceful,' and my home is in the island of Laurels, far from\nhere.  Your good Queen was my very dear friend, and I was on my way to\npay her a visit and show her a precious seed which I had just brought\nwith me from a distant land when I came upon this scene of desolation.\n\n\"'\"The seed I carried was a present from an owl who is over a thousand\nyears old, and wiser than any fairy I know.  It was the seed of the\nWonderful Plant.  Wherever it grows there it will remain for all time.\nIt cannot be dislodged, and the owner of it will be rich and\ninfluential forever.  Its flowers are of the purest gold, and can be\ntaken off and sold to the goldsmith.  I was going to take the seed to\nmy home and plant it in my garden, so that I would have at least one\nspot on earth where the Evil Magician could not endanger my good\ninfluence.  He is the terror of my life, and I see that he has been\neven here, for it was he that swept your kingdom out to sea, and this\nlittle clump of earth and bushes is only a fragment that broke off one\ncorner.\n\n\"'\"I heard about it from the eagle that dwells on that high mountain\ntop.  When I reached this spot to-day my distress was so great that I\ndropped my precious seed, and now I must leave it here for I know I\nwill not find it.\"\n\n\"'I tried to comfort her by saying we would help her to look for it as\nsoon as it was light, but she shook her head.\n\n\"'\"No,\" she said, \"it is of no use to look further.  The seed sprouts\nimmediately if the ground is damp, as this is.  It will be sprouted by\nmorning, and I must protect it here.\"\n\n\"'She said no more, and as our own troubles filled our minds we fell to\ntalking again and making plans and did not notice that she disappeared.\n\n\"'We must have fallen asleep shortly afterwards, as we were both\nawakened by a sound of swishing and neighing.  We jumped to our feet.\nThe blackness of the night surrounded us.  Our fire had died down to\nashes.  Suddenly the noise came again, and our two horses dashed past\nus at a gallop as if being chased.  \"Horse thieves,\" we whispered, and\nturned to follow, but after running for several minutes over the sand\nwe found ourselves entering what seemed to be a dense wood, as we came\ninto rather sharp contact with large trunks and heavy branches of trees.\n\n\"'How we had got there, we did not know, and visions of mountain\nrobbers filled our minds.  We threaded our way between the trees as\nwell as we could and ran on over smooth turf until we came to an\navenue, down which a light shone brokenly through the trees.  Here we\ncould run much faster, and turning a corner, saw our horses trotting\nquietly some distance ahead.  The light showed brighter, and then as we\nemerged from the trees we found that it came from the windows of a long\nlow building.  As we stood, dazzled by the brightness, and\nwonderstruck, a voice beside us made us turn in alarm.  It was the\nfairy, who we now remembered, had not been with us since early in the\nevening.\n\n\"'\"Do not be afraid,\" said she, \"I could not rest until I had safely\nprotected my Wonderful Plant, so I have built this house around it and\nenclosed the grounds with a high brick wall.  There is a good stable at\nthe back and I have just shut your horses in for the rest of the night.\nCome now and I will show you the house.\"\n\n\"'She took us in at the front door and showed us through the house.  It\nwas magnificently finished and beautifully furnished, as you shall see\nfor yourself presently, and my wife and I declared that we had never\nseen anything to equal it.  When she had finished she said:\n\n\"'\"I have a proposition to make.  I cannot remain in this country.  I\nmust go home at once, as I am needed.  You have lost your home and all\nyou possessed.  Will you not stay in this beautiful house and tend my\nWonderful Plant?  It must be watered and carefully pruned each day in\norder to keep it at its best, and someone must remain here to gather\nthe seeds as they ripen and hide them, lest at any time the Evil\nMagician or his emissaries come and steal one.  The plant they cannot\ntouch, and only myself can pluck the blossoms, but the seeds, which are\nso precious, may be taken by anyone.\n\n\"'\"This oasis is now a pleasant place surrounded by fine lawns and\nplanted with beautiful trees, and I will give you plenty of servants, a\ncellar full of provisions which will never run out, a library full of\nbooks, and all sorts of amusements.  You will have everything but human\ncompanionship.  No stranger must ever enter these gates, for I must\nguard against any possibility of having a seed stolen.  What do you\nsay, will you accept my offer?\"\n\n\"'We considered a few moments.  Our friends and possessions were gone,\nand we stood indeed alone in the world and quite destitute.  The\nthought of seeing no human being did not affect us, as we had each\nother, so we very gratefully accepted the good fairy's offer, and when\nshe had given us a few more instructions and told us that she would\nvisit us twice a year she departed.  Here then we have lived ever since\nin peace and comfort.'\n\n\"'But the Wonderful Plant, where is it?  May I see it?' I asked, 'or am\nI to meet with some misfortune for having dared to enter upon this\noasis?'\n\n\"The old gentleman laughed.\n\n\"'You are not to meet with anything here but good fortune, my dear\nPrince,' said he, 'for the last time the fairy paid us a visit she told\nus you were looking for a seed of the Wonderful Plant for your father,\nand that if you succeeded in reaching this spot alone I was to give you\none.  To tell you the truth we did not think much more about it, as we\ndid not believe anyone would ever reach here.  Now you shall see the\nplant itself.'\n\n\"He and the little old lady led the way into the great front hall and\nthrough a long passage.  Stopping at a heavily carved door he took a\nsmall key from his pocket and unlocked it.  The door swung open and we\nstepped out.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV\n\n\"We stood in a spacious court, the blue sky overhead, velvety grass\nunderfoot and the windows of the house all around us.  Most of these\nwere open and in some of them were caged birds singing gloriously, and\nagainst all the sills were window-boxes full of flowers.  Flowering ivy\nand climbing roses trailed here and there up the sides of the building,\nand there were so many rose bushes about in the gardens that the scent\nof them was quite heavy in the air.  A small fountain stood at either\nend of the enclosure, in which curious small silver fish jumped and\nsplashed about in the late afternoon sun.\n\n\"In the exact center of the court stood a large shrub about eight feet\ntall.  It was beautifully trimmed and perfectly conical in form.  The\nthick foliage was a dark, bright green, and the whole bush was covered\nwith pure yellow flowers.  They looked very much like velvety yellow\npansies.  I walked over and touched one.  It was stiff and hard and\nshone with a metallic luster.  It had evidently been on the bush for\nsome time, as the buds and new blossoms were as soft as any flower.\n\n\"'If my father could but see it,' I murmured.  'If he had even a tiny\nplant I am sure it would prolong his life.'\n\n\"'You shall have a seed, dear Prince,' said the old gentleman, 'and it\nwill grow very quickly, you shall see.  Perhaps I did not tell you that\nonly one seed is formed every seven years and that from the blossoms\nwhich comes out first on the seventh day of the seventh month, the day\nwhen the plant begins its yearly period of bloom.  The seed which I\nhave saved for you ripened only a few days ago, so you are very\nfortunate.'\n\n\"He went back into the house and returned with a small golden box from\nwhich he took a gold ring set with a valuable black diamond.  He\npressed a spring and the stone lifted, disclosing a small seed lying in\nthe cavity.  He shut the spring down again.\n\n\"'Put this on your finger,' he said, 'and do not open it until you are\nsafely at home and in your father's conservatory.  Plant it in an\nunpretentious pot at night, and do not tell anyone what it is, but\nwatch it every day yourself.  The fairy too will watch it and pick the\nblossoms for you, as no mortal can do that.  She will pick the seed\nflower as soon as it blooms, so that the Evil Magician may not secure\nthe seed.'\n\n\"I thanked him with tears in my eyes and hoped that I might see the\ngood fairy when I reached home.\n\n\"The old gentleman then took me over the house, which was indeed as\nmagnificent as he had said, and after that we went to see the grounds\nand the immense wall.\n\n\"'We will have to ride,' said he, and led the way to the stables where\nstood his two horses, fine sleek animals.  A colored boy, who of course\nlike the other servants, was a fairy, harnessed them, and after riding\nthrough the park and past the lovely gardens we came to a great gateway\nin the high wall.\n\n\"The old gentleman reached down and touched a button at the side and\nthe gates swung slowly open, closing again as soon as we had passed out.\n\n\"Out there were more trees set well apart and at some distance from the\nwall, and beyond that the yellow desert sands stretched away in the\ndistance.  We rode along beside the wall, which on this side faced the\nwest.  I was surprised to see that the whole wall was set with mirrors\nof magnifying glass, now reflecting the gorgeous colors of the sunset\nas it glowed in between the trees.  It would have been beautiful had it\nnot been for the frightful reflections of ourselves and the horses.\nThey loomed large and distorted before us, and the old gentleman\nexplained to me that he never had blinders on the horses excepting when\nthey were riding beside the wall.  He had tried riding without the\nblinders one day, but his horse had bolted in fright, and he had great\ndifficulty in getting him inside again.\n\n\"'Now I can understand,' I said, 'why I thought I saw a lake when I was\ntraveling towards this oasis.  And now too I know what kind of giants\nchase all those who attempt to cross the desert.'\n\n\"'Yes,' answered the old gentleman smiling, 'it is a wise precaution of\nthe fairy's, and very harmless, but I should like to hear what the\ntravelers tell.'\n\n\"The mirrors stretched right across the oasis, which was of a very\nirregular shape, and by the time we arrived again at the main gate and\nentered the grounds it was nearly dark.\n\n\"Dinner was ready, and after it was over the old gentleman told me I\nhad better leave about midnight so as to be back in the village before\nit was light enough for anyone to see me.\n\n\"'But how am I to get back so quickly?' I asked.\n\n\"'The way you came,' replied the old gentleman.\n\n\"'But what if Bowser will not carry the basket?' I cried.  'He has\neaten all the peaches now, and I have no more.'\n\n\"'Yes,' he replied, 'but this time you will be on Bowser's back, and I\ncan promise you he will take you over in very quick time, for he has\nbeen shut up in his cage without any supper and by midnight will be so\nhungry that he will not lose any time in reaching the nearest peach\norchard.  I am sorry to think that some poor farmer will suffer, but it\nis the only way you can get safely back.'\n\n\"I thanked him for this further evidence of his kindness and the\nevening passed very quickly in conversation.  I had to do most of the\ntalking, as the two old people had heard no news of the world since the\nfairy's last visit, and listened intently to all I could tell them.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI\n\n\"It was nearly midnight when I finally arose and prepared to depart.\nThe old gentleman led the way to Bowser's cage.  It was a room at the\nend of the kitchen, and Bowser was evidently expecting his supper, as\nhe uttered odd noises and came towards us with his neck stretched out.\nI marveled that he was not asleep on his perch in the corner.\n\n\"'He never goes to sleep until he has eaten a great deal of supper,'\nsaid the old gentleman, 'and as he is growing very impatient you had\nbetter mount him at once while I open the door.'\n\n\"'But how am I to ride him?' I cried.