himit's easier to fly fast than slow!" called the leader, and raced on asbefore.
The goosey-gander certainly tried to follow the advice, and increase hisspeed; but then he became so exhausted that he sank away down to thedrooping willows that bordered the fields and meadows.
"Akka, Akka, Akka from Kebnekaise!" cried those who flew last and sawwhat a hard time he was having. "What do you want now?" asked theleader--and she sounded awfully angry. "The white one sinks to theearth; the white one sinks to the earth." "Tell him it's easier to flyhigh than low!" shouted the leader, and she didn't slow up the leastlittle bit, but raced on as before.
The goosey-gander tried also to follow this advice; but when he wantedto raise himself, he became so winded that he almost burst his breast.
"Akka, Akka!" again cried those who flew last. "Can't you let me fly inpeace?" asked the leader, and she sounded even madder than before.
"The white one is ready to collapse." "Tell him that he who has not thestrength to fly with the flock, can go back home!" cried the leader. Shecertainly had no idea of decreasing her speed--but raced on as before.
"Oh! is that the way the wind blows," thought the goosey-gander. Heunderstood at once that the wild geese had never intended to take himalong up to Lapland. They had only lured him away from home in sport.
He felt thoroughly exasperated. To think that his strength should failhim now, so he wouldn't be able to show these tramps that even a tamegoose was good for something! But the most provoking thing of all wasthat he had fallen in with Akka from Kebnekaise. Tame goose that he was,he had heard about a leader goose, named Akka, who was more than ahundred years old. She had such a big name that the best wild geese inthe world followed her. But no one had such a contempt for tame geeseas Akka and her flock, and gladly would he have shown them that he wastheir equal.
He flew slowly behind the rest, while he deliberated whether he shouldturn back or continue. Finally, the little creature that he carried onhis back said: "Dear Morten Goosey-gander, you know well enough that itis simply impossible for you, who have never flown, to go with the wildgeese all the way up to Lapland. Won't you turn back before you killyourself?"
But the farmer's lad was about the worst thing the goosey-gander knewanything about, and as soon as it dawned on him that this puny creatureactually believed that he couldn't make the trip, he decided to stick itout. "If you say another word about this, I'll drop you into the firstditch we ride over!" said he, and at the same time his fury gave him somuch strength that he began to fly almost as well as any of the others.
It isn't likely that he could have kept this pace up very long, neitherwas it necessary; for, just then, the sun sank quickly; and at sunsetthe geese flew down, and before the boy and the goosey-gander knew whathad happened, they stood on the shores of Vomb Lake.
"They probably intend that we shall spend the night here," thought theboy, and jumped down from the goose's back.
He stood on a narrow beach by a fair-sized lake. It was ugly to lookupon, because it was almost entirely covered with an ice-crust that wasblackened and uneven and full of cracks and holes--as spring icegenerally is.
The ice was already breaking up. It was loose and floating and had abroad belt of dark, shiny water all around it; but there was stillenough of it left to spread chill and winter terror over the place.
On the other side of the lake there appeared to be an open and lightcountry, but where the geese had lighted there was a thick pine-growth.It looked as if the forest of firs and pines had the power to bind thewinter to itself. Everywhere else the ground was bare; but beneath thesharp pine-branches lay snow that had been melting and freezing, meltingand freezing, until it was hard as ice.
The boy thought he had struck an arctic wilderness, and he was somiserable that he wanted to scream. He was hungry too. He hadn't eaten abite the whole day. But where should he find any food? Nothing eatablegrew on either ground or tree in the month of March.
Yes, where was he to find food, and who would give him shelter, and whowould fix his bed, and who would protect him from the wild beasts?
For now the sun was away and frost came from the lake, and darkness sankdown from heaven, and terror stole forward on the twilight's trail, andin the forest it began to patter and rustle.
Now the good humour which the boy had felt when he was up in the air,was gone, and in his misery he looked around for his travellingcompanions. He had no one but them to cling to now.
