How the rain did pour down! Hjalmar could hear it in his sleep, and when
Ole-Luk-Oie opened the window the water flowed quite up to the window
sill. It had the appearance of a large lake outside, and a beautiful
ship lay close to the house.
"Wilt thou sail with me to-night, little Hjalmar?" said Ole-Luk-Oie.
"Then we shall see foreign countries, and thou shalt return here in the
morning."
All in a moment there stood Hjalmar, in his best clothes, on the deck of
the noble ship, and immediately the weather became fine.
They sailed through the streets, round by the church, while on every
side rolled the wide, great sea.
They sailed till the land disappeared, and then they saw a flock of
storks who had left their own country and were traveling to warmer
climates. The storks flew one behind another and had already been a
long, long time on the wing.
One of them seemed so tired that his wings could scarcely carry him. He
was soon left very far behind. At length he sank lower and lower, with
outstretched wings, flapping them in vain, till his feet touched the
rigging of the ship, and he slid from the sails to the deck and stood
before them. Then a sailor boy caught him and put him in the henhouse
with the fowls, the ducks, and the turkeys, while the poor stork stood
quite bewildered among them.
"Just look at that fellow," said the chickens.
Then the turkey cock puffed himself out as large as he could and
inquired who he was, and the ducks waddled backwards, crying, "Quack,
quack!"
The stork told them all about warm Africa--of the pyramids and of the
ostrich, which, like a wild horse, runs across the desert. But the ducks
did not understand what he said, and quacked amongst themselves, "We are
all of the same opinion; namely, that he is stupid."
"Yes, to be sure, he is stupid," said the turkey cock, and gobbled.
Then the stork remained quite silent and thought of his home in Africa.
"Those are handsome thin legs of yours," said the turkey cock. "What do
they cost a yard?"
"Quack, quack, quack," grinned the ducks; but the stork pretended not to
hear.
"You may as well laugh," said the turkey, "for that remark was rather
witty, but perhaps it was above you. Ah, ah, is he not clever? He will
be a great amusement to us while he remains here." And then he gobbled,
and the ducks quacked: "Gobble, gobble"; "Quack, quack!"
What a terrible uproar they made while they were having such fun among
themselves!
Then Hjalmar went to the henhouse and, opening the door, called to the
stork. He hopped out on the deck. He had rested himself now, and he
looked happy and seemed as if he nodded to Hjalmar as if to thank him.
Then he spread his wings and flew away to warmer countries, while the
hens clucked, the ducks quacked, and the turkey cock's head turned quite
scarlet.
"To-morrow you shall be made into soup," said Hjalmar to the fowls; and
then he awoke and found himself lying in his little bed.
It was a wonderful journey which Ole-Luk-Oie had made him take this
night.