The Enchanted Island Part 13

CHAPTER XX

Daimur directed the Captain to steer to the Island of Laurels, which lay nearest to them, and after two uneventful days of good weather the island came into view. Late in the afternoon, when they were within a couple of miles of the harbor they pa.s.sed a very large wars.h.i.+p, very new and s.h.i.+ning, which was flying the flag of Laurels.

"That must be a new s.h.i.+p that Sadna has built," said Prince Redmond.

"He was always talking about a better navy."

The large vessel paid no attention to them, but as they did not know whether it was coming back or not they drew off and did not enter the harbor until after dark. They cast anchor and decided not to leave the s.h.i.+p until morning.

They breakfasted at sunrise and went up on deck to view the city while the boats were being lowered.

It appeared to be a busy place. On the long wharves a great number of men were working loading and unloading vessels. Three big wars.h.i.+ps, all new, the prince declared, rode at anchor in the bay, but n.o.body seemed to pay any attention to the sudden appearance of a strange wars.h.i.+p in their harbor.

To the princes this seemed very queer, and thinking there might be some plan to attack them unexpectedly they took every man that could be spared from the s.h.i.+p, only leaving behind enough to man the guns and to guard the d.u.c.h.ess of Rose Petals, who preferred staying on board.

Forming in fours they marched up the street under great laurel trees, of such a size as Daimur had never seen anywhere before. Although the sun was already very hot every street was cool and shady. On they went, but n.o.body even turned around to look at them. No crowd collected, no faces appeared in the windows or doors, and what people they met looked stupid and sleepy.

"Why, this is most uncanny," exclaimed Daimur, who was marching beside Prince Tasmir at the head of the marines. "What's the matter with everybody?"

"I cannot imagine," answered Prince Redmond. "It is a shocking surprise to me; why they act as if they were all half asleep and do not seem to recognize us at all."

They pa.s.sed through a beautiful park, and on the other side the palace, surrounded by laurel hedges and backed by a very high wooded hill, appeared to their view.

Two guards were stationed at the palace gates. They drew their swords in a dazed kind of way and refused to let anyone pa.s.s.

"I am your Crown Prince," said Tasmir, "and here is my brother Redmond.

You must let us pa.s.s instantly."

The guards looked at them stupidly and shook their heads.

"We have no princes," said one, "our King is not married."

"Where is he?" asked Redmond.

"Don't know," answered the guard sleepily, as his head nodded forward a couple of times. "Went away on the new s.h.i.+p."

"But when will he return?" asked Tasmir, shaking the man to wake him up, for he was certainly going to sleep.

"Don' know, don' know," returned the guard, shaking his head slowly.

He kept on shaking it, and although they asked him several other questions he did not seem to hear them at all.

The other guard was even worse, for all he could say was, "Who goes there?" whenever they addressed him.

"Don't bother with them," said Prince Redmond impatiently, "let us go into the palace and see if father is still alive."

Daimur ordered the marines to advance, and as the two guards did nothing but blink at them, and no other defenders appeared it only took them a few seconds to reach the palace door.

Prince Tasmir bounded up the steps, turned the big handle and dashed into the hall with Prince Redmond and Daimur close at his heels. They met with no opposition from the servants, who appeared to be as sleepy as the guards, and immediately began a search for the poor old King.

Upstairs and down they went and even into the dungeons, but could find no trace of him.

Prince Redmond at length stopped and began to weep, for they all felt that he was dead, and had perhaps been murdered.

Daimur tried to comfort the princes by telling them that they must search the kingdom through before thinking the worst and suggested that they go out into the city again and see if his cap would not tell him something about it.

They left the palace and walked over the lawn and past the Royal gardens, and finally crossed a rustic bridge over a pretty stream which wound in and out through the grounds.

"Where does that river flow?" asked Daimur, stopping suddenly. He had on his cap.

"Oh, that," said Tasmir, "is the Laurel River. It flows right through the kingdom, down to the sea on the other side of the island."

"Does anybody drink its waters?" asked Daimur, taking out his spectacles and putting them on.

"Why of course," said Prince Redmond proudly. "It is the source of water supply for nearly the whole of the kingdom. There isn't purer water anywhere in the world."

"Purer," said Daimur, who was stooping to examine the waters through his spectacles, "why, it's poisoned!"

"Poisoned!" exclaimed both the princes, looking at each other incredulously. "Impossible!"

"I tell you it is," said Daimur, "the poison is an oily substance which covers the surface of the water. It may not be deadly; I cannot tell."

"Then that's what ails our subjects," cried Tasmir. "They must be drinking this poison every day."

"Where is the source of this river?" asked Daimur.

Prince Redmond turned and pointed to the highest hill behind them. "In Mirror Lake, on that hilltop," he said.

"Let us go there at once then," said Daimur, and leaving his marines on guard duty around the palace he followed the two princes, who had taken a path that led along the stream. This grew rough and stony as they came to higher ground, and they soon were clinging to rocks and bushes as they climbed up the steep hillside.

At length after a great deal of scrambling and some tearing of their clothes on the thorns and brambles, they managed to reach the top, and followed a narrow winding path which led to the lake. After half an hour of quick walking they came upon it very suddenly. It was quite small, and completely surrounded by trees. The water was as blue as the sky and reflected every little cloudlet perfectly. Daimur, however, at once noticed vast quant.i.ties of laurel leaves floating about, coming apparently from a little cove at the far end of the lake.

"It is those leaves that are poisoning the water," he cried excitedly, "I can see the poisonous oil oozing from them."

"But, Daimur," said Redmond, "how can that be, they are only ordinary laurel leaves?"

But Daimur was already making his way along the sh.o.r.e towards the cove from which the leaves seemed to come, and the princes followed him.

At the end of the cove and hidden among the other trees they came upon a tall willowy laurel tree which, overhanging the water, continually dropped leaves and shook and moaned as if in a great wind, although all the other trees were still.

The princes looked at it in awe, which deepened when Daimur, after surveying it intently for some moments, announced that it must be cut down as it contained some enchanted creature, which, he said, as his cap and spectacles could tell him no more, he hoped might not prove to be another witch or an evil Magician.

They had no axe, but Prince Redmond volunteered to go back to a woodman's hut which they had pa.s.sed on their way, and borrow one. He soon returned with a large sharp axe, and set to work to cut down the tree. He struck with all his might, but the axe made no impression on it, beyond a mere scratch on the bark.

Prince Tasmir then tried, but with no better success.

At last Daimur, who through his spectacles, had been examining the trunk of the tree close to the ground, asked for the axe, and after sc.r.a.ping the earth away he began to chop at the roots.

He managed with hard work to cut some of them through, and then gave the axe to Redmond. Thus they all three persevered until the last root was severed, and the tree fell to the earth with a loud moaning sound.

Immediately a grey mist rose before their eyes, and when it had cleared away a beautiful fairy clothed in white stood before them in place of the tree.