Nils Holgerssons underbara resa. English

by Selma Lagerlöf

geese, so heslackened his speed.

  "Why haven't you spoken of this before?" he asked. "You shall have allthe food you want. There's no need of your starving when you have aneagle for a travelling companion."

  Just then the eagle sighted a farmer who was sowing a field near theriver strand. The man carried the seeds in a basket suspended from hisneck, and each time that it was emptied he refilled it from a seed sackwhich stood at the end of the furrow. The eagle reasoned it out that thesack must be filled with the best food that the boy could wish for, sohe darted toward it. But before the bird could get there a terribleclamour arose about him. Sparrows, crows, and swallows came rushing upwith wild shrieks, thinking that the eagle meant to swoop down upon somebird.

  "Away, away, robber! Away, away, bird-killer!" they cried. They madesuch a racket that it attracted the farmer, who came running, so thatGorgo had to flee, and the boy got no seed.

  The small birds behaved in the most extraordinary manner. Not only didthey force the eagle to flee, they pursued him a long distance down thevalley, and everywhere the people heard their cries. Women came out andclapped their hands so that it sounded like a volley of musketry, andthe men rushed out with rifles.

  The same thing was repeated every time the eagle swept toward theground. The boy abandoned the hope that the eagle could procure any foodfor him. It had never occurred to him before that Gorgo was so muchhated. He almost pitied him.

  In a little while they came to a homestead where the housewife had justbeen baking. She had set a platter of sugared buns in the back yard tocool and was standing beside it, watching, so that the cat and dogshould not steal the buns.

  The eagle circled down to the yard, but dared not alight right under theeyes of the peasant woman. He flew up and down, irresolute; twice hecame down as far as the chimney, then rose again.

  The peasant woman noticed the eagle. She raised her head and followedhim with her glance.

  "How peculiarly he acts!" she remarked. "I believe he wants one of mybuns."

  She was a beautiful woman, tall and fair, with a cheery, opencountenance. Laughing heartily, she took a bun from the platter, andheld it above her head.

  "If you want it, come and take it!" she challenged.

  While the eagle did not understand her language, he knew at once thatshe was offering him the bun. With lightning speed, he swooped to thebread, snatched it, and flew toward the heights.

  When the boy saw the eagle snatch the bread he wept for joy--not becausehe would escape suffering hunger for a few days, but because he wastouched by the peasant woman's sharing her bread with a savage bird ofprey.

  Where he now sat on the pine branch he could recall at will the tall,fair woman as she stood in the yard and held up the bread.

  She must have known that the large bird was a golden eagle--a plunderer,who was usually welcomed with loud shots; doubtless she had also seenthe queer changeling he bore on his back. But she had not thought ofwhat they were. As soon as she understood that they were hungry, sheshared her good bread with them.

  "If I ever become human again," thought the boy, "I shall look up thepretty woman who lives near the great river, and thank her for herkindness to us."

  THE FOREST FIRE

  While the boy was still at his breakfast he smelled a faint odour ofsmoke coming from the north. He turned and saw a tiny spiral, white as amist, rise from a forest ridge--not from the one nearest him, but fromthe one beyond it. It looked strange to see smoke in the wild forest,but it might be that a mountain stock farm lay over yonder, and thewomen were boiling their morning coffee.

  It was remarkable the way that smoke increased and spread! It could notcome from a ranch, but perhaps there were charcoal kilns in the forest.

  The smoke increased every moment. Now it curled over the whole mountaintop. It was not possible that so much smoke could come from a charcoalkiln. There must be a conflagration of some sort, for many birds flewover to the nearest ridge. Hawks, grouse, and other birds, who were sosmall that it was impossible to recognize them at such a distance, fledfrom the fire.

  The tiny white spiral of smoke grew to a thick white cloud which rolledover the edge of the ridge and sank toward the valley. Sparks and flakesof soot shot up from the clouds, and here and there one could see a redflame in the smoke. A big fire was raging over there, but what wasburning? Surely there was no large farm hidden in the forest.

