Munkhyttan, the home of Gunnar Hede, was situated in a poor parish in
the forests of Vesterdalarne. It was a large, thinly-populated parish,
with which Nature had dealt very stingily. There were stony,
forest-covered hills, and many small lakes. The people could not
possibly have earned a livelihood there had they not had the right to
travel about the country as pedlars. But to make up for it, the whole of
this poor district was full of old tales of how poor peasant lads and
lassies had gone into the world with a pack of goods on their backs, to
return in gilded coaches, with the boxes under the seats filled with
money.
One of the very best stories was about Hede's grandfather. He was the
son of a poor musician, and had grown up with his violin in his hand,
and when he was seventeen years old he had gone out into the world with
his pack on his back. But wherever he went his violin had helped him in
his business. He had by turns gathered people together by his music and
sold them silk handkerchiefs, combs, and pins. All his trading had been
brought about with music and merriment, and things had gone so well with
him that he had at last been able to buy Munkhyttan, with its mine and
ironworks, from the poverty-stricken Baron who then owned the property.
Then he became the Squire, and the pretty daughter of the Baron became
his wife.
From that time the old family, as they were always called, had thought
of nothing else but beautifying the place. They removed the main
building on to the beautiful island which lay on the edge of a small
lake, round which lay their fields and their mines. The upper story had
been added in their time, for they wanted to have plenty of room for
their numerous guests; and they had also added the two large flights of
steps outside. They had planted ornamental trees all over the
fir-covered island. They had made small winding pathways in the stony
soil, and on the most beautiful spots they had built small pavilions,
hanging like large birds'-nests over the lake. The beautiful French
roses that grew on the terrace, the Dutch furniture, the Italian violin,
had all been brought to the house by them. And it was they who had built
the wall protecting the orchard from the north wind, and the
conservatory.
The old family were merry, kind-hearted, old-fashioned people. The
Squire's wife certainly liked to be a little aristocratic; but that was
not at all in the old Squire's line. In the midst of all the luxury
which surrounded him he never forgot what he had been, and in the room
where he transacted his business, and where people came and went, the
pack and the red-painted, home-made violin were hung right above the old
man's desk.
Even after his death the pack and the violin remained in the same place.
And every time the old man's son and grandson saw them their hearts
swelled with gratitude. It was these two poor implements that had
created Munkhyttan, and Munkhyttan was the best thing in the world.
Whatever the reason might be--and it was probably because it seemed
natural to the place that one lived a good, genial life there, free from
trouble--Hede's family clung to the place with greater love than was
good for it. And more especially Gunnar Hede was so strongly attached to
it that people said that it was incorrect to say of him that he owned an
estate. On the contrary, it was an old estate in Vesterdalarne that
owned Gunnar Hede.
If he had not made himself a slave of an old rambling manor-house and
some acres of land and forest, and some stunted apple-trees, he would
probably have continued his studies, or, better still, gone abroad to
study music, which, after all, was no doubt his proper vocation in this
world. But when he returned from Upsala, and it became clear to him that
they really would have to sell the estate if he could not soon earn a
lot of money, he decided upon giving up all his other plans, and made up
his mind to go out into the world as a pedlar, as his grandfather before
him had done.
His mother and his _fiancée_ besought him rather to sell the place than
to sacrifice himself for it in this manner, but he was not to be moved.
He put on peasant's attire, bought goods, and began to travel about the
country as a pedlar. He thought that if he only traded a couple of years
he could earn enough to pay the debt and save the estate.
And as far as the latter was concerned he was successful enough. But he
brought upon himself a terrible misfortune.
When he had walked about with his pack for a year or so he thought that
he would try and earn a large sum of money at one stroke. He went far
north and bought a large flock of goats, about a couple of hundred. And
he and a comrade intended to drive them down to a large fair in
Vermland, where goats cost twice as much as in the north. If he
succeeded in selling all his goats, he would do a very good business.
