denied the fact; and, firing at the insult, vowed she would take precedence of her sister-in-law in the procession to the cathedral. Accordingly she went on, attended by forty-three maidens much more splendidly apparelled than the maidens of the queen, and by all the knights Siegfried had brought to court. When Brunhild saw this, she exclaimed that no wife of a vassal should go before the queen. The gentle Chrimhild retorted by calling her sister-in-law by an opprobrious name, and, pressing forward, entered the cathedral before her. Brunhild was highly afflicted, but her rage at this public insult was greater than her grief. As soon as mass was over she again fell upon her rival, and demanded what proofs she could give of her dishonour. Chrimhild replied by instantly producing the fatal ring and girdle which had been given to her by her husband.

As soon as Chrimhild had produced the ring and girdle, the queen departed in great wrath, and complained to her husband Gunter, with whom was the hero Siegfried. Siegfried swore an oath that he had not "said the words." The fierce uncle of the king, Haghen, who hated the hero, on hearing the lamentations of Brunhild, undertook to revenge her injuries upon Siegfried, and Ortwin and Ghernot joined him in a plot. With the king's consent these conspirators pretended that thirty heralds had arrived at court from the lately liberated Kings of Denmark and Saxony, to defy Gunter. The generous Siegfried instantly volunteered to take up the king's quarrel as before; upon which Haghen went to Chrimhild, and, feigning great friendship for her husband, asked if there were not some single part of his horny body that required defence in battle. Chrimhild, whose rage had been cooled, regretted in the first place that she had given offence to her sister-in-law Brunhild (for which, she said, her husband had "beat her black and blue"), and then, suspecting nothing, she told Haghen that when Siegfried bathed himself in the dragon's blood, a leaf had stuck on his skin, just between the shoulders, and had prevented that part from becoming impenetrable. "Well," quoth Haghen, " only sew a small cross upon his garment, in the place where the spot is, and I promise you to defend that part of his body with all care, when we go against the Danes and Saxons." The small cross was affixed, and now Siegfried was informed that there was to be no war, but only a great royal chase of boars and bears in the forest of Vasgovia,-where the treason was to be done.

nothing was heard but the baying By the advice of Brunhill every the forest,--but no wine.

Chrim

Great preparations were made, and of hounds and the blowing of horns. kind of meat was carried to a well in hild, who, like a good wife, had forgot the sound drubbing she received from him, did all she could to persuade him not to go to the hunt, as she had been warned of his fate in two dreams. But his doom was inevitable; and taking an affectionate leave of his wife, who gazed in his face

and caressed him "full tenderly," he departed with his hound in leash, and mounted his swift horse. When the chase began, who so distinguished himself as Siegfried? Killing all kinds of wild beasts, and among them a halb-wolf (demi-wolf), a lion, a buffalo, an elk, a bison, four uris, and one fierce bull, besides deer, boars, and bears without number.

King Gunter then caused a horn to be blown, giving notice that he would dine at the well.

“In gorgeous guise the hero did to the fountain ride;
Down unto his spurs, his sword hung by his side;

His weighty spear was broad, of mighty length, and strong;
A horn of the gold so red o'er the champion's shoulders hung.

Of fairer hunting garments ne'er heard I say before;

A coat of the black velvet the noble hero wore;

His hat was of the sable, full richly was it dight;

Ho! with what gorgeous belts was hung his quiver bright!

And by his side hung Balmung, that sword of mickle might,
Which in the field Sir Siegfried, struck on the helmets bright;
Not the truest metal the noble blade withstood-

Oh! thus right gloriously rode the hunter good."

To make "disport for the king," Siegfried caught a great bear alive, and brought him to the well, where the animal made great havoc among the kitchen utensils and dinner-service, "to the exceeding amusement of the company," until, wearying of this sport, the hero slew the beast.

