England were patiently waiting for
Richard's return, and wondering what had become of him. They knew that
he had sailed from Palestine in October, and various were the
conjectures as to his fate. Some thought that he had been shipwrecked;
others, that he had fallen into the hands of the Moors; but all was
uncertainty, for no tidings had been heard of him since he sailed from
Acre. Berengaria had arrived safely at Messina, and after remaining
there a little time she proceeded on her journey, under the care of
Stephen, as far as Rome, very anxious all the time about her husband.
Here she stopped, not daring to go any farther. She felt safe in Rome,
under the protection of the Pope.

The emperor attempted to keep Richard's imprisonment a secret. On
removing him from Tiernsteign, he shut him up in one of his own
castles on the Danube named Durenstein. Here the king was closely
imprisoned. He did not, however, yield to any depression of spirits in
view of his hard fate, but spent his time in composing and singing
songs, and in drinking and carousing with the people of the castle.
Here he remained during the spring and summer of 1193, and all the
world were wondering what had become of him.

At length rumors began gradually to circulate in respect to him among
the neighboring countries, and the conduct of the emperor, in seizing
and imprisoning him, was very generally condemned. How the
intelligence first reached England is not precisely known. One story
is, that a celebrated Troubadour, named Blondel, who had known Richard
in Palestine, was traveling through Germany, and in his journey he
passed along the road in front of the castle where Richard was
confined. As he went he was singing one of his songs. Richard knew the
song, and so, when the Troubadour had finished a stanza, he sang the
next one through the bars of his prison window. Blondel recognized the
voice, and instantly understood that Richard had been made a prisoner.
He, however, said nothing, but went on, and immediately took measures
to make known in England what he had learned.

Another account is, that the emperor himself wrote to Philip, King of
France, informing him of the King of England's imprisonment in one of
his castles, and that some person betrayed a copy of this letter to
Richard's friends in England.

It is said that Berengaria received the first intimation in respect to
Richard's fate by seeing a belt of jewels offered for sale in Rome
which s