nd
I dare not break the lock.'

"'Oh, dear, how much longer must I wait to get out of this horrid
shape? I wish I had not touched his old bottles and made him angry,'
said the snake, and it began to shed streams of tears which ran down
and made little green lizards that crawled about on the floor.

"'Not much longer, dear,' replied the witch. 'The Magician is coming
back to-night, and nothing can be done now, but he is going away again
on a special journey in five days' time, to hunt for some treasures
which he says he must have, so I will go out across the fields as soon
as he is gone and consult my old cat as to what is best to be done.'

"The Witch then put the snake back in the basket, fastened down the
lid, and went away, so after a while, not seeing anything more of her,
I crept out of my hiding place, determined to get some of the tablets
which will give us back our human shapes."

"Did you see them?" asked the Queen quite breathlessly.

"I did," replied the Princess, "I got in behind the cupboard, which has
a piece gone out of the back, hopped up on the shelf, and found them
quite easily. They are locked up in a strong glass box, and are as big
as corn kernels."

"Well, well," said Daimur, after a pause. "Why, I have a key here that
will unlock anything. We shall go back when the Magician goes away
next time, and see if we cannot get some of the magic tablets."

Feeling very cheerful indeed they then went with Daimur while he dug a
great many more potatoes, nuts and yams, and helped him to make a fire
afterwards to cook them for supper. While the fire was getting hot
Daimur went out along the shore to see what he could find. The tide
was out, and he went looking about for clams. He was not disappointed,
for he soon found a great many nice big ones, and you may be sure they
tasted very delicious when baked in their shells.

Long after they had had their supper, when it was quite dark, they
heard a great wind blowing, and Daimur, putting on his cap knew that it
was the Magician coming home.

CHAPTER VII

All the next day the King and Queen and little Princess Maya went about
quietly among the doves in the woods and told them about Daimur, and
about the tablets they hoped to get to release them from their
enchantment, and begged them if they valued their lives to leave the
fruit they were eating and come and live in the cave with them.

They soon had nearly all the brightest doves flutter