playhouses along theshores--only dingy factories. Great heaps of coal and wood were stackedbehind tall planks, and alongside black, sooty docks lay bulky freightsteamers; but over all was spread a shimmering, transparent mist, whichmade everything appear so big and strong and wonderful that it wasalmost beautiful.
The wild geese flew past factories and freight steamers and werenearing the cloud-enveloped spires. Suddenly all the mists sank to thewater, save the thin, fleecy ones that circled above their heads,beautifully tinted in blues and pinks. The other clouds rolled overwater and land. They entirely obscured the lower portions of the houses:only the upper stories and the roofs and gables were visible. Some ofthe buildings appeared to be as high as the Tower of Babel. The boy nodoubt knew that they were built upon hills and mountains, but these hedid not see--only the houses that seemed to float among the white,drifting clouds. In reality the buildings were dark and dingy, for thesun in the east was not shining on them.
The boy knew that he was riding above a large city, for he saw spiresand house roofs rising from the clouds in every direction. Sometimes anopening was made in the circling mists, and he looked down into arunning, tortuous stream; but no land could he see. All this wasbeautiful to look upon, but he felt quite distraught--as one does whenhappening upon something one cannot understand.
When he had gone beyond the city, he found that the ground was no longerhidden by clouds, but that shores, streams, and islands were againplainly visible. He turned to see the city better, but could not, fornow it looked quite enchanted. The mists had taken on colour from thesunshine and were rolling forward in the most brilliant reds, blues, andyellows. The houses were white, as if built of light, and the windowsand spires sparkled like fire. All things floated on the water asbefore.
The geese were travelling straight east. They flew over factories andworkshops; then over mansions edging the shores. Steamboats and tugsswarmed on the water; but now they came from the east and were steamingwestward toward the city.
The wild geese flew on, but instead of the narrow Maelar fiords and thelittle islands, broader waters and larger islands spread under them. Atlast the land was left behind and seen no more.
They flew still farther out, where they found no more large inhabitedislands--only numberless little rock islands were scattered on thewater. Now the fiords were not crowded by the land. The sea lay beforethem, vast and limitless.
Here the wild geese alighted on a cliff island, and as soon as theirfeet touched the ground the boy turned to Dunfin.
"What city did we fly over just now?" he asked.
"I don't know what human beings have named it," said Dunfin. "We graygeese call it the 'City that Floats on the Water'."
THE SISTERS
Dunfin had two sisters, Prettywing and Goldeye. They were strong andintelligent birds, but they did not have such a soft and shiny featherdress as Dunfin, nor did they have her sweet and gentle disposition.From the time they had been little, yellow goslings, their parents andrelatives and even the old fisherman had plainly shown them that theythought more of Dunfin than of them. Therefore the sisters had alwayshated her.
When the wild geese landed on the cliff island, Prettywing and Goldeyewere feeding on a bit of grass close to the strand, and immediatelycaught sight of the strangers.
"See, Sister Goldeye, what fine-looking geese have come to our island!"exclaimed Prettywing, "I have rarely seen such graceful birds. Do younotice that they have a white goosey-gander among them? Did you ever seteyes on a handsomer bird? One could almost take him for a swan!"
Goldeye agreed with her sister that these were certainly verydistinguished strangers that had come to the island, but suddenly shebroke off and called: "Sister Prettywing! Oh, Sister Prettywing! Don'tyou see whom they bring with them?"
Prettywing also caught sight of Dunfin and was so astounded that shestood for a long time with her bill wide open, and only hissed.
"It can't be possible that it is she! How did she manage to get in withpeople of that class? Why, we left her at Oeland to freeze and starve."
"The worse of it is she will tattle to father and mother that we flewso close to her that we knocked her wing out of joint," said Goldeye."You'll see that it will end in our being driven from the island!"
"We have nothing but trouble in store for us, now that that young onehas come back!" snapped Prettywing. "Still I think it would be best forus to appear as pleased as possible over her return. She is so stupidthat perhaps she didn't even notice that we gave her a push on purpose."
