PART II

A Proclamation was made to all the kingdom, that whosoever should discover the cause of the lake's decrease, would be rewarded after a princely fashion. Hum-Drum and Kopy-Keck applied themselves to their physics and metaphysics; but in vain. Not even they could suggest a cause.

Now the fact was that the old princess was at the root of the mischief. When she heard that her niece found more pleasure in the water than any one else out of it, she went into a rage, and cursed herself for her want of foresight.

"But," said she, "I will soon set all right. The king and the people shall die of thirst; their brains shall boil and frizzle in their skulls before I will lose my revenge."

And she laughed a ferocious laugh, that made the hairs on the back of her black cat stand erect with terror.

Then she went to an old chest in the room, and opening it, took out what looked like a piece of dried seaweed. This she threw into a tub of water. Then she threw some powder into the water, and stirred it with her bare arm, muttering over it words of hideous sound, and yet more hideous import. Then she set the tub aside, and took from the chest a huge bunch of a hundred rusty keys, that clattered in her shaking hands. Then she sat down and proceeded to oil them all. Before she had finished, out from the tub, the water of which had kept on a slow motion ever since she had ceased stirring it, came the head and half the body of a huge gray snake. But the witch did not look round. It grew out of the tub, waving itself backwards and forwards with a slow horizontal motion, till it reached the princess, when it laid its head upon her shoulder, and gave a low hiss in her ear. She started—but with joy; and seeing the head resting on her shoulder, drew it towards her and kissed it. Then she drew it all out of the tub, and wound it round her body. It was one of those dreadful creatures which few have ever beheld—the White Snakes of Darkness.

Then she took the keys and went down to her cellar; and as she unlocked the door she said to herself,—

"This is worth living for!"

Locking the door behind her, she descended a few steps into the cellar, and crossing it, unlocked another door into a dark, narrow passage. She locked this also behind her, and descended a few more steps. If any one had followed the witch-princess, he would have heard her unlock exactly one hundred doors, and descend a few steps after unlocking each. When she had unlocked the last, she entered a vast cave, the roof of which was supported by huge natural pillars of rock. Now this roof was the under side of the bottom of the lake.

第2节

一份告示传遍全国，无论是谁，只要能找出湖水消减的原因，就会重重有赏。韩笃笃和寇珂珂自告奋勇搬出他们的物理学和玄学，希望能找出一些端倪，但都无功而返。两个人猜都猜不出一个真正的原因来。

实际上这件事情的罪魁祸首就是老公主。当她得知，她的侄女在湖里找到了非同寻常的乐趣时，她的肺都要气炸了，为自己没想到这一点，咒骂了自己一千遍

她说：“不过，我很快就会把一切搞定的。国王和他的子民都会被活活渴死，他们的脑汁就在脑壳里等着被煎炸煮沸吧。”

她发出一阵凶残可怕的笑声，吓得她那只黑猫背上的毛全都立起来了。

于是，她走到屋子里一个破旧的柜子前面，打开它，从里面取出一片看似海草的东西。她把这东西丢进一盆水中，接着往水里投入一些药末，然后伸手进去搅动起来，嘴里用恐怖的声音念念有词，这些话恐怕还有更为恐怖的含义。然后她把盆丢在一边，从柜子里取出一大串百十把锈迹斑斑的钥匙来，她颤抖的手弄得这些钥匙叮咚作响。她坐了下来，开始给这些钥匙上油。在她做完这件事情以前，盆里的水在她搅动的惯性之下始终保持着缓慢的转动。就在这时候，一条灰色的巨蛇从盆里慢慢地探出了脑袋，爬了出来。但是老公主没有察觉。大蛇从盆里爬出来，一前一后扭动着身体慢慢地滑动过来，最后爬到老公主的身边。当它把脑袋搭在她肩膀上，对着她的耳朵吐出舌头，发出一阵低低的嘶嘶声时，老公主一下子尖叫起来！不过，这是开心的尖叫，她看到巨蛇的脑袋靠在自己的肩膀上，便一下子把它拽了过来，亲了亲它。接着她一手把整条蛇从盆里拽出来，缠在自己身上。这是一条黑暗白蟒，难得一见的可怕家伙。

老公主立刻起身拿着钥匙来到地窖，她一边打开门上的锁一边自言自语道：

“这才是有盼头的活法！”

把身后的门锁上后，她便沿着台阶走进地窖，穿过一条小道，把黑暗中的另一道门用钥匙打开。她走进去，把这道门锁上，然后继 续往下走。如果有人一直跟着这位邪恶公主的话，他会看着她整整打开一百道门，而且每次走过去又会回头再把门锁上。当她把最后一道门锁上的时候，她来到了一个巨大的洞窟之中，巨大的天然石柱支撑着这里的洞顶，而这个洞顶就在那个湖的正下方。