The Wonderful Adventure of Nils Holgersson by Selma Lagerlöf

Author:Selma Lagerlöf
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241206102
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2016-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

Ten

Journey to Öland

Sunday, 3 April

The wild geese went out to an island in the archipelago to graze. They encountered some grey geese there who were astonished to see them, because they knew very well that their kinsfolk, the wild geese, prefer to travel over the interior of the country. They were curious and inquisitive and were not content until the wild geese told them about the persecution they had to endure from Smirre Fox. When they had finished, one grey goose, who seemed to be as old and as wise as Akka herself, said, ‘It was a great misfortune for you that the fox was declared an outlaw in his own country. He will certainly keep his word and follow you all the way up to Lapland. If I were you I would not travel north over Småland, but instead take the outer route to Öland, so that he loses the trail completely. In order to really confound him you should stay on the south cape of Öland for a few days. There’s plenty of food and plenty of company there. I don’t think you’ll regret it if you travel that way.’

This was truly wise advice, which the wild geese decided to follow. As soon as they had eaten their fill they started the journey to Öland. None of them had ever been there before, but the grey geese had given them good markers. They had only to travel straight south, until they encountered the big flyway that passed outside the Blekinge coast. All the birds that spent the winter by the North Sea and now were going to Finland and Russia flew there, and in passing they would all land in Öland to rest. The wild geese would have no difficulty finding guides.

That day it was completely still and hot, as on a summer’s day, the best weather you could imagine for a sea journey. The only disquieting thing was that it was not completely clear; the sky was grey and hazy. Here and there were huge masses of clouds that hung all the way down to the surface of the sea and blocked the view.

When the travellers had passed the skerries the sea broadened out so smooth and reflective that the boy, when he happened to look down, thought the water had disappeared. There was no longer any earth below him. He had nothing but clouds and sky around him. He became quite dizzy and clung firmly to the goose’s back, more anxious than when he first sat there. It was as if he could not possibly hold on; he had to fall in some direction.

It got even worse when they reached the great flyway that the grey goose had talked about. There, truly, flock after flock came flying in the very same direction. It was as if they followed a staked-out path. There were ducks and grey geese, velvet scoters and guillemots, divers and long-tailed ducks, mergansers and grebes, oystercatchers and common scoters. When the boy leaned

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