  The source of such a fire must be more than a farm. Now the smoke camenot only from the ridge, but from the valley below it, which the boycould not see, because the next ridge obstructed his view. Great cloudsof smoke ascended; the forest itself was burning!

  It was difficult for him to grasp the idea that the fresh, green pinescould burn. If it really were the forest that was burning, perhaps thefire might spread all the way over to him. It seemed improbable; but hewished the eagle would soon return. It would be best to be away fromthis. The mere smell of the smoke which he drew in with every breath wasa torture.

  All at once he heard a terrible crackling and sputtering. It came fromthe ridge nearest him. There, on the highest point, stood a tall pinelike the one in which he sat. A moment before it had been a gorgeous redin the morning light. Now all the needles flashed, and the pine caughtfire. Never before had it looked so beautiful! But this was the lasttime it could exhibit any beauty, for the pine was the first tree on theridge to burn. It was impossible to tell how the flames had reached it.Had the fire flown on red wings, or crawled along the ground like asnake? It was not easy to say, but there it was at all events. The greatpine burned like a birch stem.

  Ah, look! Now smoke curled up in many places on the ridge. The forestfire was both bird and snake. It could fly in the air over widestretches, or steal along the ground. The whole ridge was ablaze!

  There was a hasty flight of birds that circled up through the smoke likebig flakes of soot. They flew across the valley and came to the ridgewhere the boy sat. A horned owl perched beside him, and on a branch justabove him a hen hawk alighted. These would have been dangerousneighbours at any other time, but now they did not even glance in hisdirection--only stared at the fire. Probably they could not make outwhat was wrong with the forest. A marten ran up the pine to the tip of abranch, and looked at the burning heights. Close beside the marten sat asquirrel, but they did not appear to notice each other.

  Now the fire came rushing down the slope, hissing and roaring like atornado. Through the smoke one could see the flames dart from tree totree. Before a branch caught fire it was first enveloped in a thin veilof smoke, then all the needles grew red at one time, and it began tocrackle and blaze.

  In the glen below ran a little brook, bordered by elms and smallbirches. It appeared as if the flames would halt there. Leafy trees arenot so ready to take fire as fir trees. The fire did pause as if beforea gate that could stop it. It glowed and crackled and tried to leapacross the brook to the pine woods on the other side, but could notreach them.

  For a short time the fire was thus restrained, then it shot a longflame over to the large, dry pine that stood on the slope, and this wassoon ablaze. The fire had crossed the brook! The heat was so intensethat every tree on the mountain was ready to burn. With the roar andrush of the maddest storm and the wildest torrent the forest fire flewover to the ridge.

  Then the hawk and the owl rose and the marten dashed down the tree. In afew seconds more the fire would reach the top of the pine, and the boy,too, would have to be moving. It was not easy to slide down the long,straight pine trunk. He took as firm a hold of it as he could, and slidin long stretches between the knotty branches; finally he tumbledheadlong to the ground. He had no time to find out if he was hurt--onlyto hurry away. The fire raced down the pine like a raging tempest; theground under his feet was hot and smouldering. On either side of him rana lynx and an adder, and right beside the snake fluttered a mothergrouse who was hurrying along with her little downy chicks.

  When the refugees descended the mountain to the glen they met peoplefighting the f
ire. They had been there for some time, but the boy hadbeen gazing so intently in the direction of the fire that he had notnoticed them before.

  In this glen there was a brook, bordered by a row of leaf trees, andback of these trees the people worked. They felled the fir trees nearestthe elms, dipped water from the brook and poured it over the ground,washing away heather and myrtle to prevent the fire from stealing up tothe birch brush.

  They, too, thought only of the fire which was now rushing toward them.The fleeing animals ran in and out among the men's feet, withoutattracting attention. No one struck at the adder or tried to catch themother grouse as she ran back and forth with her little peepingbirdlings. They did not even bother about Thumbietot. In their handsthey held great, charred pine branches which had dropped into the brook,and it appeared as if they intended to challenge the fire with theseweapons. There were not many men, and it was strange to see them standthere, ready to fight, when all other living creatures were fleeing.

