Get up on my back and you shall
soon be with your friends."
The boy quickly seated himself on the raven's back and Bataki would soon
have caught up with the geese had he not been hindered by a fog. It was
as if the morning sun had awakened it to life. Little light veils of
mist rose suddenly from the lake, from fields, and from the forest. They
thickened and spread with marvellous rapidity, and soon the entire
ground was hidden from sight by white, rolling mists.
Bataki flew along above the fog in clear air and sparkling sunshine, but
the wild geese must have circled down among the damp clouds, for it was
impossible to sight them. The boy and the raven called and shrieked, but
got no response.
"Well, this is a stroke of ill luck!" said Bataki finally. "But we know
that they are travelling toward the south, and of course I'll find them
as soon as the mist clears."
The boy was distressed at the thought of being parted from Morten
Goosey-Gander just now, when the geese were on the wing, and the big
white one might meet with all sorts of mishaps. After Thumbietot had
been sitting worrying for two hours or more, he remarked to himself
that, thus far, there had been no mishap, and it was not worth while to
lose heart.
Just then he heard a rooster crowing down on the ground, and instantly
he bent forward on the raven's back and called out:
"What's the name of the country I'm travelling over?"
"It's called Haerjedalen, Haerjedalen, Haerjedalen," crowed the rooster.
Pages:
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560