After that they arranged themselves in a long
row--with the leader-goose in the centre--and came toward them.
As the white goosey-gander sized up the wild geese, he felt ill at ease.
He had expected that they should be more like tame geese, and that he
should feel a closer kinship with them. They were much smaller than he,
and none of them were white. They were all gray with a sprinkling of
brown. He was almost afraid of their eyes. They were yellow, and shone
as if a fire had been kindled back of them. The goosey-gander had always
been taught that it was most fitting to move slowly and with a rolling
motion, but these creatures did not walk--they half ran. He grew most
alarmed, however, when he looked at their feet. These were large, and
the soles were torn and ragged-looking. It was evident that the wild
geese never questioned what they tramped upon. They took no by-paths.
They were very neat and well cared for in other respects, but one could
see by their feet that they were poor wilderness-folk.
The goosey-gander only had time to whisper to the boy: "Speak up quickly
for yourself, but don't tell them who you are!"--before the geese were
upon them.
When the wild geese had stopped in front of them, they curtsied with
their necks many times, and the goosey-gander did likewise many more
times.
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