He and the Princess loved each other dearly , and after a year a son came to them , who was two years old when word came to Sigurd that his father was dead . Sigurd now prepared to return home with his wife and child , and went on board ship to go by sea . They had sailed for several days , when the breeze suddenly fell , and there came a dead calm , at a time when they needed only one day 's voyage to reach home . Sigurd and his Queen were one day on deck , when most of the others on the ship had fallen asleep . There they sat and talked for a while , and had their little son along with them . After a time Sigurd became so heavy with sleep that he could no longer keep awake , so he went below and lay down , leaving the Queen alone on the deck , playing with her son . A good while after Sigurd had gone below the Queen saw something black on the sea , which seemed to be coming nearer . As it approached she could make out that it was a boat , and could see the figure of some one sitting in it and rowing it . At last the boat came alongside the ship , and now the Queen saw that it was a stone boat , out of which there came up on board the ship a fearfully ugly Witch . The Queen was more frightened than words can describe , and could neither speak a word nor move from the place so as to awaken the King or the sailors . The Witch came right up to the Queen , took the child from her and laid it on the deck ; then she took the Queen , and stripped her of all her fine clothes , which she proceeded to put on herself , and looked then like a human being . Last of all she took the Queen , put her into the boat , and said -- ` This spell I lay upon you , that you slacken not your course until you come to my brother in the Underworld . ' The Queen sat stunned and motionless , but the boat at once shot away from the ship with her , and before long she was out of sight . When the boat could no longer be seen the child began to cry , and though the Witch tried to quiet it she could not manage it ; so she went below to where the King was sleeping with the child on her arm , and awakened him , scolding him for leaving them alone on deck , while he and all the crew were asleep . It was great carelessness of him , she said , to leave no one to watch the ship with her . Sigurd was greatly surprised to hear his Queen scold him so much , for she had never said an angry word to him before ; but he thought it was quite excusable in this case , and tried to quiet the child along with her , but it was no use . Then he went and wakened the sailors , and bade them hoist the sails , for a breeze had sprung up and was blowing straight towards the harbour . They soon reached the land which Sigurd was to rule over , and found all the people sorrowful for the old King 's death , but they became glad when they got Sigurd back to the Court , and made him King over them . The King 's son , however , hardly ever stopped crying from the time he had been taken from his mother on the deck of the ship , although he had always been such a good child before , so that at last the King had to get a nurse for him -- one of the maids of the Court . As soon as the child got into her charge he stopped crying , and behaved well as before .
After the sea-voyage it seemed XXXXX the King that the Queen had altered very much in many ways , and not for the better .
At alongside as before for from nearer of than to