Meanwhile, they turned from the path, walked across the field, getting
nearer and nearer to the goosey-gander. When he finally did look up,
they were right upon him. He was so dumfounded, and became so confused,
he forgot that he could fly, and tried to get out of their reach by
running. But the children followed, chasing him into a ditch, and there
they caught him. The larger of the two stuck him under his arm and
carried him off.
When the boy, who lay under the thistle-leaf saw this, he sprang up as
if he wanted to take the goosey-gander away from them; then he must have
remembered how little and powerless he was, for he threw himself on the
knoll and beat upon the ground with his clenched fists.
The goosey-gander cried with all his might for help: "Thumbietot, come
and help me! Oh, Thumbietot, come and help me!" The boy began to laugh
in the midst of his distress. "Oh, yes! I'm just the right one to help
anybody, I am!" said he.
Anyway he got up and followed the goosey-gander. "I can't help him,"
said he, "but I shall at least find out where they are taking him."
The children had a good start; but the boy had no difficulty in keeping
them within sight until they came to a hollow where a brook gushed
forth. But here he was obliged to run alongside of it for some little
time, before he could find a place narrow enough for him to jump over.
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