hat all men sat chained to their seats, as in a dream. And none
roused himself as the old man turned and passed through the hall and
out of the door.

But as soon as Odin, for he it was, had vanished, all tongues were
loosed and there arose a great hubbub. And the men of noblest rank
went up one after another to the Branstock and pulled and tugged and
strained at the goodly sword. First of all went up King Siggeir, but
though he pulled till his eyes nearly started from his head, yet the
sword moved not an inch.

Then Volsung put his hand to the sword, but it was not meant for him.
Neither could the Volsung princes, who followed one by one, do aught
to move it, until last of them came Sigmund, the youngest, and as soon
as he grasped the hilt he pulled the weapon out of the trunk as if it
had lain loose therein.

It was indeed a weapon worthy of the gods, and when Siggeir looked
upon its shapely proportions his heart was fired with desire, and he
offered to buy it from the youth at thrice its weight in gold.

But Sigmund answered: "Thou mightst have taken the sword as easily as
I if it had been thy lot to wear it. But now it has fallen to me, thou
shalt never have it, though thou dost offer all the gold thou hast."

And thus began the fatal quarrel between the race of Siggeir and the
Volsungs, for at the words Siggeir's heart grew bitter against
Sigmund; and he determined that, when the time was ripe, he would put
an end to the Volsung race and take that sword to himself.

But outwardly Siggeir was all that was fair and gentle. And when he
set sail with his bride to his own land, he begged King Volsung and
his sons to visit him as soon as possible.

So, at an appointed time, King Volsung and his ten stalwart sons set
off to the kingdom of Siggeir with three brave ships; and after a fair
voyage they cast anchor late one eventide.

During the night, as they lay on their ships, thinking to land next
morning, Signy, who had received tidings of their arrival, came in
secret to her father and brothers and begged them not to go ashore,
saying that her treacherous husband had laid an ambush for them,
whence they could not escape alive. She bade them therefore return to
their own land, and together, with a mighty army, come again to take
revenge upon King Siggeir.

But the brave old Volsung shook his great white head, saying that
never yet had he or his turned back before fire or sword or hurt--and
he would not play the