Nils Holgerssons underbara resa. English

by Selma Lagerlöf

morningand took my rifle along into the boat. I had just poled away from theshore when I sighted some wild geese coming from the east, shriekinglike mad. I sent them a shot, but hit none of them. Instead thiscreature came tumbling down into the water--so close to the boat that Ionly had to put my hand out and pick him up."

  "I hope you didn't shoot him, Ashbjoern?"

  "Oh, no! He is well and sound; but when he came down, he was a littledazed at first, so I took advantage of that fact to wind the ends of twosail threads around his ankles and wrists, so that he couldn't run away.'Ha! Here's something for Skansen,' I thought instantly."

  Clement grew strangely troubled as the fisherman talked. All that he hadheard about the tiny folk in his childhood--of their vindictivenesstoward enemies and their benevolence toward friends--came back to him.It had never gone well with those who had attempted to hold one of themcaptive.

  "You should have let him go at once, Ashbjoern," said Clement.

  "I came precious near being forced to set him free," returned thefisherman. "You may as well know, Clement, that the wild geese followedme all the way home, and they criss-crossed over the island the wholemorning, honk-honking as if they wanted him back. Not only they, but theentire population--sea gulls, sea swallows, and many others who are notworth a shot of powder, alighted on the island and made an awful racket.When I came out they fluttered about me until I had to turn back. Mywife begged me to let him go, but I had made up my mind that he shouldcome here to Skansen, so I placed one of the children's dolls in thewindow, hid the midget in the bottom of my bag, and started away. Thebirds must have fancied that it was he who stood in the window, for theypermitted me to leave without pursuing me."

  "Does it say anything?" asked Clement.

  "Yes. At first he tried to call to the birds, but I wouldn't have it andput a gag in his mouth."

  "Oh, Ashbjoern!" protested Clement. "How can you treat him so! Don't yousee that he is something supernatural!"

  "I don't know what he is," said Ashbjoern calmly. "Let others considerthat. I'm satisfied if only I can get a good sum for him. Now tell me,Clement, what you think the doctor at Skansen would give me."

  There was a long pause before Clement replied. He felt very sorry forthe poor little chap. He actually imagined that his mother was standingbeside him telling him that he must always be kind to the tiny folk.

  "I have no idea what the doctor up there would care to give you,Ashbjoern," he said finally. "But if you will leave him with me, I'll payyou twenty kroner for him."

  Ashbjoern stared at the fiddler in amazement when he heard him name solarge a sum. He thought that Clement believed the midget had somemysterious power and might be of service for him. He was by no meanscertain that the doctor would think him such a great find or would offerto pay so high a sum for him; so he accepted Clement's proffer.

  The fiddler poked his purchase into one of his wide pockets, turned backto Skansen, and went into a moss-covered hut, where there were neithervisitors nor guards. He closed the door after him, took out the midget,who was still bound hand and foot and gagged, and laid him down gentlyon a bench.

  "Now listen to what I say!" said Clement. "I know of course that such asyou do not like to be seen of men, but prefer to go about and busyyourselves in your own way. Therefore I have decided to give you yourliberty--but only on condition that you will remain in this park until Ipermit you to leave. If you agree to this, nod your head three times."

  Clement gazed at the midget with confident expectation, but the latterdid not move a muscle.

  "You shall not fare badly," continued Clement. "I'll see to it that youare fed every day, and you will have so much to do there that the timewill not seem long to you. But you mustn't go elsewhere till I give youleave. Now we'll agree as to a signal. So long as I set your food out ina white bowl you are to stay. When I set it out in a blue one you maygo."

  Clement paused again, expecting the midget to give the sign of approval,but he did not stir.

  "Very well," said Clement, "then there's no choice but to show you tothe master of this place. Then you'll be put in a glass case, and allthe people in the big city of Stockholm will come and stare at you."

  This scared the midget, and he promptly gave the signal.

  "That was right," said Clement as he cut the cord that bound themidget's hands. Then he hurried toward the door.