  As the fire came roaring and rushing down the slope with its intolerableheat and suffocating smoke, ready to hurl itself over brook andleaf-tree wall in order to reach the opposite shore without having topause, the people drew back at first as if unable to withstand it; butthey did not flee far before they turned back.

  The conflagration raged with savage force, sparks poured like a rain offire over the leaf trees, and long tongues of flame shot hissingly outfrom the smoke, as if the forest on the other side were sucking them in.

  But the leaf-tree wall was an obstruction behind which the men worked.When the ground began to smoulder they brought water in their vesselsand dampened it. When a tree became wreathed in smoke they felled it atonce, threw it down and put out the flames. Where the fire crept alongthe heather, they beat it with the wet pine branches and smothered it.

  The smoke was so dense that it enveloped everything. One could notpossibly see how the battle was going, but it was easy enough tounderstand that it was a hard fight, and that several times the firecame near penetrating farther.

  But think! After a while the loud roar of the flames decreased, and thesmoke cleared. By that time the leaf trees had lost all their foliage,the ground under them was charred, the faces of the men were blackenedby smoke and dripping with sweat; but the forest fire was conquered. Ithad ceased to flame up. Soft white smoke crept along the ground, andfrom it peeped out a lot of black stumps. This was all there was left ofthe beautiful forest!

  The boy scrambled up on a rock, so that he might see how the fire hadbeen quenched. But now that the forest was saved, his peril began. Theowl and the hawk simultaneously turned their eyes toward him. Just thenhe heard a familiar voice calling to him.

  Gorgo, the golden eagle, came sweeping through the forest, and soon theboy was soaring among the clouds--rescued from every peril.

  WESTBOTTOM AND LAPLAND

  THE FIVE SCOUTS

  Once, at Skansen, the boy had sat under the steps at Bollnaes cottage andhad overheard Clement Larsson and the old Laplander talk about Norrland.Both agreed that it was the most beautiful part of Sweden. Clementthought that the southern part was the best, while the Laplanderfavoured the northern part.

  As they argued, it became plain that Clement had never been farthernorth than Haernoesand. The Laplander laughed at him for speaking withsuch assurance of places that he had never seen.

  "I think I shall have to tell you a story, Clement, to give you someidea of Lapland, since you have not seen it," volunteered the Laplander.

  "It shall not be said of me that I refuse to listen to a story,"retorted Clement, and the old Laplander began:

  "It once happened that the birds who lived down in Sweden, south of thegreat Sameland, thought that they were overcrowded there and suggestedmoving northward.

  "They came together to consider the matter. The young and eager birdswished to start at once, but the older and wiser ones passed aresolution to send scouts to explore the new country.

  "'Let each of the five great bird families send out a scout,' said theold and wise birds, 'to learn if there is room for us all up there--foodand hiding places.'

  "Five intelligent and capable birds were immediately appointed by thefive great bird families.

  "The forest birds selected a grouse, the field birds a lark, the seabirds a gull, the fresh-water birds a loon, and the cliff birds a snowsparrow.

  "When the five chosen ones were ready to start, the grouse, who was thelargest and most commanding, said:

  "'There are great stretches of land ahead. If we travel together, itwill be long before we cover all the territory that we must explore. If,on the other hand, we travel singly--each one exploring his specialportion of the country--the whole business can be accomplished in a fewdays.'

  "The other scouts thought the suggestion a good one, and agreed to actupon it.

  "It was decided that the grouse should explore the midlands. The larkwas to travel to the eastward, the sea gull still farther east, wherethe land bordered on the sea, while the loon should fly over theterritory west of the midlands, and the snow sparrow to the extremewest.

  "In accordance with this plan, the five birds flew over the wholeNorthland. Then they turned back and told the assembly of birds whatthey had discovered.

  "The gull, who had travelled along the sea-coast, spoke first.

