Nils Holgerssons underbara resa. English

by Selma Lagerlöf

outside and on guard walked one of the navy'sjack-tars, but the bronze man strutted past him and kicked the gate openwithout the jack-tar's pretending to notice it.

  As soon as they had gotten into the shipyard, they saw before them awide, expansive harbor separated by pile-bridges. In the differentharbour basins, lay the warships, which looked bigger, and moreawe-inspiring close to, like this, than lately, when the boy had seenthem from up above. "Then it wasn't so crazy after all, to imagine thatthey were sea-trolls," thought he.

  "Where does Rosenbom think it most advisable for us to begin thesearch?" said the bronze man.

  "Such an one as he could most easily conceal himself in the hall ofmodels," replied the wooden man.

  On a narrow land-strip which stretched to the right from the gate, allalong the harbour, lay ancient structures. The bronze man walked over toa building with low walls, small windows, and a conspicuous roof. Hepounded on the door with his stick until it burst open; and tramped up apair of worn-out steps. Soon they came into a large hall, which wasfilled with tackled and full-rigged little ships. The boy understoodwithout being told, that these were models for the ships which had beenbuilt for the Swedish navy.

  There were ships of many different varieties. There were old men-of-war,whose sides bristled with cannon, and which had high structures fore andaft, and their masts weighed down with a network of sails and ropes.There were small island-boats with rowing-benches along the sides; therewere undecked cannon sloops and richly gilded frigates, which weremodels of the ones the kings had used on their travels. Finally, therewere also the heavy, broad armour-plated ships with towers and cannonon deck--such as are in use nowadays; and narrow, shining torpedo boatswhich resembled long, slender fishes.

  When the boy was carried around among all this, he was awed. "Fancy thatsuch big, splendid ships have been built here in Sweden!" he thought tohimself.

  He had plenty of time to see all that was to be seen in there; for whenthe bronze man saw the models, he forgot everything else. He examinedthem all, from the first to the last, and asked about them. AndRosenbom, the boatswain on the _Dristigheten_, told as much as he knewof the ships' builders, and of those who had manned them; and of thefates they had met. He told them about Chapman and Puke and Trolle; ofHoagland and Svensksund--all the way along until 1809--after that he hadnot been there.

  Both he and the bronze man had the most to say about the fine old woodenships. The new battleships they didn't exactly appear to understand.

  "I can hear that Rosenbom doesn't know anything about these new-fangledthings," said the bronze man. "Therefore, let us go and look atsomething else; for this amuses me, Rosenbom."

  By this time he had entirely given up his search for the boy, who feltcalm and secure where he sat in the wooden hat.

  Thereupon both men wandered through the big establishment: sail-makingshops, anchor smithy, machine and carpenter shops. They saw the mastsheers and the docks; the large magazines, the arsenal, the rope-bridgeand the big discarded dock, which had been blasted in the rock. Theywent out upon the pile-bridges, where the naval vessels lay moored,stepped on board and examined them like two old sea-dogs; wondered;disapproved; approved; and became indignant.

  The boy sat in safety under the wooden hat, and heard all about how theyhad laboured and struggled in this place, to equip the navies which hadgone out from here. He heard how life and blood had been risked; how thelast penny had been sacrificed to build the warships; how skilled menhad strained all their powers, in order to perfect these ships whichhad been their fatherland's safeguard. A couple of times the tears cameto the boy's eyes, as he heard all this.

  And the very last, they went into an open court, where the galley modelsof old men-of-war were grouped; and a more remarkable sight the boy hadnever beheld; for these models had inconceivably powerful andterror-striking faces. They were big, fearless and savage: filled withthe same proud spirit that had fitted out the great ships. They werefrom another time than his. He thought that he shrivelled up beforethem.

  But when they came in here, the bronze man said to the wooden man:"Take off thy hat, Rosenbom, for those that stand here! They have allfought for the fatherland."

  And Rosenbom--like the bronze man--had forgotten why they had begun thistramp. Without thinking, he lifted the wooden hat from his head andshouted:

  "I take off my hat to the one who chose the harbour and founded theshipyard and recreated the navy; to the monarch who has awakened allthis into life!"