  The boy unloosed the bands around his ankles and tore away the gagbefore thinking of anything else. When he turned to Clement to thankhim, he had gone.

  Just outside the door Clement met a handsome, noble-looking gentleman,who was on his way to a place close by from which there was a beautifuloutlook. Clement could not recall having seen the stately old manbefore, but the latter must surely have noticed Clement sometime when hewas playing the fiddle, because he stopped and spoke to him.

  "Good day, Clement!" he said. "How do you do? You are not ill, are you?I think you have grown a bit thin of late."

  There was such an expression of kindliness about the old gentleman thatClement plucked up courage and told him of his homesickness.

  "What!" exclaimed the old gentleman. "Are you homesick when you are inStockholm? It can't be possible!" He looked almost offended. Then hereflected that it was only an ignorant old peasant from Haelsingland thathe talked with--and so resumed his friendly attitude.

  "Surely you have never heard how the city of Stockholm was founded? Ifyou had, you would comprehend that your anxiety to get away is only afoolish fancy. Come with me to the bench over yonder and I will tell yousomething about Stockholm."

  When the old gentleman was seated on the bench he glanced down at thecity, which spread in all its glory below him, and he drew a deepbreath, as if he wished to drink in all the beauty of the landscape.Thereupon he turned to the fiddler.

  "Look, Clement!" he said, and as he talked he traced with his cane alittle map in the sand in front of them. "Here lies Uppland, and here,to the south, a point juts out, which is split up by a number of bays.And here we have Soermland with another point, which is just as cut upand points straight north. Here, from the west, comes a lake filled withislands: It is Lake Maelar. From the east comes another body of water,which can barely squeeze in between the islands and islets. It is theEast Sea. Here, Clement, where Uppland joins Soermland and Maelaren joinsthe East Sea, comes a short river, in the centre of which lie fourlittle islets that divide the river into several tributaries--one ofwhich is called Norristroem but was formerly Stocksund.

  "In the beginning these islets were common wooded islands, such as onefinds in plenty on Lake Maelar even to-day, and for ages they wereentirely uninhabited. They were well located between two bodies of waterand two bodies of land; but this no one remarked. Year after yearpassed; people settled along Lake Maelar and in the archipelago, butthese river islands attracted no settlers. Sometimes it happened that aseafarer put into port at one of them and pitched his tent for thenight; but no one remained there long.

  "One day a fisherman, who lived on Liding Island, out in Salt Fiord,steered his boat toward Lake Maelar, where he had such good luck with hisfishing that he forgot to start for home in time. He got no farther thanthe four islets, and the best he could do was to land on one and waituntil later in the night, when there would be bright moonlight.

  "It was late summer and warm. The fisherman hauled his boat on land, laydown beside it, his head resting upon a stone, and fell asleep. When heawoke the moon had been up a long while. It hung right above him andshone with such splendour that it was like broad daylight.

  "The man jumped to his feet and was about to push his boat into thewater, when he saw a lot of black specks moving out in the stream. Aschool of seals was heading full speed for the island. When thefisherman saw that they intended to crawl up on land, he bent down forhis spear, which he always took with him in the boat. But when hestraightened up, he saw no seals. Instead, there stood on the strand themost beautiful young maidens, dressed in green, trailing satin robes,with pearl crowns upon
their heads. The fisherman understood that thesewere mermaids who lived on desolate rock islands far out at sea and hadassumed seal disguises in order to come up on land and enjoy themoonlight on the green islets.

  "He laid down the spear very cautiously, and when the young maidens cameup on the island to play, he stole behind and surveyed them. He hadheard that sea-nymphs were so beautiful and fascinating that no onecould see them and not be enchanted by their charms; and he had to admitthat this was not too much to say of them.

  "When he had stood for a while under the shadow of the trees and watchedthe dance, he went down to the strand, took one of the seal skins lyingthere, and hid it under a stone. Then he went back to his boat, lay downbeside it, and