For Gunnar, in order to punish the cowardice of the conquered race by terms of extraordinary baseness, had a dog set over them as a governor.  What can we suppose to have been his object in this action, unless it were to make a haughty nation feel that their arrogance was being more signally punished when they bowed their stubborn heads before a yapping hound?  To let no insult be lacking, he appointed governors to look after public and private affairs in its name; and he appointed separate ranks of nobles to keep continual and steadfast watch over it.  He also enacted that if any one of the courtiers thought it contemptible to do allegiance to their chief, and omitted offering most respectful homage to its various goings and comings as it ran hither and thither, he should be punished with loss of his limbs.  Also Gunnar imposed on the nation a double tribute, one to be paid out of the autumn harvest, the other in the spring.  Thus he burst the bubble conceit of the Norwegians, to make them feel clearly how their pride was gone, when they saw it forced to do homage to a dog.

When he heard that the king’s daughter was shut up in some distant hiding-place, Gunnar strained his wits in every nerve to track her out.  Hence, while he was himself conducting the search with others, his doubtful ear caught the distant sound of a subterranean hum.  Then he went on slowly, and recognized a human voice with greater certainty.  He ordered the ground underfoot to be dug down to the solid rock; and when the cave was suddenly laid open, he saw the winding tunnels.  The servants were slain as they tried to guard the now uncovered entrance to the cave, and the girl was dragged out of the hole, together with the booty therein concealed.  With great foresight, she had consigned at any rate her father’s swords to the protection of a more secret place.  Gunnar forced her to submit to his will, and she bore a son Hildiger.  This man was such a rival to his father in cruelty, that he was ever thirsting to kill, and was bent on nothing but the destruction of men, panting with a boundless lust for bloodshed.  Outlawed by his father on account of his unbearable ruthlessness, and soon after presented by Alver with a government, he spent his whole life in arms, visiting his neighbours with wars and slaughters; nor did he, in his estate of banishment, relax his accustomed savagery a whir, but would not change his spirit with his habitation.

Meanwhile Borgar, finding that Gunnar had married Drota, the daughter of Ragnald, by violence, took from him both life and wife, and wedded Drota himself.  She was not an unwilling bride; she thought it right for her to embrace the avenger of her parent.  For the daughter mourned her father, and could never bring herself to submit with any pleasure to his murderer.  This woman and Borgar had a son Halfdan, who through all his early youth was believed to be stupid, but whose later years proved illustrious for the most