LESSON 57 THE WRECK OF THE "WHITE SHIP"

THE WRECK OF THE "WHITE SHIP"

1. King Henry I. of England had an only son, Prince William, of whom he was very fond indeed. As the King held lands in France, he had taken his son to see the people who would some day be his subjects [1] .

2. When the time came for them to return to England, a gay crowd of noblemen and ladies gathered on the shore of France-some to bid good-bye to the King and his son, and others to cross the English Channel with the King's party.

3. When all was ready there came to the King a sea-captain, who said, "Sire, my father served your father all his life upon the sea. He steered the ship with the golden boy upon the prow [2] when your noble father sailed to conquer England. Will you now grant me a like honour, and let me steer you home? I have here a fair vessel, the 'White Ship,' with fifty brave sailors, who will be proud to row Your Majesty to England, and will make the 'White Ship' outpace [3] any other vessel in the harbour."

4. "I am sorry, my friend," replied the King, "I have already chosen another ship; but the son of the man who so well served my father shall have the honour of taking back to England Prince William and his friends."

THE WRECK OF THE "WHITE SHIP"

5. Soon afterwards the King and his lords and ladies went on board their ships, and, sailing all night with a fair and gentle wind, reached the coast of England in the morning. But while it was yet night the people in some of the ships heard a faint cry over the sea, and they wondered what it was.

6. The "White Ship" had not sailed with the rest. William was a gay young man, and made merry with his friends before starting—feasting, singing, and dancing in the moonlight.

7. At last, about midnight, the "White Ship" swept out of the harbour. The captain was steering, the sails were all set, and the rowers were pulling merrily. Wishing to overtake his father, the prince cheered on the sailors to row harder yet for the honour of the "White Ship." The gay young nobles and the beautiful ladies, wrapped in their cloaks of bright colours, talked, sang, and laughed.

8. Crash! A terrible cry of fear was borne over the waves. It was the cry that the people in the King's ship heard faintly across the water. The fair "White Ship" had struck upon a rock, and was sinking.

9. The captain hurried the prince into a boat with a few nobles. "Push off," he whispered, "and row to the land; it is not far off, and the sea is smooth. The rest of us must do as we best can." But, as they rowed fast away from the sinking ship, the prince heard the voice of his half-sister calling for help. Never in his life had he been so good as he was then. He cried out in agony [4] , "Row back, row back at any risk. I cannot bear to leave her."

10. They rowed back. As the prince held out his arms to catch his sister, so many people jumped into the boat that it was upset, and at the same moment the "White Ship" went down. Only two men floated—a nobleman and a poor butcher. They managed to get hold of a piece of the broken mast, and thus kept themselves from sinking.

11. After some hours the nobleman said to his companion, "I am so cold that I can hold on no longer. Farewell. May God keep you." He dropped off and sank, and of all that gay company the poor butcher alone was left.

In the morning some fishermen saw him, and took him into their boat.

12. For three days no one dared carry the tidings [5] to the King. At last they sent to him a little boy, who, weeping bitterly and kneeling at his feet, told the sad story.

* * *

[1] subjects: The people over whom the king rules.

[2] prow: The front of a ship.

[3] outpace: Go faster than.

[4] agony: Terrible pain.

[5] tidings: News.