  "Thanks, Rosenbom! That was well spoken. Rosenbom is a fine man. Butwhat is this, Rosenbom?"

  For there stood Nils Holgersson, right on the top of Rosenbom's baldpate. He wasn't afraid any longer; but raised his white toboggan hood,and shouted: "Hurrah for you, Longlip!"

  The bronze man struck the ground hard with his stick; but the boy neverlearned what he had intended to do for now the sun ran up, and, at thesame time, both the bronze man and the wooden man vanished--as if theyhad been made of mists. While he still stood and stared after them, thewild geese flew up from the church tower, and swayed back and forth overthe city. Instantly they caught sight of Nils Holgersson; and then thebig white one darted down from the sky and fetched him.

  THE TRIP TO OeLAND

  _Sunday, April third_.

  The wild geese went out on a wooded island to feed. There they happenedto run across a few gray geese, who were surprised to see them--sincethey knew very well that their kinsmen, the wild geese, usually travelover the interior of the country.

  They were curious and inquisitive, and wouldn't be satisfied with lessthan that the wild geese should tell them all about the persecutionwhich they had to endure from Smirre Fox. When they had finished, agray goose, who appeared to be as old and as wise as Akka herself, said:"It was a great misfortune for you that Smirre Fox was declared anoutlaw in his own land. He'll be sure to keep his word, and follow youall the way up to Lapland. If I were in your place, I shouldn't travelnorth over Smaland, but would take the outside route over Oeland instead,so that he'll be thrown off the track entirely. To really mislead him,you must remain for a couple of days on Oeland's southern point. Thereyou'll find lots of food and lots of company. I don't believe you'llregret it, if you go over there."

  It was certainly very sensible advice, and the wild geese concluded tofollow it. As soon as they had eaten all they could hold, they startedon the trip to Oeland. None of them had ever been there before, but thegray goose had given them excellent directions. They only had to traveldirect south until they came to a large bird-track, which extended allalong the Blekinge coast. All the birds who had winter residences by theWest sea, and who now intended to travel to Finland and Russia, flewforward there--and, in passing, they were always in the habit ofstopping at Oeland to rest. The wild geese would have no trouble infinding guides.

  That day it was perfectly still and warm--like a summer's day--the bestweather in the world for a sea trip. The only grave thing about it wasthat it was not quite clear, for the sky was gray and veiled. Here andthere were enormous mist-clouds which hung way down to the sea's outeredge, and obstructed the view.

  When the travellers had gotten away from the wooded island, the seaspread itself so smooth and mirror-like, that the boy as he looked downthought the water had disappeared. There was no longer any earth underhim. He had nothing but mist and sky around him. He grew very dizzy, andheld himself tight on the goose-back, more frightened than when he satthere for the first time. It seemed as though he couldn't possibly holdon; he must fall in some direction.

  It was even worse when they reached the big bird-track, of which thegray goose had spoken. Actually, there came flock after flock flying inexactly the same direction. They seemed to follow a fixed route. Therewere ducks and gray geese, surf-scoters and guillemots, loons andpin-tail ducks and mergansers and grebes and oyster-catchers andsea-grouse. But now, when the boy leaned forward, and looked in thedirection where the sea ought to lie, he saw the whole bird processionreflected in the water. But he was s
o dizzy that he didn't understandhow this had come about: he thought that the whole bird procession flewwith their bellies upside down. Still he didn't wonder at this so much,for he did not himself know which was up, and which was down.

  The birds were tired out and impatient to get on. None of them shriekedor said a funny thing, and this made everything seem peculiarly unreal.

  "Think, if we have travelled away from the earth!" he said to himself."Think, if we are on our way up to heaven!"

  He saw nothing but mists and birds around him, and began to look upon itas reasonable that they were travelling heaven-ward. He was glad, andwondered what he should see up there. The dizziness passed all at once.He was so exceedingly happy at the thought that he was on his way toheaven and was leaving this earth.

  Just about then he heard a couple of loud shots, and saw