"Trouble is heavy on me," and he tells him that he must needs slay
Sigurd, for that he has failed him where in he trusted him; "so let us
be lords of the gold and the realm withal."

Hogni answers, "Ill it behoves us to break our oaths with wrack and
wrong, and withal great aid we have in him; no kings shall be as
great as we, if so be the King of the Hun-folk may live; such another
brother-in-law never may we get again; bethink thee how good it is to
have such a brother-in-law, and such sons to our sister! But well I see
how things stand, for this has Brynhild stirred thee up to, and surely
shall her counsel drag us into huge shame and scathe."

Gunnar says, "Yet shall it be brought about: and, lo, a rede
thereto;--let us egg on our brother Guttorm to the deed; he is young,
and of little knowledge, and is clean out of all the oaths moreover."

"Ah, set about in ill wise," says Hogni, "and though indeed it may well
be compassed, a due reward shall we gain for the bewrayal of such a man
as is Sigurd."

Gunnar says, "Sigurd shall die, or I shall die."

And therewith he bids Brynhild arise and be glad at heart: so she arose,
and still ever she said that Gunnar should come no more into her bed
till the deed was done.

So the brothers fall to talk, and Gunnar says that it is a deed well
worthy of death, that taking of Brynhild's maidenhead; "So come now, let
us prick on Guttorm to do the deed."

Therewith they call him to them, and offer him gold and great dominion,
as they well have might to do. Yea, and they took a certain worm and
somewhat of wolf's flesh and let seethe them together, and gave him to
eat of the same, even as the singer sings--

"Fish of the wild-wood,
Worm smooth crawling,
With wolf-meat mingled,
They minced for Guttorm;
Then in the beaker,
In the wine his mouth knew,
They set it, still doing
More deeds of wizards.

Wherefore with the eating of this meat he grew so wild and eager, and
with all things about him, and with the heavy words of Grimhild, that
he gave his word to do the deed; and mighty honour they promised him in
reward thereof.

But of these evil wiles naught at all knew Sigurd, for he might not deal
with his shapen fate, nor the measure of his life-days, neither deemed
he that he was worthy of such things at their hands.

So Guttorm went in to Sigurd the next morning as he lay upon his bed,
yet durst he not do aught against him, but