The bright sun was shedding his beams across the dancing waves, when the
lovely Serena and her maidens, tempted by the beauty of the morning,
left the palace to enjoy the fresh air on the beach, no longer dreading
to meet the hideous monster who had once so frightened them in the same
spot. As they walked on they talked of the storm which had raged during
the night. "And, my Princess," said Linda, one of the maidens, "they
say that there was seen last night, by those who were on the watch, a
huge black mass driving towards the shore, but that it burst asunder,
and only fragments of wood and some extraordinary-shaped things were
found among the rocks. Some people think it was a big canoe, and others
a monster, but no one is certain."
"There are many strange things happening," replied Serena. "Last night
my father dreamed a dream; he dreamed that one of the sages of our
people came to him, and reminded him of a prophecy which was uttered
years ago: it ran thus:--
"`In hour of danger
Saved by a stranger,
The King and state
Give him guerdon great,
But a Sea-monster will prey
On his reward that day.'
"My sire awoke repeating the words, and the sage was gone, but the storm
was raging with greater fury than before."
"Since the day we saw the dreadful monster, wonders have never ceased,"
observed Linda; "now, I should not be surprised if some other wonder was
going to happen."
While they were speaking they happened to approach the very spot where
the form of Alonzo was sleeping. The Princess and her maidens started
with surprise, and then cautiously drew near, curious to know what
strange being he was; for, from his dress, which was the costume of
Spain, and from his appearance being so totally different to that of the
islanders, they did not at first suppose that he was a human being.
Remembering the fright they had had before, from the strange monster
which had appeared so suddenly out of the sea, they approached very
cautiously, thinking this might do them some harm if they were not
careful. Hand-in-hand they advanced, treading lightly, and uttering no
sound, and ready every instant to run away. At last they all got close
up to him, and began to examine him with curious eyes, their fears
gradually growing less and less. Linda was the first to make the
wonderful discovery, that instead of a strange monster, he was a young
and handsome man. "Oh, my dear mistress, I am sure he must be a Prince,
for he is so very good-looking and prince-like," she exclaimed, bending
over him; as she did so she uttered an exclamation of sorrow, and wrung
her hands; "Alas, alas!" she cried, "but I fear he is dead!"
The maidens now all drew near, and knelt mournfully round him, when at
last the Princess ventured to take his hand. Instead of letting it
drop, she exclaimed joyfully, "Oh, no! he is not dead; his pulse yet
beats with life, and look, the colour mantles on his cheeks."
Her touch, or the voices of her maidens expressing their satisfaction,
awoke Alonzo, as Borasco now called himself, out of his deep sleep. He
opened his eyes, and fixing them on her, he said in a low voice,
expressive of his surprise, "Do I dream? Are you a mortal? or have the
skies sent some being radiant with beauty to dwell on earth?"
The Princess was not insensible to the compliment, though it was rather
high-flown; but she was so astonished at hearing him speak, that,
instead of answering him, and not knowing what else to say, she asked,
"What are you? whence do you come?"
Before Alonzo could answer these questions he had to collect his
thoughts sufficiently to frame a story; for he had had till then no idea
that they would naturally be put to him. He therefore rose, and,
kneeling at the feet of the Princess, took her hand, and replied, "I
come from the sea, fair Princess! My ship was dashed to pieces last
night on those pointed rocks, while I, her chief, was cast on shore, and
am the sole survivor of her crew. My name is Alonzo, and I am your
humble slave, fair lady."
The Princess, though she did not comprehend all the stranger said, and
certainly did not understand his compliments, had not the slightest
doubt of the truth of the story. She entreated him to rise, and then
retired with her maidens to consult what should be done; for there
existed in Gracia a law which condemned to death any stranger who should
venture to the island, of whose character and history the chiefs and
magistrates were not fully satisfied. Without, therefore, their
permission, she could not venture to invite him to her father's palace.
At this juncture a number of the islanders appeared from the wood close
by, and seeing a strange person standing by himself, for the Princess
and her maidens were hid from them by the rocks, they rushed down and
seized him, demanding who he was. The Princess heard their voices, but
before she could interfere, overwhelmed by numbers, the stranger was
borne to the ground. He struggled in vain, and was surprised to find
how easily he was overcome; for he forgot that with a mortal form he
possessed only the strength of a mortal, and had at first supposed that
he could drive them off with as much ease as he would have done had he
retained the form of Borasco.
The Princess hurried forward. "Oh, spare him! spare him!" she
exclaimed; "I am certain he will do no harm. See how amiable and gentle
he looks!"
The islanders loved their Princess, and therefore refrained from
offering further violence to the stranger, but still they held him
tight, and insisted on carrying him into the presence of King Zaphor.
Now, Serena, as she felt that she might more successfully plead his
cause before her indulgent father than any one else, gladly consented to
this arrangement.
King Zaphor sat in state, with his wise men and councillors around him,
when Alonzo was brought bound before him by a large concourse of his
subjects. The Princess, attended by her maidens, also appeared in
court, for there was no one else to plead his cause; and as she had been
the first to discover him, she considered that she was in duty bound to
protect him. Alonzo stood before the King with a dignified air, and his
arms folded on his bosom, his personal appearance gaining him many
friends; but when he was questioned as to his occupation and calling, he
began to reflect whether he had not done an unwise thing in entering the
form of so wicked a person as the pirate captain, handsome though he
was; for he feared that should the Princess discover that his form was
that of Alonzo, nothing that he could say to the contrary would persuade
her that he was not Alonzo himself. He felt, indeed, the truth that
beauty, without real goodness and a good character, is worthless indeed.
He, however, gave the same account of himself that he had done to the
Princess, in so clear and concise a way, that he gained much in the good
opinion of the wise men. He then vowed so earnestly, that far from
wishing to injure any of the inhabitants of the Island of Gracia, he
would devote himself to their service, that he made a still further
advance; and when the Princess spoke in his favour, it was unanimously
decreed that, not only should his life be spared, but that full
permission should be given him to remain in the island.
The fair Serena was delighted at her success, and consequently took
greater interest than before in the stranger. King Zaphor, with great
courtesy and kindness, invited him to his palace, where a feast was
prepared, and a chamber made ready for him. All the chiefs of the
island attended the feast, and were much pleased, as was the King, with
his wisdom and general information. The King, indeed, confessed that he
was superior to any of the councillors who sat at his council-table; and
this made them not a little jealous of him, as people of small minds are
apt to be of strangers who surpass them in intellect. Meantime the
Princess listened attentively to all Alonzo said, and the interest she
felt ripened into a still warmer feeling--a feeling with which Borasco
in his proper shape would never have inspired her. The stranger rapidly
gained his way into her good graces, and days, weeks, and months passed
happily away without their finding them an hour too long.