Months wore on, and the wisdom of Alonzo had wonderfully increased the prosperity of King Zaphor's dominions. All the people began to respect the stranger, and to look upon him as the husband of the Princess, and their future sovereign. One day, as Alonzo and Serena were wandering by the shore, they saw approaching far off on the sea, a number of large canoes. Alonzo regarded them attentively till he felt convinced that they were war-canoes full of warriors, intending to attack the island. So he hurried back to collect all the fighting men to repel the enemy. On came the canoes, and it was soon seen that Alonzo was not mistaken, for before the fighting men of the island could assemble, they had run upon the beach. Alonzo and a few followers were the only persons ready to meet, the invaders, who had already formed on the sand, expecting an easy victory. With a sharp sword in his hand--a sword forged within the bowels of the earth, and which had been brought to him by a Sea Spirit from an island in the Mediterranean--he rushed down among them. His sharp sword flashed fire, as he whirled it round his head, among the showers of arrows which flew about him, and numbers of the enemy lay cut to pieces at his feet. Fearless of the deadly weapons aimed at him, so rapidly did he perform his work, that all the invaders were either destroyed or had fallen on their knees to sue for mercy before the King and his followers could get up to the scene of action. Thus the Island of Gracia was delivered from the greatest peril to which it had ever been exposed. Then the King gave a banquet to commemorate the happy event, and he summoned to it his lords and councillors, and all the chief men of the island, and they all came and congratulated the King on his victory. The King, however, graciously would not claim the credit which was not his due; but, pointing to Alonzo, who sat on his right side, told them that they owed their freedom to him. Then, taking him by one hand, he took Serena by the other, and informed his chiefs that he thus betrothed those whose hearts were already one, and he inquired whether they would consent to receive the stranger as their future chief. No sooner had the King done speaking, than all the nobles arose, and exclaimed, "Hail to the brave stranger, our gallant defender! hail to Prince Alonzo, the husband of our beloved Princess, our future sovereign!" The King was much pleased with this expression of the loyalty of his subjects, nor was the Princess less so at their approval of a husband to whom she was so devotedly attached. Thus the stranger Alonzo was raised to the highest dignity of the state.