\n\n\"'Get up on that stepladder,' said the old gentleman, indicating one\nthat stood against the wall, 'and when he comes near enough let\nyourself down on his back and throw your arms around his neck.  I will\nopen the door the instant you are seated and he will dart out.'\n\n\"It seemed rather a risky way to ride, but after all, I reflected, much\nsafer than the way I had come, for he could not drop me unless I let go\nmy hold, so I obediently got upon the stepladder.\n\n\"Bowser came towards me, thinking I might have something for him, and\nas he turned his head at the creaking of the door I threw myself on his\nback and grasped him firmly around the neck.  The big door swung open,\nBowser ran forward, and as soon as he was outside rose into the air.\nWe soared away, straight towards the village which lay nearest the sea.\n\n\"Bowser's flight proved how hungry he was, for the village lights drew\nnearer very rapidly, and we were going so fast over the sands that I\ndid not dare look down for fear of getting dizzy.\n\n\"In what seemed but a few minutes Bowser began to descend and glancing\ndown I saw that we were directly over a peach orchard.  He alighted,\nand at the same moment I slid off his back and ran as fast as I could\nfor some distance.  When I reached the fence which enclosed the place I\nlooked back, and could see him gobbling all around a tree, so he had\nalready shaken the peaches off one at least.  He had not bothered about\nme at all, as I was afraid he would.\n\n\"I walked to the inn and went to bed in a very thankful state of mind,\ndetermined to start for home next day.\n\n\"But the next day I found it was not as easy as I thought.  The only\nboat leaving port was a peach boat, bound for a port only a few miles\naway.  However, I went by that, and on reaching the port had to wait\ntwo days to get a passage on a boat loaded with iron which was bound\nfor the Island of Laurels.\n\n\"The weather was fine when we set out, and the wind good, so in spite\nof the heavy cargo we were making fair progress.  On the fourth night\nwe ran into a dense fog.  After running carefully for some hours the\nCaptain thought it advisable to lie to until morning, as we were within\na few miles of the Island of Despair and some very dangerous reefs.\n\n\"I went to my cabin and lay down to read.  I fell asleep and slept for\nsome time, when I was awakened by a tremendous blow under the ship\nwhich jerked me out on the floor.  Running to the deck I found the\nwhole crew assembled getting ready to drop the life-boats.  In place of\nthe dead calm which had prevailed earlier in the evening a terrible\nstorm now raged, and the gale had driven the ship on the dreaded reefs.\n\n\"To add to the danger the iron loaded in the hold had become loose and\nwe could hear it pounding around in the hold as the ship lurched about\non the rocks.  It was only a matter of a few moments before the ship\nwould go to pieces.\n\n\"I stood ready to help the Captain and some of his men to lower his\ngig, and we waited to see the others off.  There were six boats, and\nfive of them were launched successfully.  The other swamped in the\nheavy sea.  I do not know whether any of them reached the shore or not,\nas I never saw them again.\n\n\"We launched our boat successfully, and pulled in the direction in\nwhich the Captain indicated the Island lay.  When we had got within\nfifty feet of the land our boat seemed to strike a whirlpool.  It went\naround very rapidly five or six times, and finally dived bow first,\nthrowing all the occupants but myself into the water.  I had taken a\nlong breath, expecting the dive, and was crouched on my seat holding\ntightly with both hands, so that when the boat shot to the surface\nagain I had just strength enough to clamber over the side as it turned\nbottom up.  I lay there half drowned while the boat floated in to\nshore.  I do not know how long it was before I heard voices close at\nhand.  One was a man's and one an old woman's.  The woman's voice said:\n\n\"'Are you sure he had it on his finger when he left port?'\n\n\"'Of course,' answered the man gruffly.  'Don't I tell you I flew over\nthe ship yesterday and saw it on his hand?'\n\n\"'Well, he must be here somewhere,' said the old woman, 'and we'll soon\nhave it.'\n\n\"Although I was half dazed I knew it must be my ring with the precious\nseed that they were talking about.  I tried to rise, but had not\nsufficient strength, so with an effort I pulled it from my finger and\ndropped it into the water beside the boat, rather than let them take it.\n\n\"The voices came nearer.\n\n\"'Ah,' said the man, 'here he is; now let us see if I am not right.'\n\n\"I must have fainted then, as I do not remember anything until I awoke\nto find myself imprisoned in the laurel tree.\n\n\"Late in the morning when the sun was high the Evil Magician, for of\ncourse it was he, and an old crone came past me on their way to the\nshore, but they did not find the ring, for the Evil Magician came back\nafter a long time in a terrible rage and threatened me with instant\ndeath if I did not tell him where I had hidden it.\n\n\"I declared I had not hidden it.  After promising me my freedom if I\nwould tell him where it was, and trying every argument in his power to\neither coax or threaten me into letting him have it, he became furious,\ndeclared I should remain enchanted forever until I slowly drowned, and\nwent off.  I did not see him again.\n\n\"You may imagine my despair, and my boundless gratitude to Prince\nDaimur for releasing me from my enchantment.\"\n\n\"Rather,\" said Prince Daimur, \"let us be thankful to the kind old fairy\nwho gave me this wonderful cap and spectacles, for without them I\nshould doubtless have been as helpless as yourself.\"\n\n\"But what do you suppose became of the ring?\" asked Prince Redmond.\n\"Do you think he could have found it after all?\"\n\n\"I do not know, I am sure,\" answered his brother.  \"I do not see how it\ncould have been hidden, for the water was shallow where I dropped it\nand it must have shown clearly in the sunlight.  I heard them say they\nhad searched under every stone for it.\"\n\nHere the little white dove, Princess Maya, left her mother's side and\ncame over to where Prince Tasmir sat.\n\n\"Prince Tasmir,\" she said, \"I believe I have your ring.  Early one\nmorning my mother and I were flying from tree to tree and feeling\nrather brighter than usual, as we had not eaten any fruit since the day\nbefore.\n\n\"After a while we found ourselves very near the shore, and alighted on\na low branch directly overhanging the water.  A life-boat lay bottom up\non the sands of the small beach, and while we were deploring the fact\nthat some ship must have been wrecked on the reefs very lately I\nnoticed just beside the boat's side, on a flat stone hardly covered\nwith water, a fine gold ring.  I let myself down on the stone and\npicked the ring up and we carried it off to show my father.  He said it\nwas very valuable, and that the Evil Magician must not have it, so we\nhid it, and we have kept it ever since.  We have never left it long in\none place, and if somebody will come with me I will get it now.\"\n\nPrince Redmond and half a dozen other doves eagerly followed the\nPrincess, while exclamations of wonder and surprise filled the cave.\n\nIn five minutes the Princess was back carrying a ring in her mouth.\nPrince Tasmir gave a cry of joy as he opened it and found his precious\nseed safe inside.\n\n\"I was afraid that perhaps the water had leaked in and sprouted it,\" he\nsaid, as they all crowded around to see, \"but thank goodness it is\nperfectly sound,\" and he slipped it on his finger.\n\nAfter congratulating the little Princess on finding the ring and\nkeeping it out of the Evil Magician's possession, and hoping they might\nhave the best of luck on the morrow they all went to sleep, very\nconfident indeed that all would yet come right.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII\n\nThe next day was spent in flying thoroughly over the island to see that\nno dove had been overlooked, as they did not want to leave anyone\nbehind.\n\nOnly one old grey one was found sleeping in a tree, which Prince\nRedmond identified as an old sailor who had been one of his crew.  He\nseemed willing to go to the cave at once, and towards night he began to\nrevive.\n\nImmediately after dark they heard a great wind sighing about the\nisland, which Daimur, who had on his cap and spectacles said was the\nMagician leaving his castle for the Island of Sunne, where he was going\nto search for the very treasures that Daimur then wore.\n\nSoon Daimur announced that he could see the witch going out to find her\ncat, and when he knew she was well away they all fluttered out of the\ncave and led by Daimur, Prince Redmond and King Cyril, made their way\nto where the Magician's wall crossed the sea sand.  Here Daimur again\ndug a hole under the wall and all passed through safely, Tasmir\nremaining behind for a moment to fill up the gap again with sand.\n\nThey went forward very quietly until they came to the steps of the\nMagician's castle.\n\n\"Wait here,\" said Daimur, \"while the Princess and I go inside and find\nthe tablets.\"\n\nThe door was not locked, and Daimur pushed it open softly, and led by\nPrincess Maya walked through the kitchen to the room where the glass\nbox was kept.\n\nThis he picked up carefully and carried outside, taking care to shut\nthe door behind him.\n\nBy the dim light of the moon half hidden behind clouds he drew forth\nhis little key and tried it in the lock.  The doves were grouped in\nfront of him, and every eye was fixed on the key as he turned it\ncarefully.  Would it really fit?  Around it went.  Up sprang the lid,\nand there behold!  were the wonderful big pellets which might break the\nenchantment.\n\n[Illustration: Up sprang the lid, and there behold! were the wonderful\nbig pellets.]\n\nDaimur passed the box, first to the Queen, Princess Maya, and the\nDuchess, and the other royal personages, and then around to everybody.\n\nIn a moment a strange assemblage of people stood where but a few\nseconds before had been only a flock of doves.\n\nWhat a murmur of delight arose!  King Cyril embraced his wife and\ndaughter, the Duchess clung to Daimur in a spasm of joy, Prince Redmond\nand his brother wept in each other's arms, while Prince Redmond's fifty\nsailors all crowded around them, swearing they would follow their\nprince through fire and water.\n\nPrince Daimur fearing that they might alarm the witch, ascended the\nsteps, and holding up his hand begged them to remember that their safe\ndeliverance lay in making no noise, but getting away as quickly as they\ncould.\n\nThen he instructed them to follow the Princess Maya, who led them all\naround to the end of the Magician's house, where in the little bay lay\nPrince Redmond's ship, safely moored.\n\nImmediately, at a word from Prince Redmond, the sailors jumped to their\nplaces, hoisted the sails and made ready to leave the dock, while\nDaimur and Prince Tasmir helped the ladies aboard.\n\nThere was a good breeze, and in five minutes the sails had filled and\nthey were drawing away from the island, when they heard a loud hissing\nsound.  Looking towards the castle they saw coiled on the dock they had\njust left a monstrous rattlesnake.\n\n\"It is the witch's daughter,\" cried Princess Maya, \"we have awakened\nher and she has come out through the window.\"\n\nAt that moment the snake shook its rattles.  They made an extremely\nloud, shrill sound, and in a flash, from nowhere apparently, the old\nwitch appeared on the dock with her cat on her shoulder.\n\nWhen she saw them she screamed and ran into the house.\n\n\"For mercy's sake, have you any guns?\" cried Daimur to Prince Redmond.\n\"We shall surely need them now, for she is going to call back the\nMagician.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said Redmond, \"unless they have been taken away, or have\nrusted,\" and hastily giving a few orders to some of the sailors he\ncommanded the others to follow him and ran to the cabin.  On looking\ninto the armory he found that the guns were all there, as bright and\nshining as when he saw them last, and calling upon everyone to help him\nhe began to distribute them about.