open."
A moment later the crows gave the signal to break up; and since it wasstill their intention, apparently, to carry him along in such a way thatone held on to his shirt-band, and one to a stocking, the boy said: "Isthere not one among you so strong that he can carry me on his back? Youhave already travelled so badly with me that I feel as if I were inpieces. Only let me ride! I'll not jump from the crow's back, that Ipromise you."
"Oh! you needn't think that we care how you have it," said the leader.But now the largest of the crows--a dishevelled and uncouth one, who hada white feather in his wing--came forward and said: "It would certainlybe best for all of us, Wind-Rush, if Thumbietot got there whole, ratherthan half, and therefore, I shall carry him on my back." "If you can doit, Fumle-Drumle, I have no objection," said Wind-Rush. "But don't losehim!"
With this, much was already gained, and the boy actually felt pleasedagain. "There is nothing to be gained by losing my grit because I havebeen kidnapped by the crows," thought he. "I'll surely be able to managethose poor little things."
The crows continued to fly southwest, over Smaland. It was a gloriousmorning--sunny and calm; and the birds down on the earth were singingtheir best love songs. In a high, dark forest sat the thrush himselfwith drooping wings and swelling throat, and struck up tune after tune."How pretty you are! How pretty you are! How pretty you are!" sang he."No one is so pretty. No one is so pretty. No one is so pretty." As soonas he had finished this song, he began it all over again.
But just then the boy rode over the forest; and when he had heard thesong a couple of times, and marked that the thrush knew no other, he putboth hands up to his mouth as a speaking trumpet, and called down:"We've heard all this before. We've heard all this before." "Who is it?Who is it? Who is it? Who makes fun of me?" asked the thrush, and triedto catch a glimpse of the one who called. "It is Kidnapped-by-Crows whomakes fun of your song," answered the boy. At that, the crow-chiefturned his head and said: "Be careful of your eyes, Thumbietot!" But theboy thought, "Oh! I don't care about that. I want to show you that I'mnot afraid of you!"
Farther and farther inland they travelled; and there were woods andlakes everywhere. In a birch-grove sat the wood-dove on a naked branch,and before him stood the lady-dove. He blew up his feathers, cocked hishead, raised and lowered his body, until the breast-feathers rattledagainst the branch. All the while he cooed: "Thou, thou, thou art theloveliest in all the forest. No one in the forest is so lovely as thou,thou, thou!"
But up in the air the boy rode past, and when he heard Mr. Dove hecouldn't keep still. "Don't you believe him! Don't you believe him!"cried he.
"Who, who, who is it that lies about me?" cooed Mr. Dove, and tried toget a sight of the one who shrieked at him. "It is Caught-by-Crows thatlies about you," replied the boy. Again Wind-Rush turned his head towardthe boy and commanded him to shut up, but Fumle-Drumle, who was carryinghim, said: "Let him chatter, then all the little birds will think thatwe crows have become quick-witted and funny birds." "Oh! they're notsuch fools, either," said Wind-Rush; but he liked the idea just thesame, for after that he let the boy call out as much as he liked.
They flew mostly over forests and woodlands, but there were churches andparishes and little cabins in the outskirts of the forest. In one placethey saw a pretty old manor. It lay with the forest back of it, and thesea in front of it; had red walls and a turreted roof; great sycamoresabout the grounds, and big, thick gooseberry-bushes in the orchard. Onthe top of the weathercock sat the starling, and sang so loud that everynote was heard by the wife, who sat on an egg in the heart of a peartree. "We have four pretty little eggs," sang the starling. "We havefour pretty little round eggs. We have the whole nest filled with fineeggs."
When the starling sang the song for the thousandth time, the boy rodeover the place. He put his hands up to his mouth, as a pipe, and called:"The magpie will get them. The magpie will get them."
"Who is it that wants to frighten me?" asked the starling, and flappedhis wings uneasily. "It is Captured-by-Crows that frightens you," saidthe boy. This time the crow-chief didn't attempt to hush him up.Instead, both he and his flock were having so much fun that they cawedwith satisfaction.
