Days of the Discoverers | Page 3

less somber, beginning to be streaked with white birches whose
bright leaves twinkled in the sun. Then it reached the height at which
evergreens cease to grow. The birches were shorter and sparser, and
through the thinning woodland appeared glimpses of a treeless pasture
dotted with scrubby low bushes and clumps of rushes. A glint of clear
green water betrayed a small lake in a dip of the hills. And now were
heard sounds most unusual in that lonely place, the high sweet voices
of children.
Birch trees, little trees, dwarfed by sharp winds and poor soil, encircled
a level space perhaps ten feet across, carpeted with new soft grass,
reindeer moss and cupped lichens. Here sat seven or eight children
eagerly listening to a story told by an older child as she divided the
ration of fladbrod,[3] wild strawberries from a small basket of
birchbark, and brown goat's-milk cheese.
"And Freya came from Asgard in her chariot drawn by two cats--"
Nikolina the daughter of Sven Larsson of the Trolle farm was known
through all the valley, not only as the sole child of its richest farmer,
but for the bright blonde hair that covered her shoulders with its soft
abundance and hung to her waist. Her father would not have it cut or
braided or even covered save by such a little embroidered cap as she
wore now. Her scarlet bodice, and blue-black skirt bordered with bright
woven bands, were of the finest wool; the full-sleeved white linen
under-dress had been spun and woven and embroidered by skilful and
loving fingers. Nikolina had lost the roof from over her head, and a
great deal more than that. Now she was giving her whole mind to the
little ones of all ages from four to eight, crowding close about her.
[Illustration: "'And Freya came from Asgard in her chariot drawn by
two cats'"--Page 4]
"Hi!" called Nils, "where is Mother Elle? See what Thorolf and I have
got!"
The children scrambled to their feet and gazed with round eyes, their

small hungry teeth munching their morsels of hard bread. Nikolina
plucked a bunch of grass for Snow, the foremost cow, and patted her as
she ate it.
"The little ones were so tired and hungry," she said, "that Mother Elle
said they might have their supper now, while she and Olof and Anders
went on to the saeter. This is wonderful! She was saying only this
morning that she feared all the cattle were dead or stolen."
Within an hour they came in sight of the log huts with turf-covered
roofs that sloped almost to the ground in the rear. A broad plain
stretched away beyond, and the new grass was of that vivid green to be
found in places which deep snow makes pure. Hills enclosed it, and
beyond, a gleaming network of lake and stream ended in range above
range of blue and silver peaks. The clear invigorating air was like some
unearthly wine. The cows at the scent of fresh pasture moved more
briskly; the pony tossed his head and whinnied. Not far from the
cottages there came to meet them a little old woman, dark and wiry,
with bright searching eyes. Her face was wrinkled all over in fine soft
lines, but her hair was hardly gray at all. She wore a pointed hood and
girdled tunic of tanned reindeer hide, with leggings and shoes of the
same. A blanket about her shoulders was draped into a kind of pouch,
in which she carried on her back a tow-headed, solemn-eyed baby.
"Welcome to you, Thorolf Erlandsson," she said, just as if she had been
expecting him. "With this good milk we shall fare like the King."
No king, truly, could have supped on food more delicious than that
enjoyed by Nils and Thorolf on this first night in the saeter. It is strange
but true that the most exquisite delights are those that money cannot
buy. No man can taste cold spring water and barley bread in absolute
perfection who has not paid the poor man's price--hard work and keen
hunger.
When Nikolina, Karen and Lovisa came up with the smaller children
the place had already an inhabited, homelike look. There was even a
wise old raven, almost as large as a gander, whom Nils had christened
Munin, after Odin's bird. The little ones had all the new milk they could

drink from their wooden bowls, and were put to bed in the movable
wooden bed-places, on beds of hay covered with sheepskins and
blankets. All were asleep before dark, for at that season the night lasted
only two or three hours. The last thing that Thorolf heard was a happy
little pipe from the five-year-old Ellida,--
"Now we shall live in Asgard forever and ever."
For