owered.

It appeared to be a busy place. On the long wharves a great number of
men were working loading and unloading vessels. Three big warships,
all new, the prince declared, rode at anchor in the bay, but nobody
seemed to pay any attention to the sudden appearance of a strange
warship 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 ship, only leaving behind enough to man the guns and to
guard the Duchess 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 nobody 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 passed 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 pass.

"I am your Crown Prince," said Tasmir, "and here is my brother Redmond.
You must let us pass 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 ship."

"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