ey 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 quantities 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 shore 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 passed 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
scraping 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 o