Then he saw that the goosey-gander was having even a worse time of itthan he. He was lying prostrate on the spot where he had alighted; andit looked as if he were ready to die. His neck lay flat against theground, his eyes were closed, and his breathing sounded like a feeblehissing.
"Dear Morten Goosey-Gander," said the boy, "try to get a swallow ofwater! It isn't two steps to the lake."
But the goosey-gander didn't stir.
The boy had certainly been cruel to all animals, and to thegoosey-gander in times gone by; but now he felt that the goosey-ganderwas the only comfort he had left, and he was dreadfully afraid of losinghim.
At once the boy began to push and drag him, to get him into the water,but the goosey-gander was big and heavy, and it was mighty hard work forthe boy; but at last he succeeded.
The goosey-gander got in head first. For an instant he lay motionless inthe slime, but soon he poked up his head, shook the water from his eyesand sniffed. Then he swam, proudly, between reeds and seaweed.
The wild geese were in the lake before him. They had not looked aroundfor either the goosey-gander or for his rider, but had made straightfor the water. They had bathed and primped, and now they lay and gulpedhalf-rotten pond-weed and water-clover.
The white goosey-gander had the good fortune to spy a perch. He grabbedit quickly, swam ashore with it, and laid it down in front of the boy."Here's a thank you for helping me into the water," said he.
It was the first time the boy had heard a friendly word that day. He wasso happy that he wanted to throw his arms around the goosey-gander'sneck, but he refrained; and he was also thankful for the gift. At firsthe must have thought that it would be impossible to eat raw fish, andthen he had a notion to try it.
He felt to see if he still had his sheath-knife with him; and, sureenough, there it hung--on the back button of his trousers, although itwas so diminished that it was hardly as long as a match. Well, at anyrate, it served to scale and cleanse fish with; and it wasn't longbefore the perch was eaten.
When the boy had satisfied his hunger, he felt a little ashamed becausehe had been able to eat a raw thing. "It's evident that I'm not a humanbeing any longer, but a real elf," thought he.
While the boy ate, the goosey-gander stood silently beside him. But whenhe had swallowed the last bite, he said in a low voice: "It's a factthat we have run across a stuck-up goose folk who despise all tamebirds."
"Yes, I've observed that," said the boy.
"What a triumph it would be for me if I could follow them clear up toLapland, and show them that even a tame goose can do things!"
"Y-e-e-s," said the boy, and drawled it out because he didn't believethe goosey-gander could ever do it; yet he didn't wish to contradicthim. "But I don't think I can get along all alone on such a journey,"said the goosey-gander. "I'd like to ask if you couldn't come along andhelp me?" The boy, of course, hadn't expected anything but to return tohis home as soon as possible, and he was so surprised that he hardlyknew what he should reply. "I thought that we were enemies, you and I,"said he. But this the goosey-gander seemed to have forgotten entirely.He only remembered that the boy had but just saved his life.
"I suppose I really ought to go home to father and mother," said theboy. "Oh! I'll get you back to them some time in the fall," said thegoosey-gander. "I shall not leave you until I put you down on your owndoorstep."
The boy thought it might be just as well for him if he escaped showinghimself before his parents for a while. He was not disinclined to favourthe scheme, and was just on the point of say
ing that he agreed toit--when they heard a loud rumbling behind them. It was the wild geesewho had come up from the lake--all at one time--and stood shaking thewater from their backs. After that they arranged themselves in a longrow--with the leader-goose in the centre--and came toward them.
As the white goosey-gander sized up the wild geese, he felt ill at ease.He had expected that they should be more like tame geese, and that heshould feel a closer kinship with them. They were much smaller than he,and none of them were white. They were all gray with a sprinkling ofbrown. He was almost afraid of their eyes. They were yellow, and shoneas if a fire had been kindled back of them. The goosey-gander had alwaysbeen taught that it was most fitting to move slowly and with a
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