The Wonderful Adventures of Nils Selma Lagerlöf (i wanna iguana read aloud .txt) đ
- Author: Selma Lagerlöf
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âââSurely a man and a horse who have no infirmities need not let a feeble old woman be devoured by wolves for their sakes!â he thought. âThere must be some other way of salvation. Why, of course, there is! Itâs only my stupidity that hinders me from finding the way.â
âAgain he started to push the vat, then paused once more and burst out laughing.
âThe old woman was alarmed and wondered if he had gone mad, but the man from Hede was laughing at himself because he had been so stupid all the while. It was the simplest thing in the world to save all three of them. He could not imagine why he had not thought of it before.
âââListen to what I say to you, Malin!â he said. âIt was splendid of you to be willing to throw yourself to the wolves. But you wonât have to do that because I know how we can all three be helped without endangering the life of any. Remember, whatever I may do, you are to sit still and drive down to LinsĂ€ll. There you must waken the townspeople and tell them that Iâm alone out here on the ice, surrounded by wolves, and ask them to come and help me.â
âThe man waited until the wolves were almost upon the sledge. Then he rolled out the big brewerâs vat, jumped down, and crawled in under it.
âIt was a huge vat, large enough to hold a whole Christmas brew. The wolves pounced upon it and bit at the hoops, but the vat was too heavy for them to move. They could not get at the man inside.
âHe knew that he was safe and laughed at the wolves. After a bit he was serious again.
âââFor the future, when I get into a tight place, I shall remember this vat, and I shall bear in mind that I need never wrong either myself or others, for there is always a third way out of a difficulty if only one can hit upon it.âââ
With this Bataki closed his narrative.
The boy noticed that the raven never spoke unless there was some special meaning back of his words, and the longer he listened to him, the more thoughtful he became.
âI wonder why you told me that story?â remarked the boy.
âI just happened to think of it as I stood here, gazing up at SonfjĂ€llet,â replied the raven.
Now they had travelled farther down Lake Ljusna and in an hour or so they came to KolsĂ€tt, close to the border of HĂ€lsingland. Here the raven alighted near a little hut that had no windowsâ âonly a shutter. From the chimney rose sparks and smoke, and from within the sound of heavy hammering was heard.
âWhenever I see this smithy,â observed the raven, âIâm reminded that, in former times, there were such skilled blacksmiths here in HĂ€rjedalen, more especially in this villageâ âthat they couldnât be matched in the whole country.â
âPerhaps you also remember a story about them?â said the boy.
âYes,â returned Bataki, âI remember one about a smith from HĂ€rjedalen who once invited two other master blacksmithsâ âone from Dalecarlia and one from Vermlandâ âto compete with him at nail-making. The challenge was accepted and the three blacksmiths met here at KolsĂ€tt. The Dalecarlian began. He forged a dozen nails, so even and smooth and sharp that they couldnât be improved upon. After him came the Vermlander. He, too, forged a dozen nails, which were quite perfect and, moreover, he finished them in half the time that it took the Dalecarlian. When the judges saw this they said to the HĂ€rjedal smith that it wouldnât be worth while for him to try, since he could not forge better than the Dalecarlian or faster than the Vermlander.
âââI shanât give up! There must be still another way of excelling,â insisted the HĂ€rjedal smith.
âHe placed the iron on the anvil without heating it at the forge; he simply hammered it hot and forged nail after nail, without the use of either anvil or bellows. None of the judges had ever seen a blacksmith wield a hammer more masterfully, and the HĂ€rjedal smith was proclaimed the best in the land.â
With these remarks Bataki subsided, and the boy grew even more thoughtful.
âI wonder what your purpose was in telling me that?â he queried.
âThe story dropped into my mind when I saw the old smithy again,â said Bataki in an offhand manner.
The two travellers rose again into the air and the raven carried the boy southward till they came to LillhÀrdal Parish, where he alighted on a leafy mound at the top of a ridge.
âI wonder if you know upon what mound you are standing?â said Bataki.
The boy had to confess that he did not know.
âThis is a grave,â said Bataki. âBeneath this mound lies the first settler in HĂ€rjedalen.â
âPerhaps you have a story to tell of him too?â said the boy.
âI havenât heard much about him, but I think he was a Norwegian. He had served with a Norwegian king, got into his bad graces, and had to flee the country.
âLater he went over to the Swedish king, who lived at Upsala, and took service with him. But, after a time, he asked for the hand of the kingâs sister in marriage, and when the king wouldnât give him such a highborn bride, he eloped with her. By that time he had managed to get himself into such disfavour that it wasnât safe for him to live either in Norway or Sweden, and he did not wish to move to a foreign country. âBut there must still be a course open to me,â he thought. With his servants and treasures, he journeyed through Dalecarlia until he arrived in the desolate forests beyond the outskirts of the province. There he settled, built houses and broke up land. Thus, you see, he was the first man to settle in this
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