\n\nWhen they again reached the deck they found that Daimur had been right\nabout the witch, for she had climbed to the roof of the Magician's\nhouse and was standing on the tallest chimneypot.\n\nAs they looked she waved her arms, and at once a blue flame sprang from\nher, waving and dancing in the air, sometimes shooting to a great\nheight, and again breaking out in all directions over the sea.\n\nThe wind had in the meantime been steadily blowing them on, and by this\ntime the ship was some distance from the shore and heading for the\nIsland of Sunne.\n\n\"The Magician will be here in a moment,\" cried Daimur.  \"Stand close\ntogether here and obey me, for I can see him the moment he arrives.\"\n\nHardly had the men collected about him than a sudden squall struck the\nship.  It quivered with the shock, and the sails were nearly torn away\nas the ship heeled over on its side, while great waves dashed right\nover the deck.\n\n\"Do not be afraid,\" cried Daimur.  \"I see him, we shall yet be saved if\nyou will obey me.\"\n\nIn front of them rose a wave higher than all the rest.  It seemed as\ntall as a mountain, and it would certainly swamp the ship the moment it\nstruck it.  On the top of the wave was a great white crest, in which\nDaimur knew was the Magician.\n\n\n\n\n\"Now,\" he shouted above the roar of the wind, \"aim at the highest crest\nof the wave.\"  They all did so.\n\n\"Fire.\"\n\nOff went the guns.\n\nThere were so many of them that they made a deafening roar, and\nimmediately the ship stood still.  As soon as the smoke cleared away\nthey saw why.\n\nThe big wave had burst, and the sea was completely calm again, and\nthere floating towards them was the Evil Magician himself, quite dead.\n\nAs they looked at him they could see that he seemed to be surrounded by\na myriad of queer greenish lights.  These grew and spread over the\nsurface of the water, until as he floated closer they could see that he\nwas melting like a piece of soap and washing away in green bubbles.\nThey watched him, quite fascinated, until the last bubble had floated\naway and he had completely disappeared.\n\n\"Oh,\" said the Queen, with a shudder, while the Duchess wept with\nfright, \"how horrible!  I do wish the wind would come up again and blow\nus away from this dreadful place, We are safe now from the Magician,\nbut perhaps the witch will pursue us.\"\n\n\"No fear of that; she is afraid of us,\" said Daimur, who had been\nwatching the castle through his spectacles.  He had seen the witch\ndance with rage when they killed the Magician, and a few moments\nafterwards he could see that she was closing the shutters and darkening\nthe house.\n\nThe breeze came gradually up again, and in half an hour's time they\nwere sailing quickly toward the Island of Sunne.\n\n\"If this wind continues,\" said Daimur, \"we will reach land early in the\nmorning, and I think we had better leave the ship armed in case we meet\nwith any resistance.  I am, however, not much afraid of my uncle, for\nhe is quite powerless without the Evil Magician.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII\n\nJust after the sun had risen the ship touched the wharf at Daimur's\nnative city, and Daimur, who was the first ashore, stood by to assist\nthe ladies to land and to welcome them to his kingdom.\n\nThere was not a soul in sight as they formed a double line, with Prince\nRedmond's sailors as guards, and marched towards the palace, which was\nonly a few blocks distant.\n\nAs they neared the gates they saw that nobody was astir but a few of\nthe Royal bodyguard, who as soon as they caught sight of Prince Daimur\nat the head of this strange procession rushed towards him and threw\nthemselves at his feet with exclamations of astonishment and joy that\nhe was still alive.\n\nThey told Daimur that his wicked uncle had already been crowned king,\nhaving proved by the aid of false witnesses that Daimur had fallen from\na precipice while out riding and been instantly killed, and that his\nbody was washed away in the swift-flowing river at the bottom.\n\nAt the conclusion of the tale Daimur called out all the guards and\nordered them to arrest his uncle and his followers immediately, and\nconvey them to a strong prison in the interior of the kingdom.\n\nBefore they could move to obey him, however, Daimur's uncle himself\nappeared with a few of his friends.  They had been aroused from their\nsleep by the sound of voices and had dressed hastily.\n\n\"What is the meaning of this commotion?\" roared the false King,\naddressing the guards.  \"Back to your posts immediately.\"\n\nHe turned as he spoke and his eye fell on Daimur and his little\ncompany, whose guns were all pointed directly at him, as, strange to\nsay, were those of the Palace guard.  He glanced in every direction,\nbut everywhere he saw hard unsympathetic faces, and the round muzzles\nof guns.\n\nHe grew pale and his knees knocked together as he looked about in vain\nfor a means of escape.  Then suddenly his face cleared, and he drew a\nwhistle from a cord at his neck and blew three loud blasts upon it.\n\nDaimur, who still wore his cap and spectacles, turned to his company.\n\n\"That is to summon the Magician,\" he explained.  They all laughed, and\nDaimur announced to his uncle that it was of no use calling or help\nfrom the Evil Magician, as he was dead and gone.\n\nThis of course his uncle declared quite impossible, and it was not\nuntil King Cyril, the Princess, and indeed the whole party had assured\nhim it was the truth, added to the fact that the Magician did not seem\nto be coming to his aid, that he believed it.\n\nAfter that he was very humble.  He cringed before Daimur and hoped he\nwould spare his old uncle's life.  This Daimur said he was willing to\ndo, but that he would have to go with his fine friends to the state\nprison farm as a laborer for the rest of his days.  His uncle seemed so\nrelieved that he was not to lose his head that he went away with the\nguards quietly enough.\n\nNow that he was rid of his uncle Daimur proceeded into the Palace,\nwhere he was welcomed with the greatest enthusiasm and loyalty by the\nservants, and his guests were soon enjoying a splendid breakfast.\n\nPrince Daimur begged them to remain with him until he had been crowned\nking and had made arrangements to accompany them to their respective\nhomes.\n\nThis they consented to do, and soon great preparations were under way\nfor the coronation.\n\nDaimur told his story throughout the kingdom, and his people flocked\nabout him wherever he went, declaring their allegiance, and rejoicing\ngreatly that he had delivered them all from the Evil Magician's\ninfluence.\n\nAt last the day of the coronation came, and all who were rich enough to\ntravel were present.\n\nNever before had so many distinguished guests graced a coronation\nceremony in the Kingdom of Sunne.  Daimur's subjects felt highly\nhonored as they gazed upon the noble King Cyril, Queen Emily, and the\nyoung Princess of Shells, the distinguished Duchess of Rose Petals, and\nthe two splendid Princes of Laurels.  All the other kingdoms were here\nrepresented.\n\nThey made a very magnificent appearance, for Daimur had insisted upon\nthe Court dressmakers and tailors making each of them a proper\nwardrobe, as, of course, they had no clothes with them for the occasion.\n\nAfter the coronation ceremony there was a great feast and when all the\ncompany were assembled Daimur told them of his plans for accompanying\nhis guests to their respective kingdoms.  His subjects were willing\nthat he should go and promised to defend the kingdom against any\npossible enemies while he was away, and they agreed upon a very old and\nwise friend of Daimur's to act as Regent until his return.\n\nIn a few days the preparations for his going were complete, and King\nDaimur's largest warship lay at anchor in the harbor in readiness to\nsail.\n\nThe bands played and a great crowd stood on the wharf as Daimur and his\nroyal guests drove down and boarded the ship, and they sailed out of\nthe harbor amid many cheers and wishes for a safe and speedy voyage.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX\n\nTheir course was set for the Island of Shells, where King Cyril's\nbrother was ruling in his stead.\n\nThe wind was good, and they expected to reach port sometime the next\nday.  Morning dawned bright and sunny, and after some hours of fast\nsailing Daimur was surprised to have a message brought to him that the\nCaptain had sighted something from the bridge that he wished King\nDaimur to see.\n\nDaimur went up at once, accompanied by King Cyril, to whom he had been\ntalking.\n\nOn reaching the Captain's side they saw at once what the trouble was.\n\nIn front of them, about six miles distant, lay the Island of Shells,\nand between them and it the only entrance to the harbor, a narrow\nwinding passage between very dangerous reefs, which in places stood\nhigh out of the water.\n\nIt was, however, not the reefs that drew their attention.\n\nDirectly in front of them, and completely surrounding the passage\nthrough the reefs, lay a dark streak upon the water.  It seemed to be\nat least half a mile in width and stretched away on either side as far\nas one could see.\n\nAlthough the water all around it was quite rough and choppy this streak\nlay perfectly calm, glistening in the sun with peculiar purple and gold\ncolors.\n\nThe Captain had ordered some of the sails reefed, but even so the ship\nwas going at a good rate of speed and in a few seconds they had run\ninto it.\n\nIt was as though they had struck a bank of soft mud, and so indeed they\nthought it at first, though they could not understand how it could have\ngot there, as the sea was known to be very deep outside the reefs.\n\nThe sails, well filled, tried to carry the ship forward, but only\nsucceeded in getting them a little further into the dark mass.\n\n\"What can it be?\" cried King Cyril, as everybody rushed to the ship's\nsides to see what had stopped their progress.\n\n\"It looks and smells like tar,\" said the Captain, \"and now how in the\nworld are we to get out of it?  I've never seen anything like it in my\nlife, and I've been sailing for forty-seven years.\"\n\nBy this time Daimur had adjusted his magic cap and spectacles and was\nsurveying the dark sticky streak.  He gave way to an exclamation of\ndismay.\n\n\"What is it?\" gasped King Cyril, thoroughly alarmed at seeing Daimur so\naffected.\n\n\"This stuff is tar,\" said Daimur, \"mixed with various gums and a\nterrible acid that is eating into the hull of our ship and will destroy\nit within two hours if we cannot succeed in getting it out.\n\n\"This is the work of your sister-in-law,\" he continued, addressing King\nCyril, \"assisted by the witch of Despair.  They do not intend to let us\nin if they can help it.  Now let us think what we must do.\"\n\nNot a word was spoken as Daimur stood consulting his magic cap and\ngazing out over the sea.\n\nIn a few moments he turned to the Captain.\n\n\"Have you any coal-oil?\" he asked.\n\n\"A little, your majesty, about nine barrels, I think,\" answered the\nCaptain, as he sent a sailor to see how many there were.  The man came\nback to say that there were ten.\n\n\"Good,\" said Daimur.  \"Now have all the barrels brought up to the deck,\nfor we must pour the oil over the bow; it is the only thing that will\ncut this vile mixture.\"\n\nThe barrels were brought up as quickly as possible, and Daimur himself\nstood in the bow and directed the sailors.  Four men held a barrel of\noil on each side of the bow, and at the instant they commenced to pour\nit down the Captain ordered the remaining sails let out to the wind.\n\nAs the oil struck the tar mixture it first spread over the surface, and\nthen foamed up like soda water, and as the foam subsided the water\ncould be seen underneath.\n\nWith every sail filled the ship slowly made its way through the sticky\nfoaming mass, and when at the end of half an hour they were clear of\nit, and the ship began to cut ahead through the water again, a big\ncheer of relief went up.\n\nAll was not over, however, as they were now within the narrow passage,\nand the Captain was very nervous.  He had never been through it before\nwithout a pilot, and although he had the wheel himself he was not sure\nthat he knew the course.