Nils Holgerssons underbara resa. English

by Selma Lagerlöf

brewer's vatfrom the long sledge. As he tugged at this he paused, as if he could notquite make up his mind to throw it out; but, in reality, his mind wastaken up with something altogether different.

  "'Surely a man and a horse who have no infirmities need not let a feebleold woman be devoured by wolves for their sakes!' he thought. 'Theremust be some other way of salvation. Why, of course, there is! It's onlymy stupidity that hinders me from finding the way.'

  "Again he started to push the vat, then paused once more and burst outlaughing.

  "The old woman was alarmed and wondered if he had gone mad, but the manfrom Hede was laughing at himself because he had been so stupid all thewhile. It was the simplest thing in the world to save all three of them.He could not imagine why he had not thought of it before.

  "'Listen to what I say to you, Malin!' he said. 'It was splendid of youto be willing to throw yourself to the wolves. But you won't have to dothat because I know how we can all three be helped without endangeringthe life of any. Remember, whatever I may do, you are to sit still anddrive down to Linsaell. There you must waken the townspeople and tellthem that I'm alone out here on the ice, surrounded by wolves, and askthem to come and help me.'

  "The man waited until the wolves were almost upon the sledge. Then herolled out the big brewer's vat, jumped down, and crawled in under it.

  "It was a huge vat, large enough to hold a whole Christmas brew. Thewolves pounced upon it and bit at the hoops, but the vat was too heavyfor them to move. They could not get at the man inside.

  "He knew that he was safe and laughed at the wolves. After a bit he wasserious again.

  "'For the future, when I get into a tight place, I shall remember thisvat, and I shall bear in mind that I need never wrong either myself orothers, for there is always a third way out of a difficulty if only onecan hit upon it.'"

  With this Bataki closed his narrative.

  The boy noticed that the raven never spoke unless there was some specialmeaning back of his words, and the longer he listened to him, the morethoughtful he became.

  "I wonder why you told me that story?" remarked the boy.

  "I just happened to think of it as I stood here, gazing up atSonfjaellet," replied the raven.

  Now they had travelled farther down Lake Ljusna and in an hour or sothey came to Kolsaett, close to the border of Haelsingland. Here the ravenalighted near a little hut that had no windows--only a shutter. From thechimney rose sparks and smoke, and from within the sound of heavyhammering was heard.

  "Whenever I see this smithy," observed the raven, "I'm reminded that, informer times, there were such skilled blacksmiths here in Haerjedalen,more especially in this village--that they couldn't be matched in thewhole country."

  "Perhaps you also remember a story about them?" said the boy.

  "Yes," returned Bataki, "I remember one about a smith from Haerjedalenwho once invited two other master blacksmiths--one from Dalecarlia andone from Vermland--to compete with him at nail-making. The challenge wasaccepted and the three blacksmiths met here at Kolsaett. The Dalecarlianbegan. He forged a dozen nails, so even and smooth and sharp that theycouldn't be improved upon. After him came the Vermlander. He, too,forged a dozen nails, which were quite perfect and, moreover, hefinished them in half the time that it took the Dalecarlian. When thejudges saw this they said to the Haerjedal smith that it wouldn't beworth while for him to try, since he could not forge better than theDalecarlian or faster than the Vermlander.

  "'I sha'n't give up! There must be still another way of excelling,'insisted the Haerjedal smith.

  "He placed the iron on the anvil without heating it at the forge; hesimply hammered it hot and forged nail after nail, without the use ofeither anvil or bellows. None of the judges had ever seen a blacksmithwield a hammer more masterfully, and the Haerjedal smith was proclaimedthe best in the land."

  With these remarks Bataki subsided, and the boy grew even morethoughtful.

  "I wonder what your purpose was in telling me that?" he queried.

  "The story dropped into my mind when I saw the old smithy again," saidBataki in an offhand manner.

