The men set to work , and in two hours the tower was built , and they proceeded to the palace to inform the king that his commands were fulfilled . On the way they met the princess , who began to talk to one of the masons , and when the rest were out of hearing she asked if he could manage to make a hole in the tower , which nobody could see , large enough for a bottle of wine and some food to pass through . ` To be sure I can , ' said the mason , turning back , and in a few minutes the hole was bored . At sunset a large crowd assembled to watch the youth being led to the tower , and after his misdeeds had been proclaimed he was solemnly walled up . But every morning the princess passed him in food through the hole , and every third day the king sent his secretary to climb up a ladder and look down through a little window to see if he was dead . But the secretary always brought back the report that he was fat and rosy . ` There is some magic about this , ' said the king . This state of affairs lasted some time , till one day a messenger arrived from the Sultan bearing a letter for the king , and also three canes . ` My master bids me say , ' said the messenger , bowing low , ` that if you can not tell him which of these three canes grows nearest the root , which in the middle , and which at the top , he will declare war against you . The king was very much frightened when he heard this , and though he took the canes and examined them closely , he could see no difference between them . He looked so sad that his daughter noticed it , and inquired the reason . ` Alas ! my daughter , ' he answered , ` how can I help being sad ? The Sultan has sent me three canes , and says that if I can not tell him which of them grows near the root , which in the middle , and which at the top , he will make war upon me . And you know that his army is far greater than mine . ' ` Oh , do not despair , my father , ' said she . ` We shall be sure to find out the answer ' ; and she ran away to the tower , and told the young man what had occurred . ` Go to bed as usual , ' replied he , ` and when you wake , tell your father that you have dreamed that the canes must be placed in warm water . After a little while one will sink to the bottom ; that is the one that grows nearest the root . The one which neither sinks nor comes to the surface is the cane that is cut from the middle ; and the one that floats is from the top . '
So , the next morning , the princess told her father XXXXX her dream , and by her advice he cut notches in each of the canes when he took them out of the water , so that he might make no mistake when he handed them back to the messenger .
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