\n\nKing Cyril now stepped forward and offered to take the wheel, as he had\noften steered his own yacht through the channel, and knew it perfectly,\nso in case some other trap had been laid for them Daimur gave him his\nmagic cap and glasses to wear until they should be safely in the harbor.\n\nIn and out among the black reefs they wound, and shortly after two\no'clock in the afternoon cast anchor in the harbor, and were soon\nashore.\n\nAs the usurping Prince and his witch of a wife had felt very safe\nbehind their ring of magic tar they had set no guards about, and\nconsequently Daimur and his friends, with his marines as guards, were\nmarching up the city street towards the palace before you could say\n\"Jack Robinson,\" with nobody to stop them.\n\nThere were a good many people out in the streets, as it was market day,\nand in a few moments a crowd had gathered to see the procession.  Of\ncourse they at once recognized their rightful King and Queen, and with\nshouts of \"Long live our noble King Cyril, he has been restored to us,\"\n\"Long live Queen Emily,\" \"Long live Princess Maya,\" they joined in the\nprocession which was winding along to the palace.\n\nFor you must know that the wicked Princess could not possibly throw\nrose-colored powder into the eyes of all King Cyril's subjects, and did\nnot care at all about them as long as she could reach everyone in\nauthority; so that all the common people of his kingdom still loved\ntheir rightful king as much as ever, and hated his brother Arnolde and\nhis wife, who they knew quite well cared nothing for them excepting\nwhen they wanted more taxes.\n\nThe visitors looked about them curiously as they advanced.  None of\nthem had ever visited the Island of Shells before and they greatly\nadmired the beautiful houses which were built entirely of pink, white\nor blue shells, with pale pink or amber-colored shells for windows, and\nthe shell fences to match which enclosed the grounds.\n\nThe streets were paved with huge clam shells, and the sidewalks were of\nperiwinkle shells cemented together.\n\nIt was a beautiful city, they all agreed.\n\nSoon as they turned a corner the high shell turrets of the Palace and\nParliament buildings came in sight, glittering pink and silver in the\nsunshine.\n\nNow Arnolde was just then holding Parliament, and hearing the shouting\nhe rose to his feet and looked out of the window.  When he saw the\nprocession headed by his brother Cyril he started violently and his\neyes almost popped out of his head.\n\nTurning to the nobles assembled about he cried, \"To arms.  An enemy\nadvances upon us.\"\n\nIn a moment every man's sword was drawn, and following Arnolde they all\ndashed out of the building into the street to oppose the progress of\nKing Cyril.\n\nOn they rushed towards Daimur's army, but were soon stopped and\noverpowered by the marines, who were in command of Prince Redmond.\n\nDaimur, who in this perilous land was again wearing his cap and\nspectacles, approached the prisoners and examined the eyes of several\nof them.\n\nThrough his glasses he could see that the rose-colored powder had\nspread out and made a thin covering over each eye, and his magic cap\ntold him that nothing could remove it but the tears of the victims\nthemselves.\n\nHe told this to King Cyril.\n\n\"Can't you think of anything that would induce them to weep?\" asked\nDaimur.\n\n\"Indeed I cannot,\" answered King Cyril, as he looked at their scowling,\nunfriendly faces.\n\nJust then Prince Tasmir came forward.\n\n\"Why not make each man peel a peck of good strong onions?\" he said with\na smile.\n\nAt this they all laughed, but the idea seemed a good one, and quickly\nexplaining what they wanted to his crowds of subjects King Cyril soon\nhad people running from all directions with onions in pails, pans, bags\nand baskets, until the street looked like an onion market.\n\nThe prisoners in the meanwhile eyed the proceedings impatiently,\ntalking among themselves, and were utterly disgusted and horrified when\na knife and a great heap of onions were placed on the ground beside\neach of them.\n\nPrince Redmond, at a sign from Daimur, stepped forward and ordered them\nto peel the onions.  This of course they flatly refused to do, and it\nwas only after threatening them with instant death that they sat down\non the ground and unwillingly commenced.\n\nSuch a sniffing then began!  Such tears poured forth!  Not one of them\nwas allowed to stop until he had finished his share, and by that time\nthe tears were running in streams down their faces.\n\nIt was a very odd sight, and the people crowded around laughing quietly\nto themselves, and wondering what it was for.\n\n\"Rise,\" commanded Prince Redmond, \"and wipe your eyes.\"\n\nThey all obeyed.\n\n\"Now,\" said Daimur stepping forward.  \"Three cheers for your rightful\nruler, King Cyril, who has, with the Queen and your Princess, been\nrestored to you.\"\n\nFor a moment there was a dead silence while Prince Arnolde and his\nfollowers gazed at King Cyril with eyes that were clear for the first\ntime in four years.  Then, raising their swords, they cheered lustily,\nwhile Prince Arnolde rushed forward and fell on his brother's neck,\nbegging forgiveness, and declaring that he must have been crazy to act\nso wickedly.\n\nTogether the whole procession wended its way to the palace gates, which\nKing Cyril once more entered as the rightful ruler of his kingdom.\n\nThe false Queen was sitting on the lawn under the trees doing crochet\nwork in a new shell pattern that she had just invented and talking with\nsome of the Court ladies, and she did not notice the procession\napproaching until the tramp of many feet made her turn her head.\n\nShe arose and came forward in some alarm, but at the sight of King\nCyril, Queen Emily and Princess Maya, with her husband walking beside\nthem talking in the most unfriendly manner, she flew into a terrible\nrage.\n\nShe danced up and down and round and round, faster and faster, growing\nsmaller every second, until at last she was nothing but her real self,\nan ugly shriveled witch running round and round on a broomstick.  With\na loud shrill scream she mounted into the air and was away out of sight\nin an instant, leaving everybody staring open mouthed at the sky.\n\n\"She has gone to the Island of Despair to join the old witch and her\ndaughter,\" said Daimur who had a creepy feeling down his back.\n\nThe people all shuddered and looked at one another in awe, and poor\nPrince Arnolde was trembling in every limb.\n\nThey were all very glad when King Cyril ordered refreshments served at\nonce in the great dining hall.\n\nDaimur remained for a week in the Island of Shells to see that all went\nwell.  He was afraid of the witches returning, as of course now they\nhad so many of the Evil Magician's secrets that they might cause a\ngreat deal of trouble.\n\nPrince Tasmir was very glad to be a few days more in the company of\nPrincess Maya, with whom he had fallen desperately in love, and took\nthis opportunity of asking King Cyril's consent to their marriage as\nsoon as he had regained his kingdom, which King Cyril readily gave.\n\nThe witches did not return, and as the King, assisted by his now\ndevoted brother, was rapidly getting everything into good order, Daimur\nannounced his intention of leaving, and he, the Duchess of Rose Petals,\nand the two Princes departed from the Island of Shells after a great\nceremony, at which Daimur was presented with a gold sword in token of\nthe gratitude of King Cyril's subjects for the restoration of their\nKing.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX\n\nDaimur directed the Captain to steer to the Island of Laurels, which\nlay nearest to them, and after two uneventful days of good weather the\nisland came into view.  Late in the afternoon, when they were within a\ncouple of miles of the harbor they passed a very large warship, very\nnew and shining, which was flying the flag of Laurels.\n\n\"That must be a new ship that Sadna has built,\" said Prince Redmond.\n\"He was always talking about a better navy.\"\n\nThe large vessel paid no attention to them, but as they did not know\nwhether it was coming back or not they drew off and did not enter the\nharbor until after dark.  They cast anchor and decided not to leave the\nship until morning.\n\nThey breakfasted at sunrise and went up on deck to view the city while\nthe boats were being lowered.\n\nIt appeared to be a busy place.  On the long wharves a great number of\nmen were working loading and unloading vessels.  Three big warships,\nall new, the prince declared, rode at anchor in the bay, but nobody\nseemed to pay any attention to the sudden appearance of a strange\nwarship in their harbor.\n\nTo the princes this seemed very queer, and thinking there might be some\nplan to attack them unexpectedly they took every man that could be\nspared from the ship, only leaving behind enough to man the guns and to\nguard the Duchess of Rose Petals, who preferred staying on board.\n\nForming in fours they marched up the street under great laurel trees,\nof such a size as Daimur had never seen anywhere before.  Although the\nsun was already very hot every street was cool and shady.  On they\nwent, but nobody even turned around to look at them.  No crowd\ncollected, no faces appeared in the windows or doors, and what people\nthey met looked stupid and sleepy.\n\n\"Why, this is most uncanny,\" exclaimed Daimur, who was marching beside\nPrince Tasmir at the head of the marines.  \"What's the matter with\neverybody?\"\n\n\"I cannot imagine,\" answered Prince Redmond.  \"It is a shocking\nsurprise to me; why they act as if they were all half asleep and do not\nseem to recognize us at all.\"\n\nThey passed through a beautiful park, and on the other side the palace,\nsurrounded by laurel hedges and backed by a very high wooded hill,\nappeared to their view.\n\nTwo guards were stationed at the palace gates.  They drew their swords\nin a dazed kind of way and refused to let anyone pass.\n\n\"I am your Crown Prince,\" said Tasmir, \"and here is my brother Redmond.\nYou must let us pass instantly.\"\n\nThe guards looked at them stupidly and shook their heads.\n\n\"We have no princes,\" said one, \"our King is not married.\"\n\n\"Where is he?\" asked Redmond.\n\n\"Don't know,\" answered the guard sleepily, as his head nodded forward a\ncouple of times.  \"Went away on the new ship.\"\n\n\"But when will he return?\" asked Tasmir, shaking the man to wake him\nup, for he was certainly going to sleep.\n\n\"Don' know, don' know,\" returned the guard, shaking his head slowly.\nHe kept on shaking it, and although they asked him several other\nquestions he did not seem to hear them at all.\n\nThe other guard was even worse, for all he could say was, \"Who goes\nthere?\" whenever they addressed him.\n\n\"Don't bother with them,\" said Prince Redmond impatiently, \"let us go\ninto the palace and see if father is still alive.\"\n\nDaimur ordered the marines to advance, and as the two guards did\nnothing but blink at them, and no other defenders appeared it only took\nthem a few seconds to reach the palace door.\n\nPrince Tasmir bounded up the steps, turned the big handle and dashed\ninto the hall with Prince Redmond and Daimur close at his heels.  They\nmet with no opposition from the servants, who appeared to be as sleepy\nas the guards, and immediately began a search for the poor old King.\nUpstairs and down they went and even into the dungeons, but could find\nno trace of him.\n\nPrince Redmond at length stopped and began to weep, for they all felt\nthat he was dead, and had perhaps been murdered.\n\nDaimur tried to comfort the princes by telling them that they must\nsearch the kingdom through before thinking the worst and suggested that\nthey go out into the city again and see if his cap would not tell him\nsomething about it.\n\nThey left the palace and walked over the lawn and past the Royal\ngardens, and finally crossed a rustic bridge over a pretty stream which\nwound in and out through the grounds.\n\n\"Where does that river flow?\" asked Daimur, stopping suddenly.  He had\non his cap.\n\n\"Oh, that,\" said Tasmir, \"is the Laurel River.  It flows right through\nthe kingdom, down to the sea on the other side of the island.