The gallant huntsmen had not proceeded far with their dinner, when Sir Siegfried was full wroth with Haghen for having forgotten the wine. That traitor said the wine had not been forgotten, but carried to another well in a distant part of the forest. On this Siegfried proposed a footrace (we suppose to go and fetch the wine), and throwing off part of his garments and all his arms, to run the lighter, started with the rest, whom he far outran. At the well King Gunter laid himself down on his belly, and stretching his head over the hollow drank a copious draught. Siegfried followed the royal example, but he was no sooner prostrate than Haghen treacherously struck a lance into the vulnerable spot between his shoulders. The hero, leaping to his feet, pursued the murderer; and though wounded and weaponless, knocked Haghen down, and broke his shield in twain. Then he fell down himself and died, upbraiding his assassins with ingratitude and cowardice, but recommending his spouse Chrimhild to the mercy of the king, her brother. Gunter wished to give out that he had been slain by robbers, but

Haghen fiercely said he cared not to conceal the fact that he had done him to death.

To give a keener edge to the queen's revenge, Haghen caused the dead body to be laid before the chamber-door of Chrimhild, who, knowing nought of what had happened, and coming suddenly forth, beheld it there. She shrieked-clasped her hands on high, and then threw herself on her murdered husband, making “boundless lamentations." After this storm of grief, her first thoughts were for vengeance. She sent for Siegmund, the father of Siegfried, who, as well as his eleven hundred champions, swore instant revenge. But Chrimhild said she would bide her own time. She ordered a splendid coffin of gold and silver, in which the body of the hero was carried to the cathedral. Gunter, with Haghen and others, went to bewail the death, which they now all said had been done by robbers, but Chrimhild, standing by the open coffin, fiercely bade those who knew themselves to be innocent to approach and touch the corpse.

"A marvel high and strange is seen full many a time:

When to the murdered body nears the man who did the crime,
Afresh the wounds will bleed: the marvel now was found,

As Haghen felled the champion with treason to the ground."

For three days and three nights, without food or drink, did Chrimhild watch beside the coffin, and when it was about to be sunk into the grave she caused it to be again opened, and once more she took leave of her husband. Her next care was to distribute 30,000 marks of gold among the poor, that so his soul might have peace.

Brunhild gloried in her deep revenge, and Gunter and Haghen induced Chrimhild to send for the Niebelungen treasure, which Siegfried had given her for her jointure. The dwarf Alberich, who held it in custody, grieved to give it up, and loudly lamented the loss of the hero and of his tarn-cap. Under the mountain of treasure, which it took twelve waggons four days and four nights to remove, there lay a wishing-rod, by which the possessor might become master of the whole world; but as the dwarf Alberich would not explain this miraculous quality, the rod remained of no use. Seeing that Chrimhild was gaining great popularity by her liberal employment of this wealth, Haghen, with some other conspirators, got possession of it all, and sunk it into the Rhine, swearing at the same time that they would never reveal the place. After this fresh wrong Chrimhild dwelt thirteen years at her brother's court, but then came the prospect of revenge for her.

Attila, King of the Huns, (called in the poem Etzel), sent a splendid embassy to Worms to demand her hand. At first she refused, because she had determined to remain a widow, and could on no account, as a good Christian, think of marrying a heathen prince. But Rudiger, the

Hun, used potent arguments, telling her that Etzel had twelve kings and thirty princes, all his vassals, and that,

"From the Rhone unto the Rhine, from the Elbe to the distant sea,

No king of greater riches and greater power may be;"

and he finally overcame her disinclination by swearing to Chrimhild that he and his men would be ever ready to avenge her injuries.

Etzel, accompanied by a great host of vassals, "among whom were Russians, Greeks, Poles, Wallachians, Kybens, the savage Petscheners, and many other nations," received his bride at the town of Tuln. The marriage ceremonies, the feastings, the largesses, were surpassingly splendid, and Werbel and Swemmel, the two court minstrels, got each a thousand marks in gold.

