“What more would Gunther ask of me that I might prove my friendship?
Surely I have tried to merit his esteem and trust. Tell me what troubles
you, and I will further show myself to be your friend both tried and
true.”
Then Gunther was ashamed of the words he had spoken to his guest; and he
took Siegfried into his own chamber, and told him all; and he asked
him what answer they should send on the morrow to the overbearing
North-kings.
“Tell them we will fight,” answered Siegfried. “I myself will lead
your warriors to the fray. Never shall it be said that my friends have
suffered wrong, and I not tried to help them.”
Then he and Gunther talked over the plans which they would follow. And
the clouds fled at once from the brow of the king, and he was no longer
troubled or doubtful; for he believed in Siegfried.
The next morning the heralds of the North-kings were brought again
before Gunther and his brothers; and they were told to carry this word
to their masters,--
“The Burgundians will fight. They will make no terms with their enemies,
save such as they make of their own free-will.”
Then the heralds were loaded with costly presents, and a company of
knights and warriors went with them to the border-line of Burgundy; and,
filled with wonder at what they had seen, they hastened back to their
liege lords, and told all that had happened to them. And Leudiger
and Leudigast were very wroth when they heard the answer which the
Burgundians had sent to them; but, when they learned that the noble
Siegfried was at Gunther’s castle, they shook their heads, and seemed to
feel more doubtful of success.
Many and busy were the preparations for war, and in a very few days all
things were in readiness for the march northwards. It was settled that
Siegfried with his twelve Nibelungen chiefs, and a thousand picked
men, should go forth to battle against their boastful enemies. The
dark-browed Hagen, as he had always done, rode at the head of the
company, and by his side was Siegfried on the noble horse Greyfell. Next
came Gernot and the bold chief Volker, bearing the standard, upon which
a golden dragon was engraved; then followed Dankwart and Ortwin, and the
twelve worthy comrades of Siegfried; and then the thousand warriors,
the bravest in all Rhineland, mounted on impatient steeds, and clad
in bright steel armor, with broad shields, and plumed helmets, and
burnished swords, and sharp-pointed spears. And all rode proudly out
through the great castle-gate. And Gunther and the young Giselher and
all the fair ladies of the court bade them God-speed.
The little army passed through the forest, and went northwards, until,
on the fifth day, they reached the boundaries of Saxon Land. And
Siegfried gave spur to his horse Greyfell, and, leaving the little army
behind him, hastened forwards to see where the enemy was encamped. As
he reached the top of a high hill, he saw the armies of the North-kings
resting carelessly in the valley beyond. Knights, mounted on their
horses, rode hither and thither: the soldiers sauntered lazily among
the trees, or slept upon the grass; arms were thrown about in great
disorder, or stacked in piles near the smoking camp-fires. No one
dreamed of danger; but all supposed that the Burgundians were still at
home, and would never dare to attack a foe so numerous and so strong.
For it was, indeed, a mighty army which Siegfried saw before him. Full
forty thousand men were there; and they not only filled the valley, but
spread over the hills beyond, and far to the right and left.
While he stood at the top of the hill, and gazed upon this sight, a
warrior, who had spied him from below, rode up, and paused before him.
Like two black thunder-clouds, with lightning flashing between, the
two knights stood facing each other, and casting wrathful glances from
beneath their visors. Then each spurred his horse, and charged with fury
upon the other; and the heavy lances of both were broken in shivers upon
the opposing shields. Then, quick as thought, they turned and drew
their swords, and hand to hand they fought. But soon Siegfried, by an
unlooked-for stroke, sent his enemy’s sword flying from him, broken in a
dozen pieces, and by a sudden movement he threw him from his horse. The
heavy shield of the fallen knight was no hinderance to the quick strokes
of Siegfried’s sword; and his glittering armor, soiled by the mud into
which he had been thrown, held him down. He threw up his hands, and
begged for mercy.
“I am Leudigast the king!” he cried. “Spare my life. I am your
prisoner.”
Siegfried heard the prayer of the discomfited king; and, lifting him
from the ground, he helped him to remount his charger. But, while he was
doing this, thirty warriors, who had seen the combat from below, came
dashing up the hill to the rescue of their liege-lord. Siegfried faced
about with his horse Greyfell, and quietly waited for their onset. But,
as they drew near, they were so awed by the noble bearing and grand
proportions of the hero, and so astonished at sight of the sunbeam mane
of Greyfell, and the cold glitter of the blade Balmung, that in sudden
fright they stopped, then turned, and fled in dismay down the sloping
hillside, nor paused until they were safe among their friends.
In the mean while Leudiger, the other king, seeing what was going on
at the top of the hill, had caused an alarm to be sounded; and all his
hosts had hastily arranged themselves in battle-array. At the same time
Hagen and Gernot, and their little army of heroes, hove in sight, and
came quickly to Siegfried’s help, and the dragon-banner was planted upon
the crest of the hill. The captive king, Leudigast, was taken to the
rear, and a guard was placed over him. The champions of the Rhine formed
in line, and faced their foes. The great army of the North-kings moved
boldly up the hill: and, when they saw how few were the Burgundians,
they laughed and cheered most lustily; for they felt that the odds was
in their favor--and forty to one is no small odds.