\"\n\n\"Does anybody drink its waters?\" asked Daimur, taking out his\nspectacles and putting them on.\n\n\"Why of course,\" said Prince Redmond proudly.  \"It is the source of\nwater supply for nearly the whole of the kingdom.  There isn't purer\nwater anywhere in the world.\"\n\n\"Purer,\" said Daimur, who was stooping to examine the waters through\nhis spectacles, \"why, it's poisoned!\"\n\n\"Poisoned!\" exclaimed both the princes, looking at each other\nincredulously.  \"Impossible!\"\n\n\"I tell you it is,\" said Daimur, \"the poison is an oily substance which\ncovers the surface of the water.  It may not be deadly; I cannot tell.\"\n\n\"Then that's what ails our subjects,\" cried Tasmir.  \"They must be\ndrinking this poison every day.\"\n\n\"Where is the source of this river?\" asked Daimur.\n\nPrince Redmond turned and pointed to the highest hill behind them.  \"In\nMirror Lake, on that hilltop,\" he said.\n\n\"Let us go there at once then,\" said Daimur, and leaving his marines on\nguard duty around the palace he followed the two princes, who had taken\na path that led along the stream.  This grew rough and stony as they\ncame to higher ground, and they soon were clinging to rocks and bushes\nas they climbed up the steep hillside.\n\nAt length after a great deal of scrambling and some tearing of their\nclothes on the thorns and brambles, they managed to reach the top, and\nfollowed a narrow winding path which led to the lake.  After half an\nhour of quick walking they came upon it very suddenly.  It was quite\nsmall, and completely surrounded by trees.  The water was as blue as\nthe sky and reflected every little cloudlet perfectly.  Daimur,\nhowever, at once noticed vast quantities of laurel leaves floating\nabout, coming apparently from a little cove at the far end of the lake.\n\n\"It is those leaves that are poisoning the water,\" he cried excitedly,\n\"I can see the poisonous oil oozing from them.\"\n\n\"But, Daimur,\" said Redmond, \"how can that be, they are only ordinary\nlaurel leaves?\"\n\nBut Daimur was already making his way along the shore towards the cove\nfrom which the leaves seemed to come, and the princes followed him.\n\nAt the end of the cove and hidden among the other trees they came upon\na tall willowy laurel tree which, overhanging the water, continually\ndropped leaves and shook and moaned as if in a great wind, although all\nthe other trees were still.\n\nThe princes looked at it in awe, which deepened when Daimur, after\nsurveying it intently for some moments, announced that it must be cut\ndown as it contained some enchanted creature, which, he said, as his\ncap and spectacles could tell him no more, he hoped might not prove to\nbe another witch or an evil Magician.\n\nThey had no axe, but Prince Redmond volunteered to go back to a\nwoodman's hut which they had passed on their way, and borrow one.  He\nsoon returned with a large sharp axe, and set to work to cut down the\ntree.  He struck with all his might, but the axe made no impression on\nit, beyond a mere scratch on the bark.\n\nPrince Tasmir then tried, but with no better success.\n\nAt last Daimur, who through his spectacles, had been examining the\ntrunk of the tree close to the ground, asked for the axe, and after\nscraping the earth away he began to chop at the roots.\n\nHe managed with hard work to cut some of them through, and then gave\nthe axe to Redmond.  Thus they all three persevered until the last root\nwas severed, and the tree fell to the earth with a loud moaning sound.\n\nImmediately a grey mist rose before their eyes, and when it had cleared\naway a beautiful fairy clothed in white stood before them in place of\nthe tree.\n\n\"Do not be alarmed,\" she said, smiling at their startled faces.  \"You\nhave nothing to fear.  I am the fairy Peaceful and was enchanted by the\nEvil Magician because I had rescued your father from his hands, and was\nworking against him in other ways in this kingdom.\n\n\"The leaves you saw upon the waters were my sorrows, and as my\nunhappiness increased I was compelled to drop more and more leaves.\nThese poisoned the water and kept Prince Sadna's people in a kind of\nstupor.\n\n\"But,\" she continued, stepping towards the lake, \"I can now restore the\nwater to its natural purity.\"\n\nShe waved her wand over it as she spoke, and Daimur could see that the\noily substance seemed to evaporate immediately.\n\n\"Oh, tell us, good fairy, is our father still alive?\" cried Prince\nRedmond.\n\n\"He is,\" answered the fairy, \"though very feeble.  He will not live\nmuch longer.  Thank goodness I had him safely hidden away before the\nEvil Magician pounced upon me on this lonely hilltop.  If you will\nfollow me you may see him.\"\n\nShe led the way to what appeared to be a wall of solid rock a short\ndistance from the lake shore.  Reaching up she tapped the wall with her\nwand, and instantly a passage appeared.  They followed her through it,\nand on the other side found themselves in a long green valley,\ncompletely surrounded on all sides by overhanging cliffs and tree tops.\nIn the center of the valley stood a long low white thatched cottage,\nalmost covered with honeysuckle and climbing roses, while about it were\ngardens, and plenty of trees where birds sang sweetly.\n\n\"This is my own secret bower,\" the fairy explained with a smile.  \"It\nis hidden from mortal eyes, and on account of my Wonderful Plant the\nEvil Magician could not disturb it.\"\n\nThey walked along a pretty path, and turning around a hedge came upon\nthe aged King, seated in an easy chair under a peach tree.  Directly in\nfront of him stood a Wonderful Plant, fully as large as that which\nTasmir had seen on the oasis, and quite full of golden flowers.\n\nThe King was in the act of sipping a glass of milk and eating some\nfruit which a maid had just brought him, and looked very bright and\ncomfortable.\n\nHe turned his head at the sound of voices, and at the sight of his sons\narose with a cry of joy, and came slowly forward leaning on his cane.\nTasmir and Redmond wept with happiness as they kissed him, and turning\nto the fairy asked what they might do to show their gratitude.\n\n\"Only allow me to live in your palace,\" she said, \"coming and going as\nI please, and I can help you to keep evil from your kingdom.\"\n\nThis they gladly agreed to.\n\nThen, as the day was growing late, and they had had nothing to eat\nsince morning, Daimur said that they had better go back at once.\n\n\"How shall we carry the King down the hillside,\" asked Prince Tasmir of\nDaimur.  But the words were no sooner spoken than the fairy reached out\nand touched each of them with her wand.  In the twinkling of an eye\nthey were all in the King's private sitting-room in the palace, with\nthe King in his own armchair.  The fairy smiled at them at they thanked\nher.\n\n\"I shall now remove the spell from your people,\" she said, and vanished.\n\nTasmir and Redmond immediately sent out messengers all over the\nkingdom, and it was not long before people began to pour in at the\npalace gates, not stupid now, but rejoicing at the restoration of their\ngood old King and their favorite princess.\n\nNone of the nobles seemed to know anything about Prince Sadna,\nexcepting that he had sailed away a few days before in his latest and\nlargest warship.\n\nThe following day began with a great public reception, and after a\nformal luncheon to the nobles and members of Government, there were\nseveral cabinet meetings, at which Daimur was asked as a matter of\ncourtesy to attend.  In the evening the princes were to address the\npopulace from the palace balcony.\n\nEarly in the evening the streets were adorned with colored lights and\nhuge torches, and people already crowded around the palace doors,\nhoping to get a glimpse of the King.  Everywhere there was the wildest\nexcitement.\n\nDaimur walked out into the gardens, through the lawns, and over the\nlittle bridge which spanned the Laurel River, now clear as crystal and\nquite pure again.  He stopped to watch it rippling in the moonlight.\n\nSuddenly the fairy Peaceful stood beside him.\n\n\"King Daimur,\" said she, \"I know you are good and kind.  I have known\nyou ever since you were born, although you did not know me.  The fairy\nwho gave you your magic cap and spectacles was my uncle.  I am deeply\nindebted to you for killing the Evil Magician and also for breaking the\nenchantment which made me a force for evil in the world instead of good.\n\n\"You are going to be exposed to grave danger while the Old Witch of\nDespair is alive, as she knows you have the two great treasures which\nthe Evil Magician sought.  In order to help you to escape all harm I am\ngoing to give you this little bugle.\"\n\nShe drew from her pocket as she spoke a tiny silver bugle which was\nattached to a long chain, fine and strong.\n\n\"Wear this around your neck constantly,\" she said, \"and if ever you are\nin need of assistance blow three times upon it and three servants of\nmine will come immediately to you.  Command them and they will obey.\"\n\nDaimur thanked her warmly and clasped the chain about his neck, and the\ngood fairy disappeared.\n\nDaimur went back to the palace and joined in the festivities, but as a\ngreat storm was coming up he sent a carriage to fetch the Duchess of\nRose Petals, who was still on the warship, as he feared she would be\nafraid if she stayed on board.\n\nShe was very glad indeed to be brought to the palace, and she and the\nold King enjoyed each other's company very much, and found it very\nconsoling to relate their troubles together.\n\nVery late that night, after all the people had gone home, the storm\nbroke and lasted for hours.  It was most terrific, and the fury of the\nwind broke many trees on the hill behind the palace, and did\nconsiderable damage throughout the city.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI\n\nIt was not until late the next day that the sea began to be calm again,\nthough the sun had been shining since morning.\n\nDaimur lost no time in getting ready for his departure to the Island of\nRoses, and after bidding good-bye to the Old King and Prince Tasmir,\nwho made him promise to come to his wedding with the Princess Maya,\nwhich was to take place shortly, he embarked again with his marines,\naccompanied by the Duchess of Rose Petals and the faithful Prince\nRedmond, who declared that he would not leave Daimur until he had\nfinished his task.\n\nThey soon found that the storm of the night before had been much worse\non sea than on land, as the sea was covered with parts of wrecked\nships, pieces of wood, boxes, articles of furniture and great timbers.\n\nTowards noon they sighted a large vessel half sunk on a dangerous reef,\nbut they could not get near enough to it to read the name.  Apparently\nthere was no one left aboard.  A mile further on they passed a half\nbroken life-boat nearly full of water, on the bow of which was painted\nH. M. S. \"Sadna.\"  There was nothing in it.\n\nThen Prince Redmond felt certain that it was his brother's ship which\nthey had passed caught on the reef, and that he had perished in the\nstorm with all hands.\n\nThey proceeded on their course, and in a few hours more reached the\nchief city of the Kingdom of Roses.\n\nNobody made any attempt to stop their landing, so they all marched up\nthe street, this time the Duchess leading the procession with Daimur.\nShe was overjoyed to be at home again, and people began at once to\nrecognize her and came running after them with shouts of welcome until\na crowd had collected.  It was noticeable that they were all very poor\nand fagged looking.\n\nThe strangers exclaimed with wonder at the beauty of the roses which\nbloomed everywhere.  They climbed over the houses, over fences and up\ngreat stone buildings to the very roofs.  Rose trees stood in all the\nparks.  Rose bushes made all the hedges.  Roses of all colors met the\neye at every turn, and the air was quite heavy with their perfume.  It\nwas truly a magnificent sight.