straight from the sea, flames were roaring up, smoke hung over the
island, and stones were thrown into the air and rattled down the side of
the hill, or fell into the sea with a splash.

"That is a fearsome sight," Cnut said, crossing himself.

"It looks as if it was the mouth of purgatory," exclaimed another,
standing by.

Cuthbert himself was amazed, for the instruction he had received from
Father Francis was of too slight a nature to include the story of
volcanoes. A priest, however, who accompanied the ship in the character
of leech and confessor, explained the nature of the phenomenon to his
astonished listeners, and told them that over on the mainland was a
mountain which at times vomited forth such masses of stones and of
liquid rock that it had swallowed up and covered many great cities. There
was also, he told them, another mountain of the same sort, even more
vast, on the island of Sicily itself; but that this had seldom, as far
back as man could remember, done any great harm.

Sailing on, in another day they arrived off the coast of Sicily itself,
and sailing up the straits between it and the mainland, they landed at
Messina. Here a considerable portion of the French army had already
arrived, having been brought down from Genoa.

There was no news of the King of England; and, as often happens, the
saying "the more haste the less speed," had been verified here.

It was some days later before King Richard arrived, having been driven
from his course by tempests, well-nigh cast ashore, and having besides