IN RAINY WEATHER
_Wednesday, March thirtieth_.
It was the first rainy day of the trip. As long as the wild geese had
remained in the vicinity of Vomb Lake, they had had beautiful weather;
but on the day when they set out to travel farther north, it began to
rain, and for several hours the boy had to sit on the goose-back,
soaking wet, and shivering with the cold.
In the morning when they started, it had been clear and mild. The wild
geese had flown high up in the air--evenly, and without haste--with Akka
at the head maintaining strict discipline, and the rest in two oblique
lines back of her. They had not taken the time to shout any witty
sarcasms to the animals on the ground; but, as it was simply impossible
for them to keep perfectly silent, they sang out continually--in rhythm
with the wing-strokes--their usual coaxing call: "Where are you? Here
am I. Where are you? Here am I."
They all took part in this persistent calling, and only stopped, now and
then, to show the goosey-gander the landmarks they were travelling over.
The places on this route included Linderoedsosen's dry hills, Ovesholm's
manor, Christianstad's church steeple, Baeckaskog's royal castle on the
narrow isthmus between Oppmann's lake and Ivoe's lake, Ryss mountain's
steep precipice.
It had been a monotonous trip, and when the rain-clouds made their
appearance the boy thought it was a real diversion.
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