\n\nNo doubt they would have been still more impressed had they known that\nin prosperous times people had fresh rose petals to sleep on every\nnight instead of feather beds or Ostermoor mattresses; that the pigs\nwere fed on roses until their skins grew to be so fine and transparent\nthat they were as clear as wax and the pigs themselves were red, white\nor yellow or pink, according to the color of the roses they ate; that\nhousewives made rose petals into pies, cakes and candy, and even bread,\nand stewed them with sugar and lemons for jam.  Of course this was only\ndone with the surplus, as the real business of the kingdom was making\nperfume from them.\n\nOn went our friends, the Duchess leading the way, until at last they\ncame in sight of the palace.  As they entered the grounds they were\nsurprised to see that all the blinds were down and nobody seemed to be\nguarding the gates, or the door of the palace.  In fact, the gates hung\najar, and one of them was off its hinges.  The grass on the lawn was\ntall and rank.  The gardens, or as little of them as they could see,\nwere full of tall weeds, and everything was going to decay.\n\nThe poor Duchess stood and wept at the sight, but Daimur cried, \"Cheer\nup, cheer up, my dear Duchess, everything may be quite all right yet,\"\nand ordering the marines to keep everyone out he and Redmond led the\nweeping Duchess up to the great entrance and loudly rang the door bell.\n\nThey could hear it echoing far inside, but no one came.  They looked\nthrough the windows, but inside all was empty and dusty.\n\nThe Duchess was by this time in a perfect sea of tears and Daimur had\ngiven up trying to comfort her.\n\n\"Well, we'll try the back,\" he said, and taking the Duchess again by\nthe arm he led the way around the wide drive towards the rear of the\npalace.  As it was an immense building and very rambling it took them\nsome time to reach a high gate in a wall, which, the Duchess moaned\nout, led to the kitchen.\n\nInside was a courtyard all paved with red bricks, very neat-looking, no\ndoubt, when kept in proper order, but now the weeds were growing up\nthrough the crevices in the bricks and the placed looked very neglected.\n\nThey walked across the courtyard to the kitchen door, and after\nknocking several times and getting no response Daimur tried it, and to\nhis surprise found that it was not locked.\n\nHe pushed it open and they entered the great kitchen.  There was not a\nsoul in sight.\n\nThey walked on through the rooms and found them almost bare.  Carpets\nhad been taken up, furniture removed, all of the best silver was\nmissing, and the Royal Rose china was completely gone,--so the Duchess\nsaid.\n\nWhat could it mean?  And where was Queen Amy, her court and her\nservants?\n\nIt was the same throughout the whole palace.  Everything that had any\nvalue had been removed, even the embroidered satin bedspreads.\n\nThey descended to the cellar and went towards the little room where the\nDuchess declared had stood the steel treasure chest.  The door of the\nlittle room stood open and to tell the truth they expected to find the\nplace empty, but what was their surprise to see the chest standing\nthere perfectly solid looking.\n\n\"Of course it is empty,\" said the Duchess with a sniff, as she stooped\nand fitted the little key into the lock.\n\nDaimur and Redmond lifted the lid, and behold!  IT WAS FULL OF GOLD TO\nTHE VERY BRIM!\n\nIt was all packed carefully in glass boxes bound with steel and each\nbox was labeled with the owner's name.\n\nThe largest box bore Queen Amy's name, and the royal coat of arms.\n\nThey were so astonished that they did not say a word but stood staring\nat the gold as if fascinated.\n\nSuddenly they were startled by a slight noise behind them, and both\nDaimur and Prince Redmond involuntarily drew their swords as they\nturned quickly around.\n\nWhat they beheld was a frightened looking little creature who gazed at\nthem from behind a large empty packing case in a corner.\n\n\"Come here,\" said Daimur rather sternly.  \"Who are you and what are you\ndoing here?  Are there any other people about?\"\n\nThe little thing advanced trembling, and then they saw that she was a\nfair-haired young girl of about eighteen or twenty, but so thin and\npale that at first glance she appeared to be a child.  She was\ndreadfully dirty too, and clad in various garments that seemed to have\nbelonged to someone else much larger.\n\n\"Don't frighten her, Daimur,\" said Prince Redmond as he stepped over\nbeside the poor little thing.\n\n\"Tell us who you are, and what you are doing here,\" he said, addressing\nher kindly.  \"We will do you no harm.\"\n\n\"I am Princess Helda of Oaklands,\" she said in a very timid voice.\n\n\"And where may that be?\" asked Daimur, thinking she was probably out of\nher head, as so far as he knew no such place existed.\n\n\"Alas,\" said the Princess.  \"Oaklands is now the Island of Despair,\"\nand she wrung her hands with a hopeless gesture.\n\nAt this answer Daimur was so amazed that he could not say a word, and\nit was Prince Redmond who asked the Princess to tell them her story,\nand whether she knew anything of Queen Amy.  The Duchess had dried her\neyes and stood waiting in silence for every word.\n\nThe Princess began in her quiet voice.\n\n\"When I was only fourteen years old, my parents, who were King and\nQueen of Oaklands and very much beloved by their subjects, one day\nquite by accident, offended the Evil Magician, who had been traveling\nthrough the kingdom disguised as a juggler, and entertaining crowds in\nthe streets with his skilful tricks.\n\n\"In revenge the Evil Magician enchanted the whole kingdom, tearing our\nisland up from the eastern sea and setting it down in this western one.\nHe turned my father and mother and their subjects into stones and built\na house and wall of them, and changed our beautiful cities into a dense\nforest.\n\n\"Me he could not change, as I wear upon my arm a bracelet placed there\nby a good fairy at my birth, which guards me from enchantment and harm.\n\n\"I lived then in the Magician's house, and his old witch of a\nhousekeeper and her ugly daughter made me do all manner of rough work,\nand many a time would have beaten me had it not been for my magic\nbracelet.  At any rate they half starved me.  I lived in the cellar\nwhen I was not working in the kitchen.\"\n\n\"My dear,\" said the Duchess, \"how can you expect us to believe such a\nstory?  You say you were fourteen when all this happened.  You cannot\nbe more than twenty now, and yet the Island of Despair has been where\nit is for over seventy years.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the Princess, \"that is true, but the Evil Magician does not\nmeasure years as you do.  On his kitchen wall hangs the year clock.  It\nhas only one hand, and the figures on its face run from one to fifteen.\nEach figure represents one of your years, but the hand of the clock has\nto go completely around the dial and reach the figure fifteen before\nthe Magician counts a year.  In therefore what has been five years to\nus in the Magician's house has been seventy-five years to you.  That is\nthe reason why the Magician and the witch seem so old to you, who know\nthat they have been living for hundreds of years.  They are really not\nvery old after all.\"\n\n\"But how did you get here?\" asked Prince Redmond, who was becoming very\nmuch interested in the small Princess.\n\n\"One day,\" answered the Princess, \"I overhead the Evil Magician telling\nthe old witch to prepare a bed in the cellar for a Queen.\"\n\n\"Good mercy,\" cried the Duchess.  \"My dear niece in that dreadful\nplace.  Oh, what shall I do?\"  And she began to weep afresh, but Daimur\nwas so interested in the story that he hardly heard her.\n\n\"What happened next?\" he asked breathlessly.\n\n\"The next day the Queen arrived, so beautiful and so sad.  I loved her\nat once, and was happy to be with her when I might.  She told me that\nshe had a chest full of gold in her palace, but that her aunt had the\nkey to it, and that she had mysteriously disappeared.  She was afraid\nshe had been murdered.  A foreign king, a kind of pirate, had been\nthreatening to invade her kingdom for more than a year, and she had\nbeen able to keep him off for a time, but at last she had no more\nsoldiers to oppose against him and he would have taken the kingdom had\nnot the Evil Magician, in the form of a young and handsome knight,\noffered to lend her as much gold as was in the treasure chest until\nsuch time as she could get another key, for she had found that the\nchest was a magic one and could neither be broken into nor moved from\nwhere it stood.\n\n\"The pirate king took the money and went away, but in a few months the\nEvil Magician came back and demanded payment for his gold or that the\nQueen would marry him at once.\n\n\"The Queen refused to marry him and could not pay him, so he took her\nprisoner to the Island of Despair, as you call it, where he said he\nwould keep her until she consented to marry him and would sign over to\nhim all right to her throne.  There she still is if she is alive.\n\n\"As for me, the Evil Magician soon found that I was Queen Amy's friend,\nand fearing that I might help her to escape he had me brought here,\nwhere I have been ever since.\n\n\"As soon as Queen Amy was captured her cousin Bethel took the throne,\nand it was to her that I was sent as a servant.  How she treated me you\ncan see for yourselves.  I have had to do the meanest work, live in\nthis cellar, wear what clothes she threw to me, and eat what I could\nget from the cook, who on days when she was very cross would give me\nnothing at all.\"\n\n\"Poor child, poor child,\" said Prince Redmond.\n\n\"And where is Princess Bethel now?\" asked Daimur.\n\n\"And what has happened to the furniture, and all the plate and china,\nmy dear?\" asked the Duchess in a teary voice.\n\n\"I am just coming to that part, if you please, madam,\" answered the\nPrincess.\n\n\"At night, when the servants were talking in the kitchen I used to sit\nbehind the cellar door and then I heard all that was said.  One night\nthey whispered to each other that the pirate king had come back and\nthat he threatened instant invasion if he did not get more money.\nPrincess Bethel had sent him all she had in the palace and he went away.\n\n\"That kept him off for a time, but before long he came again and then\nkept on coming more and more frequently until there was scarcely an\narticle of value in the palace that had not been sent to him, or sold\nto get money to keep him quiet.  Princess Bethel was very miserable\nindeed, and taxed her subjects until they were all reduced to beggary\nin order to get the money to give him.\n\n\"I could not help feeling rather sorry for her, it was such a dreadful\nexistence.  The servants had to be dismissed one after another until\nthere was no one to wait upon her but me, and my!  How she did scold!\n\n\"At last the pirate came just a few nights ago and marching up to the\npalace gates demanded the chest of gold, which he had evidently just\nheard about.\n\n\"Bethel would gladly have given it to him if she could have moved it,\nand told him so, at which he and a great many rough sailors tramped\ninto the palace and down these stairs and tried their best to pry it up\nwith crowbars, but with no success of course.  When he found he really\ncould not take it, he was so angry that he kidnapped Princess Bethel,\nsaying he would keep her in a dungeon until she found the key for him.\n\n\"I was in the darkest corner when the pirates came and kept hidden\nuntil they went away.  Since then I have not dared to go any further\nthan to the kitchen for some bread and water.\"\n\n\"Dear me, that is very poor fare,\" said Prince Redmond, \"it is no\nwonder you are so thin.  We will have to try and make up for all this\nbad treatment,\" and to anyone with two eyes it was quite evident that\nhe had fallen in love with her.\n\nThe Duchess too was very sympathetic, though greatly worried about her\nniece, Queen Amy, and Daimur told the new Princess that the Evil\nMagician was now dead and that they would try and deliver her parents\nand Queen Amy from enchantment.\n\nAt this moment the roar of many voices from outside caused them all to\nhurry upstairs as fast as they could and they ran out of the palace to\nsee what was going on.  They were just in time to see a great crowd\npouring down the street towards the water, all shouting and\ngesticulating.