ought skins and game enow with
them to the camp. No lack of meat for cooking was there, I ween.

Then the king bade tell the knights that he would dine. And they blew a
blast on a horn, that told the king was at the tryst-fire.

Said one of Siegfried's huntsmen, "I heard the blast of a horn bidding us
back to the camp. I will answer it." And they kept blowing to assemble
the company.

Siegfried bade quit the wood. His horse bare him smoothly, and the
others pricked fast behind. The noise roused a grim bear, whereat the
knight cried tot hem that came after him, "Now for sport! Slip the dog,
for I see a bear that shall with us to the tryst-fire. He cannot escape
us, if he ran ever so fast."

They slipped the limehound; off rushed the bear. Siegfried thought to
run him down, but he came to a ravine, and could not get to him; then the
bear deemed him safe. But the proud knight sprang from his horse, and
pursued him. The beast had no shelter. It could not escape from him,
and was caught by his hand, and, or it could wound him, he had bound it,
that it could neither scratch nor bite. Then he tied it to his saddle,
and, when he had mounted up himself, he brought it to the tryst-fire for
pastime.

How right proudly he rode to the camping ground! His boar-spear was
mickle, stark and broad. His sword hung down to the spur, and his
hunting-horn was of ruddy gold. Of better hunting-gear I never heard
tell. His coat was black samite, and his hat was goodly sable. His
quiver was richly laced, and covered with a panther's hide for the sake
of the sweet smell. He bare, also, a bow that none could draw but
himself, unless with a windlass. His cloak was a lynx-skin, pied from
head to foot, and embroidered over with gold on both sides. Also Balmung
had he done on, whereof the edges were so sharp that it clave every
helmet it touched. I ween the huntsman was berry of his cheer. Yet, to
tell you the whole, I must say how his rich quiver was filled with good
arrows, gilt on the shaft, and broad a hand's breadth or more. Swift and
sure was the death of him that he smote therewith.

So the knight rode proudly from the forest, and Gunther's men saw him
coming, and ran and held his horse.

When he had alighted, he loosed the band from the paws and from the mouth
of the bear that he had bound to his saddle.

So soon as they saw the bear, the dogs began to bark. The animal tried
to win back to the wood, and all th