st me
before this worshipful knight. Thou showest Siegfried too much honour,
for he is my lord, and the king of the Rhineland. What boots it to say
more? For thy sake we are come hither, for he would woo thee at all
hazards. Weigh the matter betimes, for of a surety he will win thee.
His name is Gunther; he is a great and mighty king, and he desireth
naught save thy love. To this end I have followed him, nor had done it,
but that he is my master."

She answered, "If he be thy lord, and thou be his man, let him withstand
me at the games. If he have the mastery, then I am his wife, but let him
fail in one of them, and ye be all dead men."

Then said Hagen of Trony, "Lady, show us the games that thou proposest.
It will go hard with Gunther or he yield thee the mastery, for he troweth
well to win so fair a maiden."

"He must put the stone, and leap after it, and throw the spear with me.
Ye may easily forfeit honour and life; wherefore be not so confident, but
bethink you well."

Then bold Siegfried went to the king, and bade him fear naught, but speak
freely to the queen. "For," said he, "I will aid thee with cunning
devices."

And King Gunther said, "Command me, great queen, and were it more yet, I
would risk it for thy sake. I will lose my head, or win thee to wife."

When the queen heard this word, she bade haste to the sports, as was
meet, and let them bring her harness, a golden buckler and a goodly
shield. She did on a surcoat of silk from Libya, that had never been
pierced in combat, cunningly fashioned and embroidered, and shining with
precious stones. Her pride greatly angered the knights, and Dankwart and
Hagen were downcast, for they feared for their lord, and thought,
"Ill-starred was this journey."

Meanwhile, Siegfried, the cunning man, went, when none spied him, to the
ship, where he found the _Tarnkappe_, and he did it on swiftly, that none
knew. Then he hastened back to the crowd of knights, where the queen
gave order for the sports, and, by his magic, he stole in among them,
that no man was ware of him. The ring was marked out in the presence of
armed knights to the number of seven hundred. These were the umpires,
that should tell truly who won in the sports.

Then came Brunhild. She stood armed, as she had meant to do battle with
all the kings of all the world. The silk was covered with gold spangles
that showed her white skin. Her attendants brought her, for the strife,
a shield