The farther inland they came, the larger were the lakes, and the moreplentiful were the islands and points. And on a lake-shore stood a drakeand kowtowed before the duck. "I'll be true to you all the days of mylife. I'll be true to you all the days of my life," said the drake. "Itwon't last until the summer's end," shrieked the boy. "Who are you?"called the drake. "My name's Stolen-by-Crows," shrieked the boy.
At dinner time the crows lighted in a food-grove. They walked about andprocured food for themselves, but none of them thought about giving theboy anything. Then Fumle-Drumle came riding up to the chief with adog-rose branch, with a few dried buds on it. "Here's something for you,Wind-Rush," said he. "This is pretty food, and suitable for you."Wind-Rush sniffed contemptuously. "Do you think that I want to eat old,dry buds?" said he. "And I who thought that you would be pleased withthem!" said Fumle-Drumle; and threw away the dog-rose branch as if indespair. But it fell right in front of the boy, and he wasn't slow aboutgrabbing it and eating until he was satisfied.
When the crows had eaten, they began to chatter. "What are you thinkingabout, Wind-Rush? You are so quiet to-day," said one of them to theleader. "I'm thinking that in this district there lived, once upon atime, a hen, who was very fond of her mistress; and in order to reallyplease her, she went and laid a nest full of eggs, which she hid underthe store-house floor. The mistress of the house wondered, of course,where the hen was keeping herself such a long time. She searched forher, but did not find her. Can you guess, Longbill, who it was thatfound her and the eggs?"
"I think I can guess it, Wind-Rush, but when you have told about this, Iwill tell you something like it. Do you remember the big, black cat inHinneryd's parish house? She was dissatisfied because they always tookthe new-born kittens from her, and drowned them. Just once did shesucceed in keeping them concealed, and that was when she had laid themin a haystack, out doors. She was pretty well pleased with those youngkittens, but I believe that I got more pleasure out of them than shedid."
Now they became so excited that they all talked at once. "What kind ofan accomplishment is that--to steal little kittens?" said one. "I oncechased a young hare who was almost full-grown. That meant to follow himfrom covert to covert." He got no further before another took the wordsfrom him. "It may be fun, perhaps, to annoy hens and cats, but I find itstill more remarkable that a crow can worry a human being. I once stolea silver spoon--"
But now the boy thought he was too good to sit and listen to suchgabble. "Now listen to me, you crows!" said he. "I think you ought tobe ashamed of yourselves to talk about all your wickedness. I have livedamongst wild geese for three weeks, and of them I have never heard orseen anything but good. You must have a bad chief, since he permits youto rob and murder in this way. You ought to begin to lead new lives, forI can tell you that human beings have grown so tired of your wickednessthey are trying with all their might to root you out. And then therewill soon be an end of you."
When Wind-Rush and the crows heard this, they were so furious that theyintended to throw themselves upon him and tear him in pieces. ButFumle-Drumle laughed and cawed, and stood in front of him. "Oh, no, no!"said he, and seemed absolutely terrified. "What think you that Wind-Airwill say if you tear Thumbietot in pieces before he has gotten thatsilver money for us?" "It has to be you, Fumle-Drumle, that's afraid ofwomen-folk," said Rush. But, at any rate, both he and the others leftThumbietot in peace.
Shortly after that the crows went further. Until now the boy thoughtthat Smaland wasn't such a poor country as he had heard. Of course itwas woody and full of mountain-ridges, but alongside the islands andlakes lay cultivated grounds, and any real desolation he hadn't comeupon. But the farther inland they came, the fewer were the villages andcottages. Toward the last, he thought that he was riding over averitable wilderness where he saw nothing but swam
ps and heaths andjuniper-hills.
The sun had gone down, but it was still perfect daylight when the crowsreached the large heather-heath. Wind-Rush sent a crow on ahead, to saythat he had met with success; and when it was known, Wind-Air, withseveral hundred crows from Crow-Ridge, flew to meet the arrivals. In themidst of the deafening cawing which the crows emitted, Fumle-Drumle saidto the boy: "You have been so comical and so jolly during the trip thatI am really fond of you. Therefore I want to give you some good
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