\n\n\"What is the meaning of this commotion?\" asked Daimur of those of his\nmen who were guarding the palace gates.\n\n\"They say,\" answered one, \"that the pirates who have been raiding this\nshore for so long are drowned and some of them have been washed ashore.\"\n\nHastily sending the Duchess and Princess Helda back to the palace,\nDaimur followed Prince Redmond, who was already making his way through\nthe crowd towards the shore.\n\nThey reached the beach, and there stretched lifeless on the sand beside\nhis overturned life-boat lay Prince Sadna, and beside him a young\nofficer, whom Redmond recognized as a distant cousin.\n\nIt may well be imagined how very sad Prince Redmond felt over his\nbrother's disgraceful life, and now at the sight of him lying there\ndead, a dreaded pirate to the people crowding around, instead of a\nfriendly king as he should have been, the Prince burst into tears.\n\nDaimur stood beside him feeling very sorry for his friend, and\nremembering that after all Sadna had been a royal prince, he decided to\nhave him buried at sea with all honors befitting his rank, and\nmotioning to a few of his men who had come to the shore with him, he\nhad Prince Sadna's body removed to his ship.\n\nRedmond was very grateful indeed to Daimur for his kindness, and after\nthe funeral was over they came back to the city and called together the\nelders.  They explained why they had come and took them to see the\nDuchess of Rose Petals at the palace, who by this time had had some tea\nand was feeling much refreshed.\n\nThe elders were all delighted to see her, but when she told them that\nshe still had the key of the magic chest and that they could now have\ntheir savings as they needed them, they wept for joy, and falling on\ntheir knees vowed undying allegiance to her, and begged her to be their\nqueen, as they were sure Queen Amy was dead.\n\nThe Duchess refused this honor, as she told them her niece was still\nalive, and Daimur then came forward and related what Princess Helda had\ntold them of Queen Amy's capture and that he was going to rescue her\nand bring her back, and in the meantime that the Duchess would act as\nQueen Regent.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII\n\nOnly waiting to see the Duchess settled in the palace with a few\nservants and enough furniture to make her comfortable, Daimur prepared\nfor his voyage to the Island of Despair.  Prince Redmond insisted upon\naccompanying him, and little Princess Helda begged to be allowed to go\ntoo, as she was sure she could help them, and she wished so much to see\nher parents even if they were stones.\n\nThe Duchess at last consented to her going, and sent an old friend,\nLady Clara Rosered, to look after her.  By this time the Princess\nlooked like a real Princess, for the Duchess had bought her the most\nbeautiful new clothes, and since she was getting enough to eat for the\nfirst time in years she was beginning to look very pretty.\n\nPrince Redmond was head over heels in love with her and would have\nasked her to marry him at once if he had had a kingdom to offer her, or\nany prospects at all.\n\nEarly one bright morning they set sail, and after sailing all day came\nwithin a few miles of the Island of Despair, when Daimur donned his cap\nand spectacles in order to steer the ship into the harbor in safety.\nThey lay in the lee of a high cliff until dark, and then when the wind\nwas strong enough ran the ship up into the small sheltered cove beside\nthe Magician's house, and made it fast to the wharf with as little\nnoise as possible.\n\nThere was nobody in sight as they cautiously crept up the path, and\nRedmond remarked that the witch must be away on some errand of mischief.\n\nAfter waiting for an hour and seeing no one, the three adventurers went\nup the steps to the door of the house.  They tried the handle, but it\nwas locked.\n\nOnly then did Daimur remember that he had left his magic key in the box\nof magic tablets on the window sill the night they made their escape.\nSo much had happened he had not once thought of it since, and it gave\nhim a great shock to realize how careless he had been, for now he\nneeded it again.\n\nThe Princess Helda, who of course knew nothing of the magic key, was\nalready fumbling at the lock with a hairpin, and after poking at it for\nseveral minutes it flew back with a snap.\n\n\"It's a good thing I knew that lock's defects,\" she whispered, \"or we\nshould never have got in this way,\" and she turned the handle and\nwalked into the kitchen.\n\nWith their hands on their swords Redmond and Daimur followed her.\n\nIt was quite dark in the kitchen, the only light coming from a solitary\ncandle on a high shelf, which threw long shadows everywhere.  The fire\nin the fireplace was out and there was no sign of life.\n\nMotioning to the others to follow Princess Helda led the way across the\nkitchen to a door, which she opened and began to descend a flight of\nstone stairs.\n\nThe stairs led down to a wide stone flagged hall with rooms opening\nfrom it, and narrow passages running in all directions into the\ndistance.\n\nHere and there high up near the roof a smoky lantern burned dimly.\n\nAcross the wide hall went Helda and down one of the long narrow\npassages until she reached a door at the very end.\n\nShe knocked softly upon it three times.  There was no answer.  She\nknocked again, and then opened the door.  There was no lock on it on\nthe inside, only a big bolt on the outside.  She glanced in.  The room\nwas completely bare.\n\n\"She is not here,\" she whispered to Daimur and Redmond, who followed\nher into the room.  Lighting some matches they looked into all the\nrooms adjoining, but found them deserted too.\n\nThey went back up the narrow passage.\n\n\"What shall we do?\" asked Prince Redmond.  \"Where shall we look now?\"\n\n\"We must look in all of the rooms,\" said Helda.  \"They have moved her,\nbut she is here somewhere.  If we separate we shall perhaps get along\nbetter.  There is no danger of getting lost as all the passages open\ninto the wide hall.\"\n\nSo they separated, Prince Redmond following Princess Helda and Daimur\ngoing alone in the opposite direction, as he thought perhaps his magic\ncap and spectacles might help him in his quest.\n\nUp and down the narrow passages they went, opening all the doors and\nlooking into all the rooms, until they grew a long way apart, for these\nunderground passages extended away into the hill and covered a much\nlonger area than the house above.\n\nAt last Daimur opened a little door in a dark corner.  It was so low\nthat he had to stoop to get in, but once inside the ceiling was high\nenough.\n\n\"Oh,\" he said to himself, \"she is not in here, I am sure.\"\n\nBut to his surprise his cap, which up to that time had not been able to\ntell him anything, suddenly told him that she was in there.\n\nHe stepped forward into the room cautiously and tried to look about,\nbut it was so dark that he could only dimly see some articles of\nfurniture that were very close to him.\n\nOn the further side, however, on the floor he saw a streak of light,\nand making his way over to it found that it came under a door.  This\ndoor was not locked either, and he opened it far enough to see that the\nlight was shining down a long hallway from a door at the other end of\nit.  Seeing and hearing nothing, he crept down the hall until he came\nto the other door, which was even lower than the first.  The door was\nopen, but was hung with heavy curtains.  He peered in, but could not\nsee anyone.  The room was very comfortable looking, with easy chairs,\nbooks and a piano, and on a small table lay some needlework in a basket.\n\nWhile he stood considering whether he dare venture into the lighted\nroom he heard the sound of voices, and then advancing through the room\nhe beheld the Old Witch herself, accompanied by the witch who had been\nQueen of Shells.\n\nInstantly he turned and fled down the long hall and back into the\nlittle dark room, where he felt his way into the furtherest corner and\nlay still hardly daring to breathe.\n\nIn a minute or two he heard them coming down the hall.  They were\ntalking in a language he could not understand.\n\n\"What if they should have a light,\" thought Daimur.  \"All would be\nlost, for in this place they could easily make me a prisoner.\"\n\nThey entered the room.  As they did so the Old Witch hesitated, and\nDaimur noticed her voice change, but all she did was to close the door\nleading into the hall.  Then still talking the two made their way in\nthe dark across the room and out of the other door.\n\nWhen their footsteps had ceased to echo down the corridor, for they\nwalked noisily, Daimur came out of his corner and tried the door\nleading into the long passage.  It was locked.  Then he tried the door\nwhich led to the main hall, but that too was locked.\n\nHe was trapped.\n\nJust at that moment a faint spicy smell came to his nostrils.  He stood\nstill, wondering what it could be.  It grew stronger and stronger and\nsweeter and sweeter, until he could feel himself growing sleepy.  Alas,\nhe knew now that the witches had seen him.\n\nIn vain he looked around for some means of escape.  There was none.\nHis cap could tell him nothing.  He beat upon the doors, but his\nstrength soon failed him, and he fell down in a stupor.\n\nHow long he lay there he did not know, but when he awoke at length a\nfaint light was shining into the room from a small iron grating close\nup to the ceiling, and the spicy smell was gone.\n\nThe first thing he did was to feel for his cap and spectacles which he\nhad had on when he fell asleep.\n\nTHEY WERE GONE.\n\nPoor Daimur.  For the first time since the beginning of his adventure\nhe felt completely helpless, and with a very dejected countenance\nindeed he sat down to await the next happening.\n\nHe had not been sitting there for more than half an hour when a light\nstep sounded in the inner hall and stopped at the door.\n\nA key was turned in the lock and a voice said: \"Oh, bother this lock.\"\nThe key rattled again, the door opened rather suddenly, and there\nentered--not a witch as Daimur expected--but the loveliest lady he had\never seen.\n\nShe had big blue eyes, a lovely complexion, though it was a trifle pale\nas if from being indoors a long time, and golden hair that hung over\nher shoulders in long ringlets.  Her gown was of a deep blue silk that\nalmost matched her eyes.  At sight of Daimur she stood still in\nastonishment, then came quickly towards him.\n\n\"Oh, poor young man,\" she cried.  \"Surely you are not a prisoner too.\"\n\n\"I am afraid I am,\" answered Daimur sadly, as he gazed at the beautiful\nlady, \"but tell me, do you know whether Queen Amy is here?  I must find\nher.\"\n\n\"I am that unhappy Queen,\" answered the lady.  \"Can it be that my\nfaithful subjects have sent you to seek me, sir?\"\n\n\"Rather I have come because I wished to undo in a small measure the\nmischief that the Evil Magician did,\" and Daimur hurriedly told her\nsomething of his adventure, and finished by wishing he had his cap and\nspectacles back, as he was afraid without them they would have great\ndifficulty in escaping.\n\nDaimur at first had hopes that Princess Helda and Redmond might find\nthem and perhaps be able to open the door, as it was only bolted on the\noutside, but then he remembered that the day was now well advanced and\nthat they must either have been trapped themselves long before this or\nhad crept back to the ship while it was still dark.\n\n\"Is there no other way of escape but by this door?\" he asked Queen Amy,\nafter some reflection.\n\n\"No,\" said she.  \"No other way excepting through the door in my\nsitting-room which leads into the witches' sitting-room, and that opens\ninto the main hall.  There is generally one witch stationed in their\nsitting-room to keep watch over me.  They still hope to get my chest of\ngold, you see, and that is why I am kept a prisoner here.\"\n\nDaimur drew his sword and announced his intention of trying to get out\nto the main hall if Queen Amy was willing to go with him, to which she\nreplied that she would indeed take any risk to get out of that dungeon\nand back to her dear people.