hounds and cried, 'Lord
Siegfried, nought is there left alive in the forest. Let us return to
the camp with our spoils.'

At that moment, clear and loud rang out the hunting horn. It was the
King who bade it sound that his merry huntsmen might come to feast
with him in the green meadow on the outskirts of the forest.

Now the horn had roused a grisly bear, and Siegfried, seeing it,
jumped from his charger, chased it, and having at length caught it
with his strong right hand, bound it without receiving even a scratch
from its claws or a bite from its jaws.

Then the hero dragged the bear back to his charger, tied it to his
saddle, and mounting rode quickly forward to the camp.

King Gunther watched him as he drew near, and so gallant and brave he
looked, that his heart grew heavy because he had listened to the cruel
counsels of his uncle Hagen.

The hero wore a tunic of black velvet, a riding cap of sable. By his
side hung his good sword Balmung, a quiver thrust through his girdle
was filled with arrows, the shafts of which were golden.

Before he reached the camp, Siegfried again alighted and loosed the
great bear, and bewildered, the brute sprang forward into the camp
kitchen.

Up sprang the scullions from the fire, kettles were toppled over, the
fire was put out, fish, fowl, meat, all lay in the black and smoking
ashes.

Then Gunther and his merry huntsmen chased the huge bear into the
wood, and while all were swift, none was so swift as Siegfried. His
good sword Balmung flashed in the air, and the bear was slain and
carried back to the camp.

Now Hagen had arranged the feast for the huntsmen, and for his own
purpose he had ordered no wine.

'Where are the cupbearers?' cried Siegfried, who was thirsty after the
day's sport.

'They have gone across the Rhine whither they thought we hunted,' said
Hagen, the false knight. 'But there is a spring of cold water a little
way off, thither may we go to quench our thirst.'

Siegfried soon rose to go to the fountain. Then Hagen drew near and
said, 'Ofttimes I have heard that thou art sure and swift of foot.
Wilt thou race with me to the spring?'

'If thou art at the fountain before me,' said the mighty hero, 'I will
even lay myself at thy feet.'

Gunther heard Siegfried's words and shuddered. Yet now he dared not
save the hero from his foe.

'I will bear my spear, my sword, my quiver, and my shield as I race,'
said Siegfried. But Hagen and King Gunther, who