nets hanging in the dryingyard.
"Now look down! Look well! This is how it looks along the coasts inforeign lands."
After Akka had been flying about in this manner a long time she alightedsuddenly on a marsh in Vemminghoeg township and the boy could not helpthinking that she had travelled over Skane just to let him see that hiswas a country which could compare favourably with any in the world. Thiswas unnecessary, for the boy was not thinking of whether the country wasrich or poor.
From the moment that he had seen the first willow grove his heart achedwith homesickness.
HOME AT LAST
_Tuesday, November eighth_.
The atmosphere was dull and hazy. The wild geese had been feeding on thebig meadow around Skerup church and were having their noonday rest whenAkka came up to the boy.
"It looks as if we should have calm weather for awhile," she remarked,"and I think we'll cross the Baltic to-morrow."
"Indeed!" said the boy abruptly, for his throat contracted so that hecould hardly speak. All along he had cherished the hope that he would bereleased from the enchantment while he was still in Skane.
"We are quite near West Vemminghoeg now," said Akka, "and I thought thatperhaps you might like to go home for awhile. It may be some time beforeyou have another opportunity to see your people."
"Perhaps I had better not," said the boy hesitatingly, but something inhis voice betrayed that he was glad of Akka's proposal.
"If the goosey-gander remains with us, no harm can come to him," Akkaassured. "I think you had better find out how your parents are gettingalong. You might be of some help to them, even if you're not a normalboy."
"You are right, Mother Akka. I should have thought of that long ago,"said the boy impulsively.
The next second he and the leader-goose were on their way to his home.It was not long before Akka alighted behind the stone hedge encirclingthe little farm.
"Strange how natural everything looks around here!" the boy remarked,quickly clambering to the top of the hedge, so that he could look about.
"It seems to me only yesterday that I first saw you come flying throughthe air."
"I wonder if your father has a gun," said Akka suddenly.
"You may be sure he has," returned the boy. "It was just the gun thatkept me at home that Sunday morning when I should have been at church."
"Then I don't dare to stand here and wait for you," said Akka. "You hadbetter meet us at Smygahoek early to-morrow morning, so that you may stayat home over night."
"Oh, don't go yet, Mother Akka!" begged the boy, jumping from the hedge.
He could not tell just why it was, but he felt as if something wouldhappen, either to the wild goose or to himself, to prevent their futuremeeting.
"No doubt you see that I'm distressed because I cannot get back myright form; but I want to say to you that I don't regret having gonewith you last spring," he added. "I would rather forfeit the chance ofever being human again than to have missed that trip."
Akka breathed quickly before she answered.
"There's a little matter I should have mentioned to you before this, butsince you are not going back to your home for good, I thought there wasno hurry about it. Still it may as well be said now."
"You know very well that I am always glad to do your bidding," said theboy.
"If you have learned anything at all from us, Thumbietot, you no longerthink that the humans should have the whole earth to themselves," saidthe wild goose, solemnly. "Remember you have a large country and you caneasily afford to leave a few bare rocks, a few shallow lakes and swamps,a few desolate cliffs and remote forests to us poor, dumb creatures,where we can be allowed to live in peace. All my days I have beenhounded and hunted. It would be a comfort to know that there is a refugesomewhere for one like me."
"Indeed, I should be glad to help if I could," said the boy, "but it'snot likely that I shall ever again have any influence among humanbeings."
"Well, we're standing here talking as if we were never to meet again,"said Akka, "but we shall see each other to-morrow, of course. Now I'llreturn to my flock."
She spread her wings and started to fly, but came back and strokedThumbietot up and down with her bill before she flew away.
It was broad daylight, but no human being moved on the farm and the boycould go where he pleased. He hastened to the cow shed, because he knewthat he could get the best information from the cows.
It looked rather barren in their shed. In the spring there had beenthree fine cows there, but now there was only one--Mayrose. It was quiteapparent that she yearned for her comrades. Her head drooped sadly, andshe had hardly touched the feed in her crib.
"Good day, Mayrose!" said the boy, running fearlessly into her stall.
"How are mother and father? How are the cat and the chickens? What hasbecome of Star and Gold-Lily?"
When Mayrose heard the boy's voice she started, and appeared as if shewere going to gore him. But she was not so quick-tempered now asformerly, and took time to look well at Nils Holgersson.
He was just as little now as when he went away, and wore the sameclothes; yet he was completely changed. The Nils Holgersson that wentaway in the spring had a heavy, slow gait, a drawling speech, and sleepyeyes. The one that had come back was lithe and alert, ready of speech,and had eyes that sparkled and danced. He had a confident bearing thatcommanded respect, little as he was. Although he himself did not lookhappy, he inspired happiness in others.
"Moo!" bellowed Mayrose. "They told me that he was changed, but Icouldn't believe it. Welcome home, Nils Holgersson! Welcome home! Thisis the first glad moment I have known for ever so long!"
"Thank you, Mayrose!" said the boy, who was very happy to be so wellreceived.
"Now tell me all about father and mother."
"They have had nothing but hardship ever since you went away," saidMayrose. "The horse has been a costly care all summer, for he has stoodin the stable the whole time and not earned his feed. Your father is toosoft-hearted to shoot him and he can't sell him. It was on account ofthe horse that both Star and Gold-Lily had to be sold."
There was something else the boy wanted badly to know, but he wasdiffident about asking the question point blank. Therefore he said:
"Mother must have felt very sorry when she discovered that MortenGoosey-Gander had flown?"
"She wouldn't have worried much about Morten Goosey-Gander had sheknown the way he came to leave. She grieves most at the thought of herson having run away from home with a goosey-gander."
"Does she really think that I _stole_ the goosey-gander?" said the boy.
"What else could she think?"
"Father and mother must fancy that I've been roaming about the country,like a common tramp?"
"They think that you've gone to the dogs," said Mayrose. "They havemourned you as one mourns the loss of the dearest thing on earth."
As soon as the boy heard this, he rushed from the cow shed and down tothe stable.
It was small, but clean and tidy. Everything showed that his father hadtried to make the place comfortable for the new horse. In the stallstood a strong, fine animal that looked well fed and well cared for.
"Good day to you!" said the boy. "I have heard that there's a sick horsein here. Surely it can't be you, who look so healthy and strong."
The horse turned his head and stared fixedly at the boy.
"Are you the son?" he queried. "I have heard many bad reports of him.But you have such a good face, I couldn't believe that you were he, didI not know that he was transformed into an elf."
"I know that I left a bad name behind me when I went away from thefarm," admitted Nils Holgersson. "My own mother thinks I am a thief. Butwhat matters it--I sha'n't tarry here long. Meanwhile, I want to knowwhat ails you."
"Pity you're not going to stay," said the horse, "for I have the feelingthat you and I might become good friends. I've got something in myfoot--the point of a knife, or something sharp--that's all that ails me.It has gone so far in that th
e doctor can't find it, but it cuts so thatI can't walk. If you would only tell your father what's wrong with me,I'm sure that he could help me. I should like to be of some use. Ireally feel ashamed to stand here and feed without doing any work."
"It's well that you have no real illness," remarked Nils Holgersson. "Imust attend to this at once, so that you will be all right again. Youdon't mind if I do a little scratching on your hoof with my knife, doyou?"
Nils Holgersson had just finished, when he heard the sound of voices. Heopened the stable door a little and peeped out.
His
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