  "'The North is a fine country,' he said. 'The sounds are full of fish,and there are points and islands without number. Most of these areuninhabited, and the birds will find plenty of room there. The humansdo a little fishing and sailing in the sounds, but not enough to disturbthe birds. If the sea birds follow my advice, they will move northimmediately.'

  "When the gull had finished, the lark, who had explored the land backfrom the coast, spoke:

  "'I don't know what the gull means by his islands and points,' said thelark. I have travelled only over great fields and flowery meadows. Ihave never before seen a country crossed by some large streams. Theirshores are dotted with homesteads, and at the mouth of the rivers arecities; but for the most part the country is very desolate. If the fieldbirds follow my advice, they will move north immediately.'

  "After the lark came the grouse, who had flown over the midlands.

  "'I know neither what the lark means with his meadows nor the gull withhis islands and points,' said he. 'I have seen only pine forests on thiswhole trip. There are also many rushing streams and great stretches ofmoss-grown swamp land; but all that is not river or swamp is forest. Ifthe forest birds follow my advice, they will move north immediately.'

  "After the grouse came the loon, who had explored the borderland to thewest.

  "I don't know what the grouse means by his forests, nor do I know wherethe eyes of the lark and the gull could have been,' remarked the loon.There's hardly any land up there--only big lakes. Between beautifulshores glisten clear, blue mountain lakes, which pour into roaringwater-falls. If the fresh-water birds follow my advice, they will movenorth immediately.'

  "The last speaker was the snow sparrow, who had flown along the westernboundary.

  "'I don't know what the loon means by his lakes, nor do I know whatcountries the grouse, the lark, and the gull can have seen,' he said. 'Ifound one vast mountainous region up north. I didn't run across anyfields or any pine forests, but peak after peak and highlands. I haveseen ice fields and snow and mountain brooks, with water as white asmilk. No farmers nor cattle nor homesteads have I seen, but only Lappsand reindeer and huts met my eyes. If the cliff birds follow my advice,they will move north immediately.'

  "When the five scouts had presented their reports to the assembly, theybegan to call one another liars, and were ready to fly at each other toprove the truth of their arguments.

  "But the old and wise birds who had sent them out, listened to theiraccounts with joy, and calmed their fighting propensities.

  "'You mustn't quarrel among yourselves,' they said. 'We understand fromyour reports that up north there are large mountain tracts, a big lakeregion, great forest lands,
a wide plain, and a big group of islands.This is more than we have expected--more than many a mighty kingdom canboast within its borders.'"

  THE MOVING LANDSCAPE

  _Saturday, June eighteenth_.

  The boy had been reminded of the old Laplander's story because hehimself was now travelling over the country of which he had spoken. Theeagle told him that the expanse of coast which spread beneath them wasWestbottom, and that the blue ridges far to the west were in Lapland.

  Only to be once more seated comfortably on Gorgo's back, after all thathe had suffered during the forest fire, was a pleasure. Besides, theywere having a fine trip. The flight was so easy that at times it seemedas if they were standing still in the air. The eagle beat and beat hiswings, without appearing to move from the spot; on the other hand,everything under them seemed in motion. The whole earth and all thingson it moved slowly southward. The forests, the fields, the fences, therivers, the cities, the islands, the sawmills--all were on the march.The boy wondered whither they were bound. Had they grown tired ofstanding so far north, and wished to move toward the south?

  Amid all the objects in motion there was only one that stood still: thatwas a railway train. It stood directly under them, for it was with thetrain as with Gorgo--it could not move from the spot. The locomotivesent forth smoke and sparks. The clatter of the wheels could be heardall the way up to the boy, but the train did not seem to move. Theforests rushed by; the flag station rushed by; fences and telegraphpoles rushed by; but the train stood still. A broad river with a longbridge came toward it, but the river and the bridge glided along underthe train with perfect ease. Finally a railway station appeared. Thestation master stood on the platform with his red flag, and moved slowlytoward the train.

  When he waved his little flag, the locomotive belched even