"What has Ingo to do with the ill-will of the maiden?" asked the Prince, angrily.

Gundren looked at him with open eyes. "He who rides upon horses heeds little the herbs on the ground. Observe, my lord, her looks and cheeks whenever she speaks to the stranger."

"No wonder that he pleases her," replied the Prince.

"But if he should think of marriage?"

"That is impossible," exclaimed the Prince, with a discordant laugh. "He is an exile, without possessions and property."

"It is warm in the forest arbor, sitting by the hearth," continued the Princess.

"Could a stranger venture on anything so mad --- a man who does not belong to our people, and has no other right than that of being tolerated in the country? Thou art unnecessarily anxious, Gundren, but the thought of it even excites my spirit."

"If thou thinkest so," said the Princess, with emphasis, "then thou shouldst not rejoice in the day on which he entered our house, nor in the song in the hall, nor in the wandering men who now dwell with us, boasting of the rights of hospitality, and consuming the property of my lord. The King desires to have the stranger; let him go, before he and his troop occasion sorrow to many among us."

"Dost thou know more of the intimacy betwixt him and my child than thou hast told me?" asked the Prince, standing before her.

"Only what may be discovered by him who chooses to see," answered the Princess, cautiously.

"I have received him with great acclamations and a joyful heart," continued Answald; "now I can not send him away as one who is a burden. It is the father's right to choose a husband for his daughter, and there can be no marriage for the child but through the father; that thy child knows also, for she is not without sense. I bethink me of the oath which I have made to thy friends; but do thou restrain, if thou canst, the arrogance of thy nephew, and take care that he may make himself more estimable to our child than he now is, lest the stubbornness of the maiden should break out in the approaching spring, when we adorn her for her marriage."

After this morning the spirit of Answald was troubled whenever he came across the stranger; gloomily did he ponder on the presumption, and suspiciously did he watch the words and bearing of the guest; and he himself thought sometimes that his dwelling by his hearth through the winter would be a burden. On one of these days of ill-humor, the Hero Sintram rode up to him, sent as a messenger of bad tidings from the King to the Chieftain and his district; for the King made decided complaints of the secret presence of the foreign troop, and demanded with threatenings that they should be delivered into his hands. The Prince perceived that danger threatened either the guest, or him and his countrymen. As he was not a mean-spirited man, he soon recovered his composure. He went to Ingo, and told him frankly that he would invite the Chiefs of the district to a secret council, under the pretense of a hunting expedition. Ingo bowed assentingly to what he said, and replied, "It is the right of the host to speak first, and then the guest."

Messengers rode in all directions; and three days after the nobles and wise men of the district were again assembled by the hearth of the Chieftain. But it was no longer summer air, when the minds of men are joyfully disposed, but hard winter-time, when anxieties and ill-will arise. This time the countenance of the Prince was sorrowful when he began:

"The King has sent a second message about the Hero Ingo and his followers, and this time to my countrymen and me, not by the minstrel, but by the Hero Sintram. The King of this nation demands to have the strangers delivered up to him: whether we shall withstand his command, or, thinking of our own safety, do according to his will, is what I ask you."

Then rose Sintram, and repeated the threats of the King:

"He will take the strangers by force, if we do not send them; his men bluster loud, and rejoice in the idea of an expedition against our properties. Once, foreseeing this, I warned you; now the danger threatens and approaches us. Though we have promised to defend hospitably the stranger, now it is not he alone who resides on the land; a foreign race rides through our valleys, and his wild followers become a burden to the people."

A long silence followed this speech, till Isanbart at last raised his voice:

"As I am old, I am not surprised to see how easily the minds of men alter; before now I have seen many a host who gladly greeted a guest, but gladly also dismissed him. Therefore shouldst thou, oh Prince, before the representatives of thy people, say whether the foreign Hero has violated the rights of thy house, and wounded thy honor; or have his followers practised evil deeds among the people?"

Prince Answald replied, with hesitation:

"I do not complain of any outrage which the guest has committed, but the nature of his men is unpliant and extraordinary, and they adapt themselves ill to the customs of our country."

Then Isanbart nodded his gray head, and spoke:

"I also experienced the same when I dwelt as a guest with thy father Irmfried in the land of the Vandals. We also, as far as I can remember, were unyielding and strange to the Vandals; yet our hosts laughed kindly about it, and accommodated the quarrels of the men whenever they broke out; they always begged us to stay longer, and dismissed us with rich presents. Therefore I think it becomes a host to be cautious before he receives foreign guests, and to exercise forbearance as long as they dwell under his protection."

Then Rothari, whom they called "Puff-cheek," sprang up and exclaimed:

"There is among every people of the earth, as far as I understand it, a law that the followers belong to their lord, and he who receives the master can not deny the peace to his followers, if the strangers themselves do not break the peace by their misdeeds. Well do I understand that the number of comrades under the oath will become a burden to thee, oh Prince, for the number of men and horses is too great for one property. But thou didst desire, when they came, to have alone the honor of entertaining them. Had they been distributed among the houses of the nobles and peasants, every one according to his birth, then the guests would have burdened no one, and many by the evening fire of the hearth would have delighted in their accounts of foreign lands."

