The Wonderful Adventures of Nils | Page 9

off to
the hills. Are you coming along? Are you coming along?"
But the tame geese answered: "It's still winter in this country. You're
out too soon. Fly back! Fly back!"
The wild geese lowered themselves that they might be heard a little
better, and called: "Come along! We'll teach you how to fly and swim."
Then the tame geese got mad and wouldn't answer them with a single
honk.
The wild geese sank themselves still lower--until they almost touched
the ground--then, quick as lightning, they raised themselves, just as if
they'd been terribly frightened. "Oh, oh, oh!" they exclaimed. "Those
things were not geese. They were only sheep, they were only sheep."
The ones on the ground were beside themselves with rage and shrieked:
"May you be shot, the whole lot o' you! The whole lot o' you!"
When the boy heard all this teasing he laughed. Then he remembered
how badly things had gone with him, and he cried. But the next second,
he was laughing again.
Never before had he ridden so fast; and to ride fast and recklessly--that
he had always liked. And, of course, he had never dreamed that it could
be as fresh and bracing as it was, up in the air; or that there rose from
the earth such a fine scent of resin and soil. Nor had he ever dreamed
what it could be like--to ride so high above the earth. It was just like

flying away from sorrow and trouble and annoyances of every kind that
could be thought of.
AKKA FROM KEBNEKAISE
EVENING
The big tame goosey-gander that had followed them up in the air, felt
very proud of being permitted to travel back and forth over the South
country with the wild geese, and crack jokes with the tame birds. But in
spite of his keen delight, he began to tire as the afternoon wore on. He
tried to take deeper breaths and quicker wing-strokes, but even so he
remained several goose-lengths behind the others.
When the wild geese who flew last, noticed that the tame one couldn't
keep up with them, they began to call to the goose who rode in the
centre of the angle and led the procession: "Akka from Kebnekaise!
Akka from Kebnekaise!" "What do you want of me?" asked the leader.
"The white one will be left behind; the white one will be left behind."
"Tell him it's easier to fly fast than slow!" called the leader, and raced
on as before.
The goosey-gander certainly tried to follow the advice, and increase his
speed; but then he became so exhausted that he sank away down to the
drooping willows that bordered the fields and meadows.
"Akka, Akka, Akka from Kebnekaise!" cried those who flew last and
saw what a hard time he was having. "What do you want now?" asked
the leader--and she sounded awfully angry. "The white one sinks to the
earth; the white one sinks to the earth." "Tell him it's easier to fly high
than low!" shouted the leader, and she didn't slow up the least little bit,
but raced on as before.
The goosey-gander tried also to follow this advice; but when he wanted
to raise himself, he became so winded that he almost burst his breast.
"Akka, Akka!" again cried those who flew last. "Can't you let me fly in
peace?" asked the leader, and she sounded even madder than before.
"The white one is ready to collapse." "Tell him that he who has not the
strength to fly with the flock, can go back home!" cried the leader. She
certainly had no idea of decreasing her speed--but raced on as before.
"Oh! is that the way the wind blows," thought the goosey-gander. He
understood at once that the wild geese had never intended to take him
along up to Lapland. They had only lured him away from home in
sport.

He felt thoroughly exasperated. To think that his strength should fail
him now, so he wouldn't be able to show these tramps that even a tame
goose was good for something! But the most provoking thing of all was
that he had fallen in with Akka from Kebnekaise. Tame goose that he
was, he had heard about a leader goose, named Akka, who was more
than a hundred years old. She had such a big name that the best wild
geese in the world followed her. But no one had such a contempt for
tame geese as Akka and her flock, and gladly would he have shown
them that he was their equal.
He flew slowly behind the rest, while he deliberated whether he should
turn back or continue. Finally, the little creature that he carried on his
back said: "Dear Morten Goosey-gander, you know well enough that it
is