en them, then rose again on their lofty, foaming crests. To the
little mermaid this was pleasant sport; but not so to the sailors. At
length the ship groaned and creaked; the thick planks gave way under the
lashing of the sea, as the waves broke over the deck; the mainmast
snapped asunder like a reed, and as the ship lay over on her side, the
water rushed in.

The little mermaid now perceived that the crew were in danger; even she
was obliged to be careful, to avoid the beams and planks of the wreck
which lay scattered on the water. At one moment it was pitch dark so
that she could not see a single object, but when a flash of lightning
came it revealed the whole scene; she could see every one who had been
on board except the prince. When the ship parted, she had seen him sink
into the deep waves, and she was glad, for she thought he would now be
with her. Then she remembered that human beings could not live in the
water, so that when he got down to her father's palace he would
certainly be quite dead.

No, he must not die! So she swam about among the beams and planks which
strewed the surface of the sea, forgetting that they could crush her to
pieces. Diving deep under the dark waters, rising and falling with the
waves, she at length managed to reach the young prince, who was fast
losing the power to swim in that stormy sea. His limbs were failing him,
his beautiful eyes were closed, and he would have died had not the
little mermaid come to his assistance. She held his head above the water
and let the waves carry them where they would.

In the morning the storm had ceased, but of the ship not a single
fragment could be seen. The sun came up red and shining out of the
water, and its beams brought back the hue of health to the prince's
cheeks, but his eyes remained closed. The mermaid kissed his high,
smooth forehead and stroked back his wet hair. He seemed to her like the
marble statue in her little garden, so she kissed him again and wished
that he might live.

Presently they came in sight of land, and she saw lofty blue mountains
on which the white snow rested as if a flock of swans were lying upon
them. Beautiful green forests were near the shore, and close by stood a
large building, whether a church or a convent she could not tell. Orange
and citron trees grew in the garden, and before the door stood lofty
palms. The sea here formed a little bay, in which the water lay quiet
and still, but very deep. She swam wit