The Constant Prince

by Mrs. Molesworth

the silken coverlet beside herwere three swords, their jewelled scabbards catching here and there thelight of the lamp.

  The King sat near her, his head resting on his hand, his elder sonsstanding behind his chair, and at the further end of the long roomseveral people were kneeling, sadly watching the dying Queen--herEnglish squires, and other members of her household, to whom she hadbeen the most faithful of friends. All was silent, save for the soundsof weeping that could not be repressed.

  "My sons, come hither," suddenly said the Queen; and the five brotherscame slowly forward and stood beside her, Fernando following the rest ina sort of trance of awe and bewilderment.

  "My sons!" said Philippa, in a clear and audible voice, "you all knowwell that my blessing goes with you in your undertaking."

  "Alas, dear wife?" said the King, weeping, "it will be long before yoursons or I have heart for any such enterprise."

  "Not so," said the Queen, heartily; "you will sail, I doubt not, onSaint James's Day, and the fair wind I feel in my face from the casementwill fill your sails and blow you to victory."

  The King could not answer; but he felt as if Saint James's Day mightcome and go before he could take the field, in his great grief.

  "My sons!" again said Philippa, "it has pleased me well that you have soearnestly desired to earn your spurs by real service, and especiallyagainst the enemies of Holy Church; for pretences and empty forms areunworthy of princes. Therefore, I have caused to be made these swords,which ye will draw, I trust, in many a good fight in a good cause, andnever against your sovereign or each other. Duarte, the time will comewhen you must use this sword in defence of your subjects; see that yourule them with justice, and make their happiness your highest good.And, my son, be kind to your brothers, to Isabel, and to Fernando; he isweakly and young--"

  "Always, dear mother, so help me God and the Holy Saints," said Duarte,kneeling and kissing her hand.

  "Pedro, you are brave and strong; let it be ever your part to do aknight's duty, in defending the weak and helpless,--fight for theoppressed. And Enrique, our soldiers love you, as my good father anduncle were loved; look ever to their welfare, nor ever regard them aschurls and their deaths of no account."

  "Oh, mother, mother, give us swords too!" cried Joao, pressing forwardas his brothers faintly promised all that was asked of them.

  "Alas! my little boys," said the mother, for the first time faltering,"I have no swords for you. I had thought to keep you with me longer.Alas! what will become of you! Love God, and serve Him. What bettercan I say?"

  Then gentle Duarte drew first Joao and then Fernando up to the bed-sidefor their mother's kiss. Joao sobbed aloud; but Fernando remembered howhis mother had blamed him for his tears, and shed none; while in hischildish heart was the thought that he too would one day be worthy of agood knight's sword.

  Then the Queen commended her daughter to the King's care, and bid himchoose a good husband for her, that her lot might be happy, as hermother's had been before her; and then she grew worse, and her speechfailed her; and Joao and Fernando were sent away into another room.

  The fair wind of which the Queen had spoken blew into their faces as thetwo boys, so soon to be motherless, crouched up in the window and lookedout at the sunset, feeling less wretched so than in the dark. It wasnot long before they heard a movement, and sounds of weeping andlamenting; but no one came near them, and they were afraid to stir.

  "Let us say our prayers," suggested Fernando: and they knelt down in thefading light; but it seemed an endless time before Enrique came in tothem.

  "Have you been here alone?" he said. "Ah, there is no one now to carefor us. Our mother is dead."

  Enrique's voice was stifled with grief; but Joao flung himself upagainst him, Fernando laid his head on his shoulder; both feeling theirworst misery softened by the mere presence of their kind, strongbrother.

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  PERILS AND DANGERS.

  "He sails in dreams Between the setting stars and finds new day."

