fe."

Then spake the minstrel, the proud Swemmel: "When shall your feasting be
in these lands, that I may tell it yonder to your kin?"

King Etzel answered: "On next midsummer's day."

"We'll do as ye command," spake then Werbel.

The queen bade them be brought secretly unto her bower, where she
then talked with the envoys. From this but little joy happed to many a
knight. To the two messengers she spake: "Now earn ye mickle goods, in
that ye do my pleasure full willingly and give the message which I send
to my native land. I'll make you rich in goods and give you the lordly
robes. And if ye see any of my kin at Worms upon the Rhine, ye must not
tell them that ye ever saw me sad of heart. Tender my service to the
heroes brave and good. Beg that they do as the king doth bid and thus
part me from all my grief. The Huns ween, I be without kith and kin.
Were I a knight, I'd visit them myself at times. And say to Gernot, too,
the noble brother of mine, that none in the world doth love him more.
Beg him to bring with him to this land our best of friends, that it may
be to our honor. Say also to Giselher, that he remember well, I never
gained grief through fault of his. Therefore would mine eyes fain sue
him. For his great loyalty I would gladly have him here. Tell my mother
also of the honors which I have, and if Hagen of Troneg be minded to
stay at home, who then should lead them through the lands? From a child
he knoweth the roads to Hungary." (2)

The envoys wist not, why it was done, that they should not let Hagen of
Troneg stay upon the Rhine. Later it repented them full sore. With him
many a knight was doomed to a savage death. Letters and messages had now
been given them. They rode forth rich in goods, and well could lead a
sumptuous life. Of Etzel and his fair wife they took their leave, their
persons adorned full well with goodly weeds.

ENDNOTES:
(1) "Ortlieb" is not historical, and in the "Thidreksaga"
Etzel's son is called Aldrian. Bleyer, "Die germanischen
Elemente der ungarischen, Hunnensage", PB. Beit. xxxi, 570,
attempt to prove the identity of the names by means of a
form "Arda", giving on the one hand Hungarian "Aladar",
"Aldrian", on the other German "Arte", "Orte".
(2) "Hungary". According to the account in "Waltharius", Hagen
spent his youth as a hostage at Etzel's court.

ADVENTURE XXIV. How Werbel And Swemmel Brought The Messag