alive. Then one of Kriemhilda's friends fought
with them and overpowered both. He bound them and delivered them
to Kriemhilda.

The queen ordered one of her knights to cut off Gunther's head, and
she herself cut off the head of Hagen with "Balmung," Siegfried's
wonderful sword. A friend of Hagen then avenged his death by killing
Kriemhilda herself.

Of all the Nibelungs who entered the land of the Huns one only ever
returned to Burgundy.

FAMOUS MEN OF THE MIDDLE AGES

* * * * *

ALARIC THE VISIGOTH

KING FROM 394-410 A.D.

I

Long before the beginning of the period known as the Middle Ages
a tribe of barbarians called the Goths lived north of the River
Danube in the country which is now known as Roumania. It was then a
part of the great Roman Empire, which at that time had two capitals,
Constantinople--the new city of Constantine--and Rome. The Goths
had come from the shores of the Baltic Sea and settled on this
Roman territory, and the Romans had not driven them back.

During the reign of the Roman Emperor Va'lens some of the Goths
joined a conspiracy against him. Valens punished them for this
by crossing the Danube and laying waste their country. At last
the Goths had to beg for mercy. The Gothic chief was afraid to
set foot on Roman soil, so he and Valens met on their boats in the
middle of the Danube and made a treaty of peace.

[Illustration: THE MEETING BETWEEN VALENS AND THE GOTHIC CHIEF ON
THE DANUBE]

For a long time the Goths were at war with another tribe of barbarians
called Huns. Sometimes the Huns defeated the Goths and drove them
to their camps in the mountains. Sometimes the Goths came down
to the plains again and defeated the Huns.

At last the Goths grew tired of such constant fighting and thought
they would look for new settlements. They sent some of their leading
men to the Emperor Valens to ask permission to settle in some country
belonging to Rome. The messengers said to the emperor:

"If you will allow us to make homes in the country south of the
Danube we will be friends of Rome and fight for her when she needs
our help."

The emperor at once granted this request. He said to the Gothic
chiefs:

"Rome always needs good soldiers. Your people may cross the Danube
and settle on our land. As long as you remain true to Rome we will
protect you against your enemies."

These Goths were known as Visigoths, or Western Goths. Other tribes
of Goths w