of the little men and little women
who dwelt in the dark town beneath the earth.

Alberich, the mightiest of all the dwarfs, gathered together his army
of little gnomes to avenge the death of the two dwarf princes and
also, for Alberich was a greedy man, to gain for himself the great
hoard.

When Siegfried saw Alberich at the head of his army of little men
he laughed aloud, and with a light heart he chased them all into the
great cave on the mountain-side.

From off the mighty dwarf, Alberich, he stripped his famous Cloak of
Darkness, which made him who wore it not only invisible, but strong
as twelve strong men. He snatched also from the dwarf's fingers his
wishing-rod, which was a Magic Wand. And last of all he made Alberich
and his thousands of tiny warriors take an oath, binding them evermore
to serve him alone. Then hiding the treasure in the cave with the
seven hundred champions whom he had conquered, he left Alberich and
his army of little men to guard it, until he came again. And Alberich
and his dwarfs were faithful to the hero who had shorn them of their
treasure, and served him for evermore.

Siegfried, the magic sword Balmung by his side, the Cloak of Darkness
thrown over his arm, the Magic Wand in his strong right hand, went
over the mountain, across the plains, nor did he tarry until he came
again to the castle built on the banks of the river Rhine in his own
low-lying country of the Netherlands.

III

SIEGFRIED COMES HOME

The walls of the old castle rang. King Siegmund, his knights and
liegemen, all were welcoming Prince Siegfried home. They had not seen
their hero-prince since he had been sent long years before to be under
the charge of Mimer the blacksmith.

He had grown but more fair, more noble, they thought, as they gazed
upon his stalwart limbs, his fearless eyes.

And what tales of prowess clustered around his name! Already their
Prince had done great deeds as he had ridden from land to land.

The King and his liegemen had heard of the slaughter of the terrible
dragon, of the capture of the great treasure, of the defiance of the
warlike and beautiful Brunhild. They could wish for no more renowned
prince than their own Prince Siegfried.

Thus Siegmund and his subjects rejoiced that the heir to the throne
was once again in his own country.

In the Queen's bower, too, there was great joy. Sieglinde wept, but
her tears were not those of sadness. Sieglinde wept for very gladness