When Chrimhild had dwelt thirteen years with King Etzel, and borne him a son, she bethought herself of inviting King Gunter with his brothers, and Haghen, his uncle, and all the choice Burgundian warriors, to a "high feast" in Hungary. The message, which was carried to Worms by the minstrels Werbel and Swemmel, was at first received with diffidence, and Haghen strongly opposed accepting the invitation. Uta, the queen mother, was also in opposition, because she had dreamed a dream, in which she saw all the birds of Burgundy drop down dead; while Rumold, the master of the royal kitchen, attempted to show that it would be ridiculous to go all the way to Hungary for a feast, seeing that they had plenty of meat, drink, and clothes at home. However, after seven days of consultation, Chrimhild's invitation was accepted, and Gunter, with his brothers, Haghen and the rest (a retinue of one thousand knights and nine thousand squires), set out for Hungary, leaving Brunhild and the queen mother at Worms, under the care of Rumold, the head cook. Among Gunter's choicest knights was one Folker, of Alsace, commonly called the Fiddler, on account of the excellence of his playing and singing: this personage plays a very conspicuous part, both as a hero and buffoon, in the sequel of this long story.

After meeting with a mermaid, who predicted to Haghen that he was running into danger by going "into King Etzel's land," and having encountered one or two other adventures, Gunter arrived at Etzelenburg, where the king of the Huns kept court. Chrimhild was affable to Ghiseler, Gunter's and her own youngest brother, but stern to all the rest. When Haghen saw her face, he tied his helmet faster on his head. "What presents have ye brought me from the Rhine?" cried the Queen of the Huns. Haghen replied, scornfully, that he was sorry he had not brought her a gift from his own treasury. "Why brought ye not the Nibelung treasure?" cried the queen, in still more wrath. Haghen answered that it was sufficient for a knight to carry his armour and his

sword. The queen then bade them give up their arms before they entered the hall, and when Haghen and Gunter sternly refused to do so, she felt convinced that they had been forewarned of the compliment she intended paying them.

Haghen then took Folker the Fiddler aside, and they went together across the court, and sat them down on a bench before the hall of Chrimhild. When the queen beheld them there, she wept bitterly, and complained to her knights of all the injuries Haghen had done her. Having inflamed them against the two Burgundians, she descended to the court with one hundred knights to kill them. At the approach of the queen, Folker the Fiddler would have risen out of respect, but Haghen told him to sit still, lest their enemies should take it for a sign of fear.

""Twas then the hero Haghen across his lap he laid,

Glittering to the sun, a broad and weighty blade."

This was Balmung, the sword of Siegfried, the sight of which much affected the queen.

"It minded her of all her woes: Chrimhild to weep began.

Well I ween Sir Haghen in her scorn the sword had drawn.

Folker, knight of courage, bold by his side sate he,

A sharp and mighty fiddle-stick held the hero free."

What with the sight of "Balmung," and the "mighty fiddle-stick," and a tale told by one of the Huns of the prowess of Haghen, whom he had seen in his youth in twenty-two battles, the hundred knights became afraid of attacking the two champions, and departed in peace. Then Haghen and Folker rejoined King Gunter, and they all proceeded to the hall of King Etzel, who received them with a show of courtesy.

At night, when Gunter and his knights retired to the large hall, where all their beds were prepared, Haghen undertook the guard, and for the sake of a little music associated Folker with him, who soon fiddled all the champions to sleep. Of a sudden he ceased his lay, for he discovered helmets glittering in the light of the moon. These were knights sent by Chrimhild to murder Haghen in his sleep; but seeing the hall-door guarded, they hastily retired, much taunted for their cowardice by Folker the Fiddler.

The following morning King Gunter was to go to hear mass with King Etzel, and his knights were attiring themselves in "silken shirts" and "spacious mantles," when Haghen, reminding them of "Lady Chrimhild's angry mood," made them put on their armour. King Etzel, who, it should appear, had intended to murder his guests in the church, marvelled much when he saw them in complete armour, and