He thought of Osa, the goose-girl, and little Mats, whom he had
encountered so unexpectedly; and he fancied that the little cabin which
he had set on fire must have been their old home in Smaland. Now he
recalled that he had heard them speak of just such a cabin, and of the
big heather-heath which lay below it. Now Osa and Mats had wandered back
there to see their old home again, and then, when they had reached it,
it was in flames.
It was indeed a great sorrow which he had brought upon them, and it hurt
him very much. If he ever again became a human being, he would try to
compensate them for the damage and miscalculation.
Then his thoughts wandered to the crows. And when he thought of
Fumle-Drumle who had saved his life, and had met his own death so soon
after he had been elected chieftain, he was so distressed that tears
filled his eyes. He had had a pretty rough time of it these last few
days. But, anyway, it was a rare stroke of luck that the goosey-gander
and Dunfin had found him. The goosey-gander had said that as soon as the
geese discovered that Thumbietot had disappeared, they had asked all
the small animals in the forest about him. They soon learned that a
flock of Smaland crows had carried him off. But the crows were already
out of sight, and whither they had directed their course no one had been
able to say.
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