nk the full draught.

Then the queen came to Sinfiotli a third time, and mocked him, saying:
"How is this that thou fearest to take thy mead like a man? If thou
hast the heart of a Volsung, drink now thy portion."

But again he looked on the horn, and said: "Venom is therein."

Now Sigmund by this time was weary of drinking, and he said: "Pour it
through thy beard then, and all will be well." But Sinfiotli mistook
his meaning, and thought he desired him to drink the mead; and he
drank, and straightway fell down dead to the ground.

Then the heart of Sigmund was full of grief at his kinsman's end. He
would let no man touch him, but took him in his arms and fared away to
the wild woods and so to the seashore. And behold, there was an old
man sitting in a little boat; on his head was a grey hat pulled well
over his face, and over his shoulders a blue-grey cloak.

"Wilt thou be ferried across the bay?" asked the old man; and Sigmund
bowed his head. But the boat was too little to carry all at once; so
Sinfiotli was laid therein and Sigmund stood by on the shore.

A moment later both boat and ferryman had vanished from before his
eyes.

Then Sigmund knew that All-Father Odin had himself come for his
kinsman and had carried him to the halls of Asgard, and, after he had
mused awhile upon what had befallen, he returned to his folk; but
because of the wrong that she had done he would not look upon his
queen again, and soon afterwards she died.

Now there lived in a neighbouring kingdom a mighty and famous king,
who had a daughter named Hiordis; and she was the fairest and wisest
of women. And it came to pass that King Sigmund heard it told of her
that she was the only woman who was fitted to be his wife; and he made
a journey to the court of the king her father, and looked on her and
loved her. And her father listened graciously to his proposal that he
should marry his daughter.

But at that same time came King Lygni, son of Hunding; and he also
demanded the hand of Hiordis in marriage. And the king, fearful lest
trouble should come, called his daughter, and said: "Full wise art
thou, my daughter, and it is fitting that thou alone shalt choose thy
husband. Say now which of these two kings thou wilt have, and I will
abide by thy choice."

And Hiordis said: "I will choose King Sigmund, though he is old and
stricken in years, for the greater valour has been his."

So to him she was betrothed, and King Lygni was obliged