north giants, moaning for the days that had been and for the
glories that were past. Then Siegfried looked to the north,
and he saw the dark mountain-wall of Norway trending away in
solemn grandeur towards the frozen sea, but broken here and
there by sheltering fjords, and pleasant, sunny dales. He
looked to the east, and saw a great forest stretching away
and away until it faded to sight in the blue distance. He
looked to the south, and saw a pleasant land, with farms and
vineyards, and towns and strong-built castles; and through
it wound the River Rhine, like a great white serpent,
reaching from the snow-capped Alps to the northern sea. And
he saw his father's little kingdom of the Netherlands lying
like a green speck on the shore of the ocean. Then he looked
to the west, and nothing met his sight but a wilderness of
rolling, restless waters, save, in the far distance, a green
island half hidden by sullen mists and clouds. And Siegfried
sighed, and said,--

"The world is so wide, and the life of man so short!"

"The world is all before thee," answered Gripir. "Take what
the Norns have allotted thee. Choose from my pastures a
battle-steed, and ride forth to win for thyself a name and
fame among the sons of men."

Then Siegfried ran down the steep side of the mountain to
the grassy dell where the horses were feeding. But the
beasts were all so fair and strong, that he knew not which
to choose. While he paused, uncertain what to do, a strange
man stood before him. Tall and handsome was the man, with