Out of the South it was the White Ship used to come when the moon was full and high in the heavens. Out of the South it would glide, very smoothly and silently, over the sea. Whether the sea was rough or calm, and whether the wind was friendly or adverse, it would always glide smoothly and silently, its sails distant and its long strange tiers of oars moving rhythmically. One night I espied upon the deck a man, bearded and robed, and he seemed to beckon me to embark for fair unknown shores.