  The two travellers rose again into the air and the raven carried the boysouthward till they came to Lillhaerdal Parish, where he alighted on aleafy mound at the top of a ridge.

  "I wonder if you know upon what mound you are standing?" said Bataki.

  The boy had to confess that he did not know.

  "This is a grave," said Bataki. "Beneath this mound lies the firstsettler in Haerjedalen."

  "Perhaps you have a story to tell of him too?" said the boy.

  "I haven't heard much about him, but I think he was a Norwegian. He hadserved with a Norwegian king, got into his bad graces, and had to fleethe country.

  "Later he went over to the Swedish king, who lived at Upsala, and tookservice with him. But, after a time, he asked for the hand of the king'ssister in marriage, and when the king wouldn't give him such a high-bornbride, he eloped with her. By that time he had managed to get himselfinto such disfavour that it wasn't safe for him to live either in Norwayor Sweden, and he did not wish to move to a foreign country. 'But theremust still be a course open to me,' he thought. With his servants andtreasures, he journeyed through Dalecarlia until he arrived in thedesolate forests beyond the outskirts of the province. There he settled,built houses and broke up land. Thus, you see, he was the first man tosettle in this part of the country."

  As the boy listened to the last story, he looked very serious.

  "I wonder what your object is in telling me all this?" he repeated.

  Bataki twisted and turned and screwed up his eyes, and it was some timebefore he answered the boy.

  "Since we are here alone," he said finally, "I shall take thisopportunity to question you regarding a certain matter.

  "Have you ever tried to ascertain upon what terms the elf whotransformed you was to restore you to a normal human being?"

  "The only stipulation I've heard anything about was that I should takethe white goosey-gander up to Lapland and bring him back to Skane, safeand sound."

  "I thought as much," said Bataki; "for when last we met, you talkedconfidently of there being nothing more contemptible than deceiving afriend who trusts one. You'd better ask Akka about the terms. You know,I dare say, that she was at your home and talked with the elf."

  "Akka hasn't told me of this," said the boy wonderingly.

  "She must have thought that it was best for you not to know just whatthe elf _did_ say. Naturally she would rather help you than MortenGoosey-Gander."

  "It is singular, Bataki, that you always have a way of making me feelunhappy and anxious," said the boy.

  "I dare say it might seem so," continued the raven, "but this time Ibelieve that you will be grateful to me for telling you that the elf'swords were to this effect: You were to become a normal human being againif you would bring back Morten Goosey-Gander that your mother might layhim on the block and chop his head off."

  The boy leaped up.

  "That's only one of your base fabrications," he cried indignantly.

  "You can ask Akka yourself," said Bataki. "I see her coming up therewith her whole flock. And don't forget what I have told you to-day.There is usually a way out of all difficulties, if only one can find it.I shall be interested to see what success you have."

  VERMLAND AND DALSLAND

  _Wednesday, October fifth_.

  To-day the boy took advantage of the rest hour, when Akka was feedingapart from the other wild geese, to ask her if that which Bataki hadrelated was true, and Akka could not deny it. The boy made theleader-goose promise that she would not divulge the secret to MortenGoosey-Gander. The big white gander was so brave and generous that hemight do something rash were he to learn of the elf's stipulations.

  Later the boy sat on the goose-back, glum and silent, and hung his head.He heard the wild geese call out to the goslings that now they were inDalarne, they could see Staedjan in the north, and that now they wereflying over Oesterdal Ri
ver to Horrmund Lake and were coming to VesterdalRiver. But the boy did not care even to glance at all this.

  "I shall probably travel around with wild geese the rest of my life," heremarked to himself, "and I am likely to see more of this land than Iwish."

  He was quite as indifferent when the wild geese called out to him thatnow they had arrived in Vermland and that the stream they were followingsouthward was Klaraelven.

  "I've seen so many rivers already," thought the boy, "why bother to lookat one more?"

  Even had he been more eager for sight-seeing, there was not very much tobe seen, for northern Vermland is nothing but vast, monotonous