From this time onward, everything would have gone well but for something which the Princess asked the driver to do. They were then within about half an hour of the Fairy City, and getting along famously. All at once the Princess espied a sight the like of which she had never seen before. Looking down upon the earth she saw amid the dreary wastes of sand a splendid patch of green plentifully splashed with red. Rather excitedly calling the driver’s attention to it, she asked him to descend in order that she might examine it more closely. This he did, stopping right beside a very large number of plants that are known as Sturt’s Desert Pea, all in a flaming riot of glorious blossoms. The Princess was enchanted; and very incautiously stepping out of the carriage, she delightedly proceeded to gather an armful of the truly beautiful flowers. Meantime, quite a number of the vicious Desert Fairies, hoping that some such thing would happen, had hidden themselves among the plants. As they hate the Garden Fairies and all their works, it was their intention to destroy the blossoms in any case; but believing that they would prove attractive to the Princess, they simply bided their time. Seeing her walking along the edge of the desert peas, absorbed in picking the deep red clustering blooms, they suddenly rushed out from their hiding places, seized her by the hands and arms, and started pushing and dragging her over the sandy desert. Her startled cries awoke her father, who, tired with travelling, had fallen asleep in his seat. The driver did not need to be wakened. Watching the Princess plucking the flowers, he had seen what had taken place. In a flash he realised the danger she was in, and without an instant’s hesitation he sent an S.O.S. message to the Prince at Fairy Island. And it was well that he did; for the very next moment, some of the Desert Fairies who had been left behind to prevent him going to the assistance of the Princess, dashed a swirling, blinding cloud of dust full into his face. They then retreated as fast as they could, throwing up a regular wall of sand and dust behind them as they went. This device prevented the driver from seeing in which direction the Princess was being taken, and left him almost helpless. To make matters worse, when King Acacia realised that the Princess was being stolen, he was almost distracted, and nothing the driver could say or do made any impression on his mind. He was so distraught, so full of anger, that he appeared to be unable to listen, and stamped up and down in utter helplessness.