And when the last man had disappeared, and he was left alone, a prisoner, chained, buried in the depths of the earth, he by no means despaired. A few glaring pine torches still blazed upon the walls, and he resolved that, while these yet burned, he would exert his strength to the utmost in an effort to burst his chains. Once freed from these, he was possessed of a secret, by means of which he was sure of escaping.
To his surprise and joy, on moving very slightly his right arm, the chain dropped! His right arm was free! He quickly drew forth from his bosom what had been so mysteriously placed there. It was a rude box, made of dark wood. He must have touched some hidden spring, for the lid flew up, and he beheld there the vial which had been lost in the fight.
As he joyfully seized this lost treasure, now become doubly precious, he touched another spring. A second lid flew up, and he saw within a half-blown rosebud and a pure white lily, side by side. With tears of joy he kissed the pretty flowers, emblems of his dear wife and child, and his heart was comforted. For he had yet a friend able to assist him,—a friend who would care for his loved ones.
The mystery of this friend may as well be explained at once, and now. He was the wood-cutter, whose little boy and girl Rosebud had saved from the boat,—that little boy and girl with whom she ran, hand in hand, along the forest paths, calling as they ran, “Tirra, Tirra, Tirra, Tirra La!” She was kind and good to them always, and he felt grateful, and longed to do her a service. When King Brondé was overpowered in Green Hollow, on the day of the lion hunt, he kept close by his side. It was he, who, with the tip of his sword, thrust the little vial under the plantain-leaf, and afterwards escaped with it. After the robbers had exchanged clothes with their prisoners, they were, of course, dressed like himself. He then went boldly among them and heard all their plans. As Magnus offered great rewards for the lost vial, he felt sure it contained some secret charm, and resolved to restore it to King Brondé. He was the very zealous robber who was so eager to secure the right arm of the king, but who, in reality, left the chain unfastened.
King Brondé, now, his right arm free, his lost treasure restored, felt sure of escaping. He swallowed a few drops of the liquid, and then, making one powerful effort, burst his chains and stood once more erect with limbs unbound!
After this, he lay for hours in a heavy sleep, or stupor. Upon awakening, he found himself in complete darkness, the torches having burnt out long before. After groping in the dark for some time, he succeeded in finding the spot where the entrance had been, but the masses of rock there heaped up were as firm as were the solid walls. He felt for his vial, but it was gone. It had, no doubt, dropped upon the ground, during that long sleep, and afterwards been crushed beneath his heavy tread, for not a trace of it was ever found.
But, as has been mentioned, he was possessed of a secret, by means of which he might escape.
It appears that, long before, and at the time their summer palace had been built by the father of his Lily Queen, King Brondé had often, while his men were ranging in the forest, examined this cave in every part, and, being exceedingly tall, had made a discovery. And it was by means of this discovery that he now proposed to gain his freedom.