One afternoon Viggo was walking home from school with a bag of books on
his back. He marched straight as a stick, with a soldiery step. Old Hans
was standing outside the cottage waiting for him, and when Viggo halted
and saluted, the old man asked if he could guess what present there was
for him at the house.
"How does it look?" asked Viggo.
"It is brown," said Hans. "Now guess."
"Oh, I suppose it is nothing but a lump of brown sugar from Aunt Beate,"
said Viggo.
"Try again!" said Hans, and grinned. "It is dark brown, it walks on four
feet and laps milk."
"Is it the puppy the Captain has promised me? Is it?" cried Viggo, and
forgot all about standing straight and stiff before the Grenadier.
"Right about! Of course that's what it is," said Hans the Grenadier.
But Viggo turned a somersault instead of "Right about" and ran to the
house. On a piece of carpet close by the fireplace lay the little puppy,
and he was beautiful. The body was dark brown, but the nose and paws
were light brown, and he had a light brown spot over each eye. When
Viggo sat down on the floor beside him and stroked the soft fur, he
licked Viggo's hand. Soon they had become acquainted, and from that time
on Viggo watched, to see if the puppy grew, almost as carefully as he
watched his own nose to see if it had the proper curve so that he might
become a general.
In the night, Allarm lay by Viggo's bed, and in the daytime sat beside
him when he was studying his lessons. The puppy was not allowed to go
along to school, but he met Viggo every afternoon, and barked with joy
and wagged his tail.
One winter morning Hans the Grenadier and some of the farm hands were
going to the woods to haul timber with seven horses. Viggo had a holiday
that day, so he was allowed to go along. He put his rubber boots on, and
whistled for Allarm. The puppy jumped and barked when he noticed that
they were off for the woods. But Viggo's father said it would be best to
leave Allarm at home, for there were packs of wolves in the woods. Viggo
did not like to leave Allarm behind, but when his father said so of
course he must do it. He took the strap and tied Allarm to the leg of
the sofa. Then he put his old coat on the floor beside the dog, so that
he might be comfortable. But you can't imagine how Allarm whined and
howled when he understood that he was to be left tied up.
Viggo told his father that he could not stand it to have Allarm so sad,
happen what would, and he begged that he might take him along.
The father smiled, and said if Viggo wanted to risk it he must take good
care of the dog, and not let him out of his sight. Then they untied him,
and you may imagine Allarm's joy. He jumped and barked so that the
mother had to put her fingers in her ears.
The seven horses went in a line, one after the other, and Hans the
Grenadier and Viggo and Allarm walked behind the last one. The forest
was so still you could not hear the least sound except the horses' hoofs
crunching in the snow. Here and there Viggo saw the foot-prints of a
wolf beside the road. Then he always told Allarm to keep close by him,
and that he did.
But after awhile they left the road and turned into the thick forest.
Hans the Grenadier waded in front, and the snow reached to his knees;
then came the horses and the boys, one after the other, and at last
Viggo.
After a while they came to the logs and began to hitch them to the
horses. Then suddenly Viggo remembered Allarm; he had forgotten all
about the dog since they turned away from the road. He looked around
him, and just then he heard Allarm whine and howl somewhere in the
depths of the forest.
As quick as lightning he grabbed an ax which Old Hans had driven into a
stump, and rushed in through the trees in the direction from which the
howling came. It was not easy; the snow reached far above his knees, but
he noticed nothing: he only feared he would be too late. Once he had to
stop a little to draw breath, then again he heard the pitiful wail of
the dog, but now it sounded fainter. Off Viggo rushed again, and at last
he espied something between the trees. He did not see his dog, but three
wolves stood in a circle, heads turned toward the center; the fourth one
lay inside the ring and bit something in the snow.
Viggo shouted so that it thundered in the forest, and rushed against the
wolves with lifted ax. When he came within seven or eight feet of them,
the three grey-legs took fright and sneaked, tails between legs, far
into the forest; but the fourth, who lay on top of Allarm, hated to give
up his prey. It was a large yellow wolf, and it looked up at Viggo and
showed sharp, bloody teeth.
"Let go of Allarm! Let go of my dog, or I'll teach you!" he cried, and
swung the ax high above his head. Then grey-legs sneaked slowly away
after the others. He turned once and howled, and showed his teeth, and
then disappeared among the bushes.
Far down in a hole in the snow lay Allarm. He was so bitten that he
could not jump to his feet; and, when Viggo lifted him, the blood
dripped down on the snow. His whole body shivered, but he licked Viggo's
hand.
Just then Old Hans the Grenadier stood by Viggo's side. When he had
gained his breath after his hurried run, the old man cried very angrily:
"If I did what you deserve I should have to whip you. Do you think it
fit for a youngster like you to rush against a pack of wolves? If they
had eaten you up alive before you had a chance to make a sound, what
would you have said then?"
"Then I would have said: 'One thing is a shame, and that is to turn your
back before "retreat" is called,'" said Viggo, and looked sharply at the
Grenadier.
"Well said, my boy! The nose has not quite the right curve yet, but the
eyes are there, and I do believe the heart, too," said Old Hans. He took
the dog from Viggo, and went home with both of them.