  The Queen's dying words were fulfilled. The fair wind she had promisedsprang up in time, and on Saint James's Day, 1414, such a fleet as hadnever been known in Portugal before set sail from the Bay of Lagos. ThePortuguese ministers had wished to delay the expedition till the days ofpublic mourning were over, but Dom Joao and his sons knew better whatPhilippa would have wished them to do, and did not wait an hour aftertheir preparations were complete. Fifty-nine galleys, thirty-three tallships of war, and 120 transports carried 50,000 sailors and seamen onboard; while several English ships had volunteered to join in anexpedition that promised so much glory, and was in so good a cause. Forthe Pope had granted them a bull of Crusade, making the war a holy one,and the blessing of the Church had been invoked on their arms by aseries of solemn services, immediately following on the ceremonies ofthe Queen's funeral; and no doubt the grief which they were enduringwith all its chastening influences, deprived the young Infantes of noneof their crusading spirit; but caused them rather to strive moreearnestly to be worthy in their inmost souls of that knighthood whichthey hoped to win at the sword's point. All had done their utmost tofurther the preparation; but Enrique had shown so much skill in thearrangements as to win for himself a foremost place in making them.After all, the younger brothers were not left behind. Dona Isabel hadbeen left in the charge of the abbess of a great Lisbon convent; and itwas at first proposed to leave the boys at Lisbon with their tutors.But Enrique and Duarte had pleaded for them, the latter urging that Joaowas really old enough for the duties of a page, and strong enough not tosuffer from hardship, and Enrique promising to take care of Fernando.He might stay on board ship when they neared the enemy's quarters, andthe change would rouse him from his grief. A little rough living wouldbe much less hurtful to him than the misery of solitude and separation.

  The sun was setting clear and bright over a sea of purple blue. A lightwind stirred the gay banners and devices which floated from themastheads, an unceasing source of admiration to the Portuguese sailors,for they had been introduced in imitation of the more northern nations,and were hitherto unknown in the Peninsula. The invention andembroidery of these banners had been for a long time a favouriteemployment of Queen Philippa's court. Dom Enrique's ship was one of thelargest, and all on board was well ordered, and ready for action."_Talent de bien faire_" was inscribed on his crimson flag, and "Thedesire to do well," as the old French is said to signify, inspired himin small things as well as great.

  The evening hour was a time of leisure, and on the deck of the vessel agroup of young gentlemen were lounging about telling stories,prophesying success, and indulging in speculations as to what Ceutawould be like when they got there, while Enrique, at a little distancein his deep mourning dress, was sitting on a bench, his chin resting onhis hand, and his great eyes gazing out towards the horizon, as iflonging to see to the very world's end. Fernando, who was more sociablyinclined, was listening with great interest to a description of theinterior of a Moorish city, given by a lively young Englishman, namedNorthberry, who belonged to Dom Enrique's household, and who insistedforcibly that the Moors were in the habit of feasting on their Christianprisoners, arrayed in silks and cloth of gold, in palaces ornamentedwith untold splendour. Other poor slaves were forced to serve,sometimes to share the horrible banquet, and were driven to it withblows and curses.

  Poor Fernando grew pale with horror, and Dom Jose de Alemquer, a knightof some renown, and brother to the Portuguese Prime Minister, remarkedgrimly--

  "And with whom, Senor, have you conversed who has partaken of thisextraordinary feast?"

  "'Tis commonly believed in England, I understand, sir," said Northberry."What matter, since we are about to punish the miscreants?"

  "When you are served up, may I be there to see!" muttered Dom Jose. "Weshall find our work out out for us; it were better to prepare for it ina pious spirit."

  "Prepare! we shall prepare," shouted another young man,enthusiastically. "We are ready
to wade through rivers of blood, andtear down the accursed Crescent if we leave not one infidel found alivein Ceuta."

  "If we fall ourselves, it is a sure path to heaven," said another.

  "That depends, so said the Bishop, on whether we have a true crusadingspirit," remarked a third.

  "By Saint George!" said Northberry, "I'll strike a good blow, crusade orno crusade; and God defend the right!"

  "We are sure of success in such a cause!" cried the first speaker.

  "But the crusaders were sometimes defeated," said Fernando.

  "Ah, my lord, doubtless they had not the true spirit," said Northberry,with something of earnestness, carried off by the apparent