<h2><SPAN name="chap36"></SPAN>Thirty-Sixth Adventure<br/> How the Queen Bad Them Burn Down the Hall</h2>
<p>“Now do off your helmets,” said Hagen the knight. “I and my
comrade will keep watch. And if Etzel’s men try it again, I will warn my
masters straightway.”</p>
<p>Then many a good warrior unlaced his helmet. They sat down on the bodies that
had fallen in the blood by their hands. With bitter hate the guests were spied
at by the Huns.</p>
<p>Before nightfall the king and queen had prevailed on the men of Hungary to dare
the combat anew. Twenty thousand or more stood before them ready for battle.
These hasted to fall on the strangers.</p>
<p>Dankwart, Hagen’s brother, sprang from his masters to the foemen at the
door. They thought he was slain, but he came forth alive.</p>
<p>The strife endured till the night. The guests, as beseemed good warriors, had
defended them against Etzel’s men all through the long summer day. Ha!
what doughty heroes lay dead before them. It was on a midsummer that the great
slaughter fell, when Kriemhild avenged her heart’s dole on her nearest
kinsmen, and on many another man, and all King Etzel’s joy was ended. Yet
she purposed not at the first to bring it to such a bloody encounter, but only
to kill Hagen; but the Devil contrived it so, that they must all perish.</p>
<p>The day was done; they were in sore straits. They deemed a quick death had been
better than long anguish. The proud knights would fain have had a truce. They
asked that the king might be brought to them.</p>
<p>The heroes, red with blood, and blackened with the soil of their harness,
stepped out of the hall with the three kings. They knew not whom to bewail
their bitter woe to.</p>
<p>Both Etzel and Kriemhild came. The land all round was theirs, and many had
joined their host. Etzel said to the guests, “What would ye with me?
Haply ye seek for peace. That can hardly be, after such wrong as ye have done
me and mine. Ye shall pay for it while I have life. Because of my child that ye
slew, and my many men, nor peace nor truce shall ye have.”</p>
<p>Gunther answered, “A great wrong constrained us thereto. All my followers
perished in their lodging by the hands of thy knights. What had I done to
deserve that? I came to see thee in good faith, for I deemed thou wert my
friend.”</p>
<p>Then said Giselher, the youth, of Burgundy, “Ye knights of King Etzel
that yet live, what have ye against me? How had I wronged you?—I that
rode hither with loving heart?”</p>
<p>They answered, “Thy love hath filled all the castles of this country with
mourning. We had gladly been spared thy journey from Worms beyond the Rhine.
Thou hast orphaned the land—thou and thy brothers.”</p>
<p>Then cried Gunther in wrath, “If ye would lay from you this stark hate
against us homeless ones, it were well for both sides, for we are guiltless
before Etzel.”</p>
<p>But the host answered the guests, “My scathe is greater than thine;
because of the mickle toil of the strife, and its shame, not one of you shall
come forth alive.”</p>
<p>Then said stark Gernot to the king, “Herein, at the least, incline thy
heart to do mercifully with us. Stand back from the house, that we win out to
you. We know that our life is forfeit; let what must come, come quickly. Thou
hast many knights unwounded; let them fall on us, and give us battle-weary ones
rest. How long wouldst thou have us strive?”</p>
<p>King Etzel’s knights would have let them forth, but when Kriemhild heard
it, she was wroth, and even this boon was denied to the strangers.</p>
<p>“Nay now, ye Huns, I entreat you, in good faith, that ye let not these
lusters after blood come out from the hall, lest thy kinsmen all perish
miserably. If none of them were left alive save Uta’s children, my noble
brothers, and won they to the air to cool their harness, ye were lost. Bolder
knights were never born into the world.”</p>
<p>Then said young Giselher, “Fairest sister mine, right evil I deem it that
thou badest me across the Rhine to this bitter woe. How have I deserved death
from the Huns? I was ever true to thee, nor did thee any hurt. I rode hither,
dearest sister, for that I trusted to thy love. Needs must thou show
mercy.”</p>
<p>“I will show no mercy, for I got none. Bitter wrong did Hagen of Trony to
me in my home yonder, and here he hath slain my child. They that came with him
must pay for it. Yet, if ye will deliver Hagen captive, I will grant your
prayer, and let you live; for ye are my brothers, and the children of one
mother. I will prevail upon my knights here to grant a truce.”</p>
<p>“God in Heaven forbid!” cried Gernot. “Though we were a
thousand, liefer would we all die by thy kinsmen, than give one single man for
our ransom. That we will never do.”</p>
<p>“We must perish then,” said Giselher; “but we will fall as
good knights. We are still here; would any fight with us? I will never do
falsely by my friend.”</p>
<p>Cried bold Dankwart too (he had done ill to hold his peace), “My brother