The Prince, much annoyed, answered:

"I did not ask for cousel concerning the residence on my property, but concerning the command of the King, which presses upon us heavily."

Then spoke Bero, the peasant:

"Other things press upon us, my lord, more than two-and-twenty strangers. The King seeks only a pretext in order to obtain the tenth of our herds and sheaves of our fields; but we are well aware that our herds and fields are too small, even without this, for our necessities. All our villages are filled with vigorous young men; they demand building ground for new houses, arable land, meadows, and forest pastures. Who can give it them? Everything is divided and fenced in; the herdsmen complain that the herds of the lords of the manor are too large, and the mast and acorns too few; and the clearing of the woods is withstood by the community, and still more by the Chiefs. Therefore many think that the time is come when our people must again settle on the other side of the boundary, as in the time of our fathers and ancestors; and we ask in the villages, Where is there fresh land on man's earth to settle on? Thus discontent prevails among the people, and our young men would be pleased with any one who would offer them free acres, even though it were the King. I say this as a warning; for dangerous is the greed of Princes when they desire for themselves the weapons of the people. Yet I do not advise that we should deliver up the guests to the King; if the King would take them away by force, let him try. The thought, even, excites anger in me, that the boys of the King should drive away the cattle, and set fire to the barns; but I would not be forced from our rights. Every one would consider it unjust if we were to drive out our guests into the snow-storm. And I would rather be destroyed with my house than break my oath to them from fear."

Again Rothari sprang up, shook the peasant by the hand, delighted, and cried out:

"Thus speaks a gallant neighbor; listen to his words!"

At last Albwin began, with winning mien:

"What the freeman says I also agree to. I advise that we should keep our oath, which may perhaps become burdensome to us, if the guests ask it, and desire our protection. But if they willingly depart, let us give them assistance and presents, that they may go safely wherever their wishes lead them. But we will not deliver them into the hands of the King, except with their own free-will."

Then the greater number expressed their assent --- the Prince also, and Sintram. But Rothari exclaimed, angrily:

"You would act like the fox with the farmer's wife, when he said to her, 'I will pay thee for the fowl, if thou ask nothing for it!'"

And Isanbart said, warningly:

"How can you lay the duty on the conscience of the guest which lies on you and your children? Who can praise the host who claims the magnanimity of the guest?"

Thus did the forest people dispute together, and opinions remained divided. Meanwhile Hildebrand in the courtyard sang aloud the hunter's call, and, blowing on his great horn, collected the forest comrades, armed with spear and crossbow, and leading hounds in leashes. The Thuringians hastened out of the courtyard gate; the Vandals, who had no dogs, came out with thick iron spears, curved horns, and clubs. Hildebrand divided the hunting party into two troops --- the men belong to the manor, and the guests; the men from the district he also divided into two. The hunters spoke in a low tone the forest blessing; then Berthar addressed the master of the hunt:

"It will be difficult for thy guests to succeed without hounds on the smooth path. Take care, at least, Hero, as thou knowest the paths of the wild cattle, that my troop may not tread the snow in vain, for even the quickest foot can never reach the game where none is to be found. Many a time hast thou sent us astray, far from the course of the forest giants; take care, if it pleaseth thee, that we may not be mortified before the district comrades."

"He who is without good fortune and skill blames the driver," replied Hildebrand. "Thou complainest without cause; I have made a fair division."

The horn gave the call, the hounds pulled at the leashes; the hunters broke out joyfully, and greeted the ladies, who, standing at the gate, looked on at the departure. When the Vandals passed by Irmgard, they suddenly raised a ringing shout, and, lowering their weapons, bent their knees before her. Ingo also came toward her.

"Thou alone, Hero, dost not listen to the hunting-call," said Irmgard.

"Others also remain behind," replied Ingo, pointing to the hall.

"Do not doubt their faithfulness," said Irmgard earnestly. "When thou art with thy heroes, we do not fear much that fresh strife should break out betwixt them and our men." Thus did the woman he loved urge him to the chase which was to be sorrowful to many.

Ingo equipped himself quickly for the hunt, and hastened after his comrades; he reached them before the separation of the parties, and was received by his warriors with acclamation; the country guests also rejoiced in his coming, and they all entered the forest in good fellowship. Hildebrand pointed to the paths, and, led by the youths of the village, one band after another disappeared among the stems of the trees, along the windings of the valley. Soon were heard in the distance the strokes of the drivers on the stems of the trees, the cry of the hounds, and sometimes a loud blast of the horn. This time the Vandals had better success; they roused a herd of cattle --- among them a splendid bull, which had been heard of before at the house --- and they succeeded in driving the herd from the height into a deep valley, where the snowdrifts delayed the progress of the huge animals.