"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 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.