It was in the beginning of November, and there had not yet been any
snow, when Hede and his comrade set out with their goats. The first day
everything went well with them, but the second day, when they came to
the great Fifty-Mile Forest, it began to snow. Much snow fell, and it
stormed and blew severely. It was not long before it became difficult
for the animals to make their way through the snow. Goats are certainly
both plucky and hardy animals, and the herd struggled on for a
considerable time; but the snow-storm lasted two days and two nights,
and it was terribly cold.
Hede did all he could to save the animals, but after the snow began to
fall he could get them neither food nor water. And when they had worked
their way through deep snow for a whole day they became very footsore.
Their feet hurt them, and they would not go any longer. The first goat
that threw itself down by the roadside and would not get up again and
follow the herd Hede lifted on to his shoulder so as not to leave it
behind. But when another and again another lay down he could not carry
them. There was nothing to do but to look the other way and go on.
Do you know what the Fifty-Mile Forest is like? Not a farmhouse, not a
cottage, mile after mile, only forest; tall-stemmed fir-trees, with bark
as hard as wood, and high branches; no young trees with soft bark and
soft twigs that the animals could eat. If there had been no snow, they
could have got through the forest in a couple of days; now they could
not get through it at all. All the goats were left there, and the men
too nearly perished. They did not meet a single human being the whole
time. No one helped them.
Hede tried to throw the snow to one side so that the goats could eat the
moss; but the snow fell so thickly, and the moss was frozen fast to the
ground. And how could he get food for two hundred animals in this way?
He bore it bravely until the goats began to moan. The first day they
were a lively, rather noisy herd. He had had hard work to make them all
keep together, and prevent them from butting each other to death. But
when they seemed to understand that they could not be saved their
nature changed, and they completely lost their courage. They all began
to bleat and moan, not faintly and peevishly, as goats usually do, but
loudly, louder and louder as the danger increased. And when Hede heard
their cries he felt quite desperate.
They were in the midst of the wild, desolate forest; there was no help
whatever obtainable. Goat after goat dropped down by the roadside. The
snow gathered round them and covered them. When Hede looked back at this
row of drifts by the wayside, each hiding the body of an animal, of
which one could still see the projecting horns and the hoofs, then his
brain began to give way.
He rushed at the animals, which allowed themselves to be covered by the
snow, swung his whip over them, and hit them. It was the only way to
save them, but they did not stir. He took them by the horns and dragged
them along. They allowed themselves to be dragged, but they did not move
a foot themselves. When he let go his hold of their horns, they licked
his hands, as if beseeching him to help them. As soon as he went up to
them they licked his hands.
All this had such a strong effect upon Hede that he felt he was on the
point of going out of his mind.
It is not certain, however, that things would have gone so badly with
him had he not, after it was all over in the forest, gone to see one
whom he loved dearly. It was not his mother, but his sweetheart. He
thought himself that he had gone there because he ought to tell her at
once that he had lost so much money that he would not be able to marry
for many years. But no doubt he went to see her solely to hear her say
that she loved him quite as much in spite of his misfortunes. He thought
that she could drive away the memory of the Fifty-Mile Forest.
She could, perhaps, have done this, but she would not. She was already
displeased because Hede went about with a pack and looked like a
peasant; she thought that for that reason alone it was difficult to love
him as much as before. Now, when he told her that he must still go on
doing this for many years, she said that she could no longer wait for
him. This last blow was too much for Hede; his mind gave way.
He did not grow quite mad, however; he retained so much of his senses
that he could attend to his business. He even did better than others,
for it amused people to make fun of him; he was always welcome at the
peasants' houses. People plagued and teased him, but that was in a way
good for him, as he was so anxious to become rich. And in the course of
a few years he had earned enough to pay all his debts, and he could have
lived free from worry on his estate. But this he did not understand; he
went about half-witted and silly from farm to farm, and he had no longer
any idea to what class of people he really belonged.