t thou the fairest of the band," cried the King, "she who is clad
in a white garment? It is she and no other whom I would wed."

Right merrily then laughed Siegfried. "The maiden," said he gaily, "is
in truth none other than Queen Brunhild herself."

The King and his warriors now moored their vessel and leaped ashore,
Siegfried leading with him the King's charger. For each knight had
brought his steed with him from the fair land of Burgundy.

More bright than ever beamed the bright eyes of the ladies at the
castle window. So fair, so gallant a knight never had they seen,
thought the damsels as they gazed upon Sir Siegfried. And all the
while King Gunther dreamed their glances were bent on no other than
himself.

Siegfried held the noble steed until King Gunther had mounted, and
this he did that Queen Brunhild might not know that he was the Prince
of the Netherlands, owing service to no man. Then going back to the
ship the hero brought his own horse to land, mounted, and rode with
the King toward the castle gate.

King and Prince were clad alike. Their steeds as well as their
garments were white as snow, their saddles were bedecked with jewels,
and on the harness hung bells, all of bright red gold. Their shields
shone as the sun, their spears they wore before them, their swords
hung by their sides.

Behind them followed Hagen and Dankwart, their armor black as the
plumage of the wild raven, their shields strong and mighty.

As they approached the castle gates were flung wide open, and the
liegemen of the great Queen came out to greet the strangers with words
of welcome. They bid their hirelings also take the shields and
chargers from their guests.

But when a squire demanded that the strangers should also yield their
swords, grim Hagen smiled his grimmest, and cried, "Nay, our swords
will we e'en keep lest we have need of them." Nor was he too well
pleased when Siegfried told him that the custom in Isenland was
that no guest should enter the castle carrying a weapon. It was but
sullenly that he let his sword be taken away along with his mighty
shield.

After the strangers had been refreshed with wine, her liegemen sent to
the Queen to tell her that strange guests had arrived.

"Who are the strangers who come thus unheralded to my land?" haughtily
demanded Brunhild.

But no one could tell her who the warriors were, though some murmured
that the tallest and fairest might be the great hero Siegfried.

It may