\n\nShe turned at once and led the way bade through her apartment to the\ndoor which was to decide their fortunes.  It was a swinging door, and\nDaimur pushed it open and looked in.  What he saw was a great bare room\nwith cupboards all around it, and a few plain old kitchen rockers here\nand there.  A number of the cupboard doors were open and there could be\nseen on the shelves dozens of bottles, boxes, tins and pots, while over\nthe fire in a large black pot some vile-smelling mixture was cooking.\n\nBeside the fire on a mat, lay the old witch's black cat, apparently\nasleep.  There was no one in the room.\n\n\"Now is your chance,\" whispered Daimur, and sword in hand he went\nsoftly across the floor, closely followed by Queen Amy.\n\nAs they passed the cat he opened one of his green eyes and looked at\nthem, but they did not notice him.  As soon as they were out of the\nroom and into the hall he sat up on the mat and began to yowl in a most\nblood-curdling manner.\n\n\"We are lost,\" said the Queen, wringing her hands.  \"Listen to that\ncat.  We must have awakened him.  He is calling the Old Witch I am\nsure.\"\n\n\"Run,\" said Daimur, and seizing Queen Amy by the hand he almost dragged\nher along the wide hall towards the staircase.  But they were too late.\n\nDown the stairs came the Old Witch, followed by her daughter and the\nother witch from Shells.\n\nAt the sight of Daimur with his sword drawn and the terrified Queen Amy\nshrinking at his side the Old Witch gave a howl of rage and said\nsomething quickly to the others.\n\nInstantly three great tigers were bounding towards them, their teeth\nshowing in a dreadful manner, and their deep growls filling the whole\nhall.\n\nThrusting Queen Amy behind him Daimur clutched his sword in despair and\nset his teeth with a determination to kill them all if possible--when\nsuddenly he thought of the tiny silver bugle which he had had around\nhis neck all the time.\n\nRaising it quickly to his lips he blew three times upon it.  The faint\nsound it made was not heard amid the terrible roaring of the tigers,\nbut before he had finished the last blast there stood in front of him\nthree giants, so tall that their heads almost touched the high ceiling,\nand that was more than ten feet.  They were dressed like Roman soldiers\nand each carried a huge flat sword.\n\n\"The tigers.  Kill the tigers!\" cried Daimur.\n\nIt all happened so suddenly that the tigers did not have time to stop\ntheir rush, and in a second the giants were upon them and you may be\nsure soon cut their heads off.  Then before Daimur could even say\n\"Thank you,\" they had disappeared again.\n\nThe three witches lay dead at their feet and they were free.\n\nDaimur turned towards Queen Amy and found her leaning against the wall\nin a half-fainting condition, and while he was trying to induce her to\nmake an effort to pass the dead tigers and get away upstairs there\nsuddenly rang out a loud cry of \"Fire!  Fire!\"\n\n[Illustration: He was trying to induce her to make an effort to pass\nthe dead tigers.]\n\nDaimur recognized Prince Redmond's voice.  Doors banged overhead and\nfootsteps scurried across the floor.  Daimur waited for no more.\nPicking up the Queen in his arms he almost flew towards the staircase\nand up the stairs.  As he reached the top a puff of smoke came from an\ninner room and half blinded him.  He rushed across the kitchen and at\nthe door almost ran into Prince Redmond and Princess Helda, who were\ncoming in again shouting his name at the top of their voices.\n\n\"Here I am,\" said Daimur breathlessly.  \"Help me to carry the Queen\nout.\"\n\n\"To the ship instantly,\" shouted Prince Redmond, as he seized Queen Amy\nfrom Daimur's arms and ran towards the shore.  Daimur snatched Helda's\nhand and they hurried after him.\n\nShouting orders to the sailors Prince Redmond boarded the ship.  Up\nwent the sails, and as there was a good breeze the boat began to move\nout.  It was not a moment too soon.\n\nThey were not more than a hundred feet away when a long flame burst\nthrough the roof of the Evil Magician's castle and in a moment the\nwhole building was burning.\n\n\"What happened?\" cried Daimur.\n\n\"We accidentally set the place on fire,\" said Prince Redmond.\n\n\"Last night,\" he continued, \"after wandering about those long passages\nwithout finding the Queen, and seeing no sign of you, we crawled\nthrough a small window in the coal cellar and Came back to the ship.\nThen as you did not come we grew very much alarmed, and at daybreak\nwent back the way we had come, intending to search for you.\n\n\"Anxious not to miss finding you we even mounted a stair which led up\nto a long half-dark room, quite off by itself.  It was full of\nmysterious-looking bottles and pots, many of them marked 'poison,' but\nthe queerest thing of all was a tiny well in one corner, on the cover\nof which was printed in large black letters 'Enchanting Oil.'\n\n\"We lifted the cover and peered in.  It was so dark in there that we\ncould see nothing, so I lit a match and by the light of it we looked\ndown a terrible depth and could see the oil shining dimly at the bottom.\n\n\"Just then Princess Helda accidentally touched the handle of the little\nbrass bucket which was drawn up to the top, knocking the match out of\nmy fingers.  It fell into the bucket, which contained a few drops of\nthe oil.  Immediately a flame leaped into our very faces and shot up\nnearly to the ceiling.  We turned and ran down the stairs again, and up\nanother flight near it which Helda knew would take us to one of the\nliving-rooms.  There we ran about like mad shouting 'Fire,' and\nthinking that you and the Queen would surely perish.  We knew that some\nof the fire must soon drop into the oil well, and when that happens I\nam sure it will explode.\"\n\nHe had hardly said the words when a terrific roar shook the earth.  The\nflaming house suddenly scattered into a million burning pieces which\ndropped into the sea, and some of which fell on the ship and had to be\nthrown overboard.\n\nA column of black smoke rose into the air and hid the island entirely\nfrom view.\n\nThey lay to all morning, waiting for the smoke to clear away, but it\nwas not until mid afternoon that it began to disappear.\n\nThey sailed slowly nearer to the island, wondering what damage had been\ndone besides the burning of the house.  As they came closer they seemed\nto see houses by the waterside through the haze of smoke, which was\nsteadily growing thinner, and then what appeared to be streets.\n\nTheir wonder grew when they carefully steered back to the cove and\nfound that they were in a harbor that was lined with stone docks.  Some\nships lay at anchor, packages of goods were piled up on the wharves,\nworkmen went back and forth loading and unloading the vessels, piling\ngoods into long warehouses, and the scene was a busy one.\n\nThe first thought that sprang to Daimur's mind was that they had made a\nmistake and in some manner got to one of the other islands again.\n\nIt was Princess Helda who first spoke as she stepped out on the quay.\n\n\"The enchantment is broken,\" she cried, holding out her hands.\n\"Welcome to Oaklands.\"\n\nNobody would have recognized in the beautiful kingdom of Oaklands the\nIsland of Despair of rank undergrowth and poisoned fruit trees.\n\nThe afternoon sun shone down upon wide streets, clean and well kept,\nfaced by rows of fine houses and lined with tall oak trees.  The smoke\nhad apparently drifted upwards until it was now only a small black\ncloud in the western sky.  On the hill where had been the Magician's\nhouse there now stood a tall and stately castle built of shining white\nmarble.  There could be no doubt it was the palace.\n\nThey walked towards it and were surprised to find that they were\nexpected, as a guard of honor stood waiting at the entrance to the\ngrounds to conduct them to the presence of the King and Queen.\n\nThey were taken to the drawing room, and at sight of her father and\nmother Princess Helda burst into tears and rushed towards them.  It was\na touching scene.\n\nWords could not express the gratitude of their majesties to King Daimur\nand Prince Redmond for their deliverance, both of whom they remembered,\nfor having then been the stones that formed the window sill and the\ndoor sill respectively they had heard every word that was said, and had\nwitnessed the escape from the island.\n\nHelda's father was very anxious to have them stay and pay him a visit,\neven if only for a few days, but Daimur, who wanted to restore Queen\nAmy to her throne at once, declined, saying, however, that he had a\nproposal to make before leaving.\n\nHe then asked the King of Oaklands to bestow on Prince Redmond the hand\nof his daughter Helda, declaring that it was to Prince Redmond that\nthey owed the breaking of the enchantment, and not to himself.\n\nThis the King was very willing to do, and Prince Redmond's joy was\nunbounded, for with no fortune and no throne to offer her he would\nnever have dared to ask the Princess to marry him, and they would both\nhave been very unhappy to the end of their lives.\n\nIt was arranged that the wedding should take place as soon as the\nPrincess could get her trousseau made, and as Prince Redmond had\ndecided to accept the King's invitation and stay for a few days' visit\nDaimur and Queen Amy said good-bye and prepared to depart, but not\nbefore they had been presented with two beautiful armchairs, each\ncarved from a single piece of oak, which the King of Oaklands prized\nvery much.  Even Lady Clara Rosered, who had accompanied Princess\nHelda, was not forgotten, but received a handsome lace shawl.\n\nTheir voyage back to the Island of Roses was rather slow, owing to the\npoor wind, but it was very quiet and restful, and they arrived to find\na large crowd gathered on the dock to meet them, all very anxious to\nsee whether Queen Amy was aboard.\n\nIn an open space surrounded by some of the Royal Guard, who stood on\neither side making a long avenue right down to the edge of the quay,\nsat the Duchess of Rose Petals in the state carriage.\n\nWhen Queen Amy appeared on the deck, looking a little pale, but\notherwise as well as ever, loud shouts went up and flowers were flung\nat her feet as she walked up the avenue made by the Guards, King Daimur\nwalking at her side.\n\n\"Long live our Queen.  Long live noble King Daimur,\" resounded on every\nside, while rockets were sent into the air and all the bells in the\nkingdom were rung.\n\nA great procession of carriages followed the Queen to the palace, where\nthe Duchess had arranged a luncheon and a splendid reception, at which\nDaimur received nearly as much attention as Queen Amy.\n\nWhen it was all over Daimur felt that, as he had now fulfilled his\npromises, he, should return at once to his own kingdom, but first he\nwent to Queen Amy and told her that he was going away.  She looked at\nhim with tears in her eyes and begged him to let her know what she\ncould first bestow on him as a small token of her undying gratitude.\n\"I want nothing less than your own heart and hand,\" declared Daimur,\nand he told her that he had fallen in love with her the moment he had\nfirst seen her, but could not, of course, say anything about it until\nshe was safely at home.\n\nQueen Amy blushed, and acknowledged that she also loved him very\ndearly, so then and there they decided to be married at the same time\nas Prince Redmond and Princess Helda.\n\nAnd so it happened.  Daimur went back to his kingdom, where his\nfaithful subjects were so proud of him that they built a magnificent\nnew palace and presented it to him as a wedding gift.\n\nIn due time the triple marriage was celebrated at Queen Amy's palace,\nfor Tasmir and Princess Maya, on hearing the news, insisted upon being\nmarried at the same time.\n\nIn the midst of the ceremony the good fairy appeared and gave each of\nthem a small gold ring, which she said would bring them good luck as\nlong as they lived.\n\nSo ended all the enchantments and wicked plots of Evil Magician, and\never after peace and happiness reigned over the Islands of Sunshine.\n\n\n\n\nTHE END","title":"The Enchanted Island","tradition":"folklore-oral-tradition","translated_text":null,"word_count":35341}