nd sea,
and finally deposited its prey in its nest on the top of a great cliff on a
desert island. One of the little griffins, wishing to reserve this delicate
morsel for its own delectation, caught the boy up in its talons and flew
away to a neighboring tree. The branch upon which it perched was too weak
to support a double load, however, and as it broke the frightened griffin
dropped Hagen into a thicket. Undismayed by the sharp thorns, Hagen quickly
crept out of the griffin's reach and took refuge in a cave, where he found
three little girls who had escaped from the griffins in the same way.

[Sidenote: The three maidens.] One of these children was Hilde, an Indian
princess; the second, Hildburg, daughter of the King of Portugal; and the
third belonged to the royal family of Isenland. Hagen immediately became
the protector of these little maidens, spending several years in the cave
with them. He ventured out only when the griffins were away, to seek
berries or shoot small game with a bow which he had made in imitation of
those he had seen in his father's hall.

Years passed by before Hagen found the corpse of an armed warrior, which
had been washed ashore during a storm. To appropriate the armor and weapons
for which he had so long and vainly sighed was the youth's first impulse;
his second was to go forth and slay the griffins which had terrorized him
and his little companions for so many years. The griffins being disposed
of, the young people roamed about the island at will, keeping a sharp
lookout for any passing vessel which might convey them home. At last a sail
came in sight! Hagen, the first to see it, climbed up on a rock and shouted
with all his young strength to attract the crew's attention.

"With might young Hagen shouted, and did not cease to shout,
Howe'er the roaring tempest the wild waves tossed about."
_Gudrun_ (Dippold's tr.).

The sailors reluctantly drew near, gazing fearfully upon the three maidens,
who, clad in furs and moss, resembled mermaids or wood nymphs. But when
they heard their story they gladly took them on board. It was only when the
island was out of sight, and when they were in mid-ocean, that Hagen
discovered that he had fallen into the hands of Count Garadie, his father's
inveterate enemy, who now proposed to use his power to treat the young
prince as a slave. But Hagen's rude fare, and the constant exposure of the
past few