Whenever the wild geese happened across any tame geese, they had the
best fun! They flew forward very slowly and called down: "We're 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.
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