Peredeo's, and fled with him to Ravenna, with all the treasure and
Alpswintha, Alboin's daughter by the Frankish wife; and how Longinus
the exarch persuaded her to poison Helmichis, and marry him; and how
she gave Helmichis the poisoned cup as he came out of the bath, and
he saw by the light of her wicked eyes that it was poison, and made
her drink the rest; and so they both fell dead. And then how Peredeo
and the treasure were sent to the Emperor at Constantinople; and how
Peredeo slew a great lion in the theatre; and how Tiberius, when he
saw that he was so mighty a man of his hands, bade put his eyes out;
and how he hid two knives in his sleeves, and slew with them two
great chamberlains of the Emperor; and so died, like Samson, says old
Paul, having got good weregeld for the loss of his eyes--a man for
either eye.

And old Narses died at Rome, at a great age; and they wrapt him in
lead, and sent him to Byzant with all his wealth. But some say that
while he was still alive, he hid his wealth in a great cistern, and
slew all who knew of it save one old man, and swore him never to
reveal the place. But after Narses' death that old man went to
Constantinople to Tiberius the Caesar, and told him how he could not
die with that secret on his mind; and so Tiberius got all the money,
so much that it took many days to carry away, and gave it all to the
poor, as was his wont.

A myth--a fable: but significant, as one more attempt to answer the
question of all questions in a Teuton's mind--What had become of the
Nibelungen hoard? What had become of all the wealth of Rome?