Page:Stories from Old English Poetry-1899.djvu/304

278 noises, and saw all kinds of strange sights. Fatigued with all their escapes and adventures, Alonzo and some of the others lay down upon the ground to sleep, leaving only Antonio and Sebastian awake. Now Antonio was one of those bad men who are not satisfied with their own wickedness and the fruits of it, but wish to tempt others to bad deeds. As they watched there together, he began to say to Sebastian, that since Ferdinand was drowned, he, the brother of the King, was the next heir to the throne. Then he went on skillfully to hint that if Alonzo were dead, Sebastian might now ascend the throne. Sebastian listened till his avarice and ambition were aroused, and he had drawn his sword and was about to kill the King, when Ariel, who was always on the alert, came in to interrupt the plan, aroused the sleeping lords, and so saved Alonzo. The wicked project of the two conspirators was thus defeated. Then they all rose up and went together to see if they could find any sign of human habitation.

Caliban had been sent off by Prospero to gather fagots to burn, and on his way met two common fellows belonging to the ship, who had managed to get to shore with a bottle of liquor from the wreck, and were already half drunk with what they had taken. Caliban had never seen man except Prospero, and supposing all