Hagen standeth not alone. They that have denied us quarter may rue it yet. By
my troth, ye will find it to your cost.”</p>
<p>Then said the queen, “Ye heroes undismayed, go forward to the steps and
avenge our wrong. I will thank you forever, and with cause. I will requite
Hagen’s insolence to the full. Let not one of them forth at any point,
and I will let kindle the hall at its four sides. So will my heart’s dole
be avenged.”</p>
<p>Etzel’s knights were not loth. With darts and with blows they drave back
into the house them that stood without. Loud was the din; but the princes and
their men were not parted, nor failed they in faith to one another.</p>
<p>Etzel’s wife bade the hall be kindled, and they tormented the bodies of
the heroes with fire. The wind blew, and the house was soon all aflame. Folk
never suffered worse, I ween. There were many that cried, “Woe is me for
this pain! Liefer had we died in battle. God pity us, for we are all lost. The
queen taketh bitter vengeance.”</p>
<p>One among them wailed, “We perish by the smoke and the fire. Grim is our
torment. The stark heat maketh me so athirst, that I die.”</p>
<p>Said Hagen of Trony, “Ye noble knights and good, let any that are athirst
drink the blood. In this heat it is better than wine, and there is naught
sweeter here.”</p>
<p>Then went one where he found a dead body. He knelt by the wounds, and did off
his helmet, and began to drink the streaming blood. Albeit he was little used
thereto, he deemed it right good. “God quit thee, Sir Hagen!” said
the weary man, “I have learned a good drink. Never did I taste better
wine. If I live, I will thank thee.”</p>
<p>When the others heard his praise, many more of them drank the blood, and their
bodies were strengthened, for the which many a noble woman paid through her
dear ones.</p>
<p>The fire-flakes fell down on them in the hall, but they warded them off with
their shields. Both the smoke and the fire tormented them. Never before
suffered heroes such sore pain.</p>
<p>Then said Hagen of Trony, “Stand fast by the wall. Let not the brands
fall on your helmets. Trample them with your feet deeper in the blood. A woeful
hightide is the queen’s.”</p>
<p>The night ended at last. The bold gleeman, and Hagen, his comrade, stood before
the house and leaned upon their shields. They waited for further hurt from
Etzel’s knights. It advantaged the strangers much that the roof was
vaulted. By reason thereof more were left alive. Albeit they at the windows
suffered scathe, they bared them valiantly, as their bold hearts bade them.</p>
<p>Then said the fiddler, “Go we now into the hall, that the Huns deem we be
all dead from this torment, albeit some among them shall yet feel our
might.”</p>
<p>Giselher, the youth, of Burgundy, said, “It is daybreak, I ween. A cool
wind bloweth. God grant we may see happier days. My sister Kriemhild hath
bidden us to a doleful hightide.”</p>
<p>One of them spake, “I see the dawn. Since we can do no better, arm you,
ye knights, for battle, that, come we never hence, we may die with
honour.”</p>
<p>Etzel deemed the guests were all dead of their travail and the stress of the
fire. But six hundred bold men yet lived. Never king had better knights. They
that kept ward over the strangers had seen that some were left, albeit the
princes and their men had suffered loss and dole. They saw many that walked up
and down in the house.</p>
<p>They told Kriemhild that many were left alive, but the queen answered,
“It cannot be. None could live in that fire. I trow they all lie
dead.”</p>
<p>The kings and their men had still gladly asked for mercy, had there been any to
show it. But there was none in the whole country of the Huns. Wherefore they
avenged their death with willing hand.</p>
<p>They were greeted early in the morning with a fierce onslaught, and came in
great scathe. Stark spears were hurled at them. Well the knights within stood
on their defence.</p>
<p>Etzel’s men were the bolder, that they might win Kriemhild’s fee.
Thereto, they obeyed the king gladly; but soon they looked on death.</p>
<p>One might tell marvels of her gifts and promises. She bade them bear forth red
gold upon shields, and gave thereof to all that desired it, or would take it.
So great treasure was never given against foemen.</p>
<p>The host of warriors came armed to the hall. The fiddler said, “We are
here. I never was gladder to see any knights than those that have taken the
king’s gold to our hurt.”</p>
<p>Not a few of them cried out, “Come nigher, ye heroes! Do your worst, and
make an end quickly, for here are none but must die.”</p>
<p>Soon their bucklers were filled full of darts. What shall I say more? Twelve
hundred warriors strove once and again to win entrance. The guests cooled their
hardihood with wounds. None could part the strife. The blood flowed from
death-deep wounds. Many were slain. Each bewailed some friend. All
Etzel’s worthy knights perished. Their kinsmen sorrowed bitterly.</p>
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