While Prettywing and Goldeye were talking in this strain, the wild geesehad been standing on the strand, pluming their feathers after theflight. Now they marched in a long line up the rocky shore to the cleftwhere Dunfin's parents usually stopped.
Dunfin's parents were good folk. They had lived on the island longerthan any one else, and it was their habit to counsel and aid allnewcomers. They too had seen the geese approach, but they had notrecognized Dunfin in the flock.
"It is strange to see wild geese land on this island," remarked thegoose-master. "It is a fine flock--that one can see by their flight."
"But it won't be easy to find pasturage for so many," said thegoose-wife, who was gentle and sweet-tempered, like Dunfin.
When Akka came marching with her company, Dunfin's parents went out tomeet her and welcome her to the island. Dunfin flew from her place atthe end of the line and lit between her parents.
"Mother and father, I'm here at last!" she cried joyously. "Don't youknow Dunfin?"
At first the old goose-parents could not quite make out what they saw,but when they recognized Dunfin they were absurdly happy, of course.
While the wild geese and Morten Goosey-Gander and Dunfin were chatteringexcitedly, trying to tell how she had been rescued, Prettywing andGoldeye came running. They cried "_welcome"_ and pretended to be sohappy because Dunfin was at home that she was deeply moved.
The wild geese fared well on the island and decided not to travelfarther until the following morning. After a while the sisters askedDunfin if she would come with them and see the places where theyintended to build their nests. She promptly accompanied them, and sawthat they had picked out secluded and well protected nesting places.
"Now where will you settle down, Dunfin?" they asked.
"I? Why I don't intend to remain on the island," she said. "I'm goingwith the wild geese up to Lapland."
"What a pity that you must leave us!" said the sisters.
"I should have been very glad to remain here with father and mother andyou," said Dunfin, "had I not promised the big, white--"
"What!" shrieked Prettywing. "Are you to have the handsomegoosey-gander? Then it is--" But here Goldeye gave her a sharp nudge,and she stopped short.
The two cruel sisters had much to talk about all the afternoon. Theywere furious because Dunfin had a suitor like the white goosey-gander.They themselves had suitors, but theirs were only common gray geese,and, since they had seen Morten Goosey-Gander, they thought them sohomely and low-bred that they did not wish even to look at them.
"This will grieve me to death!" whimpered Goldeye. "If at least it hadbeen you, Sister Prettywing, who had captured him!"
"I would rather see him dead than to go about here the entire summerthinking of Dunfin's capturing a white goosey-gander!" poutedPrettywing.
However, the sisters continued to appear very friendly toward Dunfin,and in the afternoon Goldeye took Dunfin with her, that she might seethe one she thought of marrying.
"He's not as attractive as the one you will have," said Goldeye. "But tomake up for it, one can be certain that he is what he is."
"What do you mean, Goldeye?" questioned Dunfin. At first Goldeye wouldnot explain what she had meant, but at last she came out with it.
"We have never seen a white goose travel with wild geese," said thesister, "and we wonder if he can be bewitched."
"You are very stupid," retorted Dunfin indignantly. "He is a tame goose,of course."
"He b
rings with him one who is bewitched," said Goldeye, "and, under thecircumstances, he too must be bewitched. Are you not afraid that he maybe a black cormorant?" She was a good talker and succeeded infrightening Dunfin thoroughly.
"You don't mean what you are saying," pleaded the little gray goose."You only wish to frighten me!"
"I wish what is for your good, Dunfin," said Goldeye. "I can't imagineanything worse than for you to fly away with a black cormorant! But nowI shall tell you something--try to persuade him to eat some of the rootsI have gathered here. If he is bewitched, it will be apparent at once.If he is not, he will remain as he is."
The boy was sitting amongst the wild geese,
Nils Holgerssons underbara resa. English Page 58