midnight
That boy saw his playmates tossed in sport on the swords of their murderers , and heard his sisters shriek to him -- boy as he was -- to slay them before a worse death befel . Then he forgot all , except that when , days after , he awoke , he was in the heart of a deep cave into which the sea surged , carrying with it corpses . For a week he stayed there , tended by a rough shepherd , living on seaweed and fish , and well-nigh mad with thirst . At last came a boat ; and when that boy woke once more he was in the castle of his noble father , whose face was like the midnight , and whose once yellow hair was as white as the snow . '' `` That is the story , '' said Ludar . `` I was that boy . '' `` And the murderers , '' said I , falteringly , for I guessed the answer .