Then Siegfried and his twelve comrades, and Hagen and the thousand
Burgundian knights, dashed upon them with the fury of the whirlwind.
The lances flew so thick in the air, that they hid the sun from sight;
swords flashed on every side; the sound of clashing steel, and horses’
hoofs, and soldiers’ shouts, filled earth and sky with a horrid din. And
soon the boastful foes of the Burgundians were everywhere worsted, and
thrown into disorder. Siegfried dashed hither and thither, from one part
of the field to another, in search of King Leudiger. Thrice he cut his
way through the ranks, and at last he met face to face the one for whom
he sought.
King Leudiger saw the flashing sunbeams that glanced from Greyfell’s
mane, he saw the painted crown upon the hero’s broad shield, and then he
felt the fearful stroke of the sword Balmung, as it clashed against
his own, and cut it clean in halves. He dropped his weapons, raised his
visor, and gave himself up as a prisoner.
“Give up the fight, my brave fellows,” he cried. “This is Siegfried the
brave, the Prince of the Lowlands, and the Lord of Nibelungen Land. It
were foolishness to fight against him. Save yourselves as best you can.”
This was the signal for a frightful panic. All turned and fled. Each
thought of nothing but his own safety; and knights and warriors,
horsemen and foot-soldiers, in one confused mass, throwing shields and
weapons here and there, rushed wildly down the hill, and through the
valley and ravines, and sought, as best they could, their way homeward.
The Burgundian heroes were the masters of the field, and on the morrow
they turned their faces joyfully towards Rhineland. And all joined in
saying that to Siegfried was due the praise for this wonderful victory
which they had gained.
Heralds had been sent on the fleetest horses to carry the glad news to
Burgundy; and when, one morning, they dashed into the court-yard of the
castle, great was the anxiety to know what tidings they brought. And
King Gunther, and the young Giselher, and the peerless Kriemhild,
came out to welcome them, and eagerly to inquire what had befallen the
heroes. With breathless haste the heralds told the story of all that had
happened.
“And how fares our brother Gernot?” asked Kriemhild.
“There is no happier man on earth,” answered the herald. “In truth,
there was not a coward among them all; but the bravest of the brave was
Siegfried. He it was who took the two kings prisoners; and everywhere in
the thickest of the fight there was Siegfried. And now our little army
is on its homeward march, with a thousand prisoners, and large numbers
of the enemy’s wounded. Had it not been for the brave Siegfried, no such
victory could have been won.”
In a few days the Rhine champions reached their home. And gayly were the
castle and all the houses in the city decked in honor of them. And all
those who had been left behind went out to meet them as they came down
from the forest-road, and drew near to the castle. And the young girls
strewed flowers in their path, and hung garlands upon their horses;
and music and song followed the heroes into the city, and through the
castle-gate.
When they reached the palace, the two prisoner kings, Leudiger and
Leudigast, were loosed from their bonds, and handsomely entertained at
Gunther’s table. And the Burgundian kings assured them that they should
be treated as honored guests, and have the freedom of the court and
castle, if they would pledge themselves not to try to escape from
Burgundy until terms of peace should be agreed upon. This pledge they
gladly gave, and rich apartments in the palace were assigned for their
use. Like favors were shown to all the prisoners, according to their
rank; and the wounded were kindly cared for. And the Burgundians made
ready for a gay high-tide,--a glad festival of rejoicing, to be held at
the next full moon.
When the day drew near which had been set for this high-tide, the folk
from all parts of Rhineland began to flock towards the city. They
came in companies, with music and laughter, and the glad songs of
the spring-time. And all the knights were mounted on gallant horses
caparisoned with gold-red saddles, from which hung numbers of tinkling
silver bells. As they rode up the sands towards the castle-gate,
with their dazzling shields upon their saddle-bows, and their gay and
many-colored banners floating in the air, King Gernot and the young
Giselher, with the noblest knights of the fortress, went courteously out
to meet them; and the friendly greetings which were offered by the two
young kings won the hearts of all. Thirty and two princes and more than
five thousand warriors came as bidden guests. The city and castle were
decked in holiday attire, and all the people in the land gave themselves
up to enjoyment. The sick and the wounded, who until now had thought
themselves at death’s door, forgot their ailments and their pains as
they heard the shouts of joy and the peals of music in the streets.
In a green field outside of the city walls, arrangements had been made
for the games, and galleries and high stages had been built for the
lookers-on. Here jousts and tournaments were held, and the knights and
warriors engaged in trials of strength and skill. When King Gunther saw
with what keen enjoyment both his own people and his guests looked upon
these games, and took part in the gay festivities, he asked of those
around him,--
“What more can we do to heighten the pleasures of the day?”