htly mine. Thereto I pledge both honour and life. If
thou art valiant, as they say, I care not whom it liketh or irketh, I
will take from thee all thou hast, land and castles, and they shall be
mine."

The king and his men marvelled when they heard this strange saying, that
he would take their land; when the warriors understood it they were wroth.

"Wherein have I wronged thee," said Gunther the knight, "that I should
yield to the might of any man what my father ruled so long with honour?
We will show thee to thy hurt that we also are brave knights."

"I will abide by my purpose," said the doughty man. "If thou canst not
hold they land in peace, I will rule it. Also what I have in fee, if
thou overcome, shall be thine. With thy country be it even as with
mine. To the one of us twain that overcometh shall the whole belong,
people and land."

But Hagen and Gernot answered him back straightway. "We desire not,"
said Gernot, "to win new kingdoms at the cost of dead heroes. Our land
is rich, and we are the rightful lords. The folk desire none better."

Grim and angered stood Gunther's kinsmen. Amidst of them was Ortwin of
Metz, who said, "This bargain pleaseth me little. Bold Siegfried hath
challenged thee wrongfully. Were thou and thy brothers naked, and he
with a whole king's army at his back, I would undertake to show the
overweening man he did well to abate his pride."

Whereat the knight of the Netherland was wroth and said, "Not such as
thou art shall raise a hand against me, for I am a great king; thou art
but a king's man. Twelve of thy sort could not withstand me."

Then Ortwin of Metz, the sister's son of Hagen of Trony, cried aloud for
his sword. It grieved the king that he had kept silence so long, but
Gernot, a warrior bold and keen, came betwixt them.

He said to Ortwin, "Calm thyself. Siegfried hath done naught to us,
that we should not end this matter peaceably. I counsel that we take
him to friend. That were more to our honour."

Then said Hagen the stark man, "It may well irk thy knights that he
rideth hither as a foeman. Better had he refrained. My masters had
never done the like by him."

Brave Siegfried answered, "If thou like not my words, I will show thee
here, in Burgundy, the deeds of my hand."

"That I will hinder," said Gernot, and he forbade to his knights their
overweening words, for they irked him. Siegfried also thought on the
noble maiden.

"Wherefore should w