'I must,' said Hubert; 'your uncle has sent two men to see that it is done.' 'O Hubert!' was all that Arthur could say. 'Better get it over quickly,' muttered Hubert to himself, and he called the executioners, who had been waiting outside the door. 'Send these men away, Hubert!' cried the boy. 'I will stay quite still, Hubert, I will not move if you will do it yourself; but I cannot bear the sight of these men.' 'You may go,' said Hubert to the executioners; 'I will call when I am ready for you.' 'Indeed,' said one of the men, who had pitied the boy, 'I am best pleased to be away from such a deed.' But it was impossible for Hubert to burn out the eyes of his dear young prisoner; and it was impossible for Arthur not to beg for mercy. 'I cannot do it,' said Hubert more to himself than to the prince, 'and I will not; I shall have to take the consequences.' He opened the door, and called in the two men. They came in unwilling, each hoping that he would not have to do the deed. 'I have not burned out the prince's eyes,' said Hubert abruptly. 'What is more, I am not going to allow you to do so. You can tell the king if you like.' 'Indeed, sir,' said one of the men, 'we won't tell his majesty anything at all. And by your leave, sir, we would both rather be excused from doing our duty if it's to be a young gentleman like this, who can't have done anything to deserve it. And so we will wish you good-day, sir.' The men shuffled out of the room, but Arthur's troubles were not over yet. King John began to think that Arthur, even without his eyes, was too dangerous a prisoner to keep on his hands; and he suggested to a knight named William de Bray that he should stab the prince in prison. 'I am a gentleman and not an executioner,' replied William de Bray; and he turned from the king in disdain. Then John hired an assassin for a large sum of money, and sent him to the castle to kill the prince. 'Upon what errand dost thou come?' asked Hubert de Burgh, as the fellow presented himself at the castle gates. 'To despatch Prince Arthur,' said the man. 'Go back to him that sent thee,' said Hubert, 'and say that I will do it.' King John, knowing very well that Hubert was trying to save his prisoner, separated Arthur from his kind gaoler, and had him imprisoned in the strong castle of Rouen, which is washed on one side by the river Seine. Then he came himself in a boat by night and waited outside the castle walls. Arthur was awakened by his gaoler and made to follow him to a small door by the river-side. When the door was unfastened, the gaoler threw down his torch and trod upon it to put it out, and Arthur was only able to distinguish two dark forms in the boat. From the voice he could tell that one of them was his uncle.