Meantime Gunn, whom he had told to conceal the absence of his friend, took the basket into the palace and stirred up the dog to bark; and when the queen asked what this was, he answered that Jarmerik was out of his mind and howling.  She, beholding the effigy, was deceived by the likeness, and ordered that the madman should be cast out of the house.  Then Gunn took the effigy out and put it to bed, as though it were his distraught friend.  But towards night he plied the watch bountifully with wine and festal mirth, cut off their heads as they slept, and set them at their groins, in order to make their slaying more shameful.  The queen, roused by the din, and wishing to learn the reason of it, hastily rushed to the doors.  But while she unwarily put forth her head, the sword of Gunn suddenly pierced her through.  Feeling a mortal wound, she sank, turned her eyes on her murderer, and said, “Had it been granted me to live unscathed, no screen or treachery should have let thee leave this land unpunished.”  A flood of such threats against her slayer poured from her dying lips.

Then Jarmerik, with Gunn, the partner of his noble deed, secretly set fire to the tent wherein the king was celebrating with a banquet the obsequies of his brother; all the company were overcome with liquor.  The fire filled the tent and spread all about; and some of them, shaking off the torpor of drink, took horse and pursued those who had endangered them.  But the young men fled at first on the beasts they had taken; and at last, when these were exhausted with their long gallop, took to flight on foot.  They were all but caught, when a river saved them.  For they crossed a bridge, of which, in order to delay the pursuer, they first cut the timbers down to the middle, thus making it not only unequal to a burden, but ready to come down; then they retreated into a dense morass.

The Sclavs pressed on them hard and, not forseeing the danger, unwarily put the weight of their horses on the bridge; the flooring sank, and they were shaken off and flung into the river.  But, as they swam up to the bank, they were met by Gunn and Jarmerik, and either drowned or slain.  Thus the young men showed great cunning, and did a deed beyond their years, being more like sagacious old men than runaway slaves, and successfully achieving their shrewd design.  When they reached the strand they seized a vessel chance threw in their way, and made for the deep.  The barbarians who pursued them, tried, when they saw them sailing off, to bring them back by shouting promises after them that they should be kings if they returned; “for, by the public statute of the ancients, the succession was appointed to the slayers of the kings.”  As they retreated, their ears were long deafened by the Sclavs obstinately shouting their treacherous promises.