_Wednesday, April twentieth_.
It was indeed very lonely in the cottage without Jarro. The dog and the
cat found the time long, when they didn't have him to wrangle over; and
the housewife missed the glad quacking which he had indulged in every
time she entered the house. But the one who longed most for Jarro, was
the little boy, Per Ola. He was but three years old, and the only child;
and in all his life he had never had a playmate like Jarro. When he
heard that Jarro had gone back to Takern and the wild ducks, he couldn't
be satisfied with this, but thought constantly of how he should get him
back again.
Per Ola had talked a good deal with Jarro while he lay still in his
basket, and he was certain that the duck understood him. He begged his
mother to take him down to the lake that he might find Jarro, and
persuade him to come back to them. Mother wouldn't listen to this; but
the little one didn't give up his plan on that account.
The day after Jarro had disappeared, Per Ola was running about in the
yard. He played by himself as usual, but Caesar lay on the stoop; and
when mother let the boy out, she said: "Take care of Per Ola, Caesar!"
Now if all had been as usual, Caesar would also have obeyed the command,
and the boy would have been so well guarded that he couldn't have run
the least risk. But Caesar was not like himself these days. He knew that
the farmers who lived along Takern had held frequent conferences about
the lowering of the lake; and that they had almost settled the matter.
The ducks must leave, and Caesar should nevermore behold a glorious
chase. He was so preoccupied with thoughts of this misfortune, that he
did not remember to watch over Per Ola.
And the little one had scarcely been alone in the yard a minute, before
he realised that now the right moment was come to go down to Takern and
talk with Jarro. He opened a gate, and wandered down toward the lake on
the narrow path which ran along the banks. As long as he could be seen
from the house, he walked slowly; but afterward he increased his pace.
He was very much afraid that mother, or someone else, should call to him
that he couldn't go. He didn't wish to do anything naughty, only to
persuade Jarro to come home; but he felt that those at home would not
have approved of the undertaking.
When Per Ola came down to the lake-shore, he called Jarro several
times. Thereupon he stood for a long time and waited, but no Jarro
appeared. He saw several birds that resembled the wild duck, but they
flew by without noticing him, and he could understand that none among
them was the right one.
When Jarro didn't come to him, the little boy thought that it would be
easier to find him if he went out on the lake. There were several good
craft lying along the shore, but they were tied. The only one that lay
loose, and at liberty, was an old leaky scow which was so unfit that no
one thought of using it. But Per Ola scrambled up in it without caring
that the whole bottom was filled with water. He had not strength enough
to use the oars, but instead, he seated himself to swing and rock in the
scow. Certainly no grown person would have succeeded in moving a scow
out on Takern in that manner; but when the tide is high--and ill-luck to
the fore--little children have a marvellous faculty for getting out to
sea. Per Ola was soon riding around on Takern, and calling for Jarro.
When the old scow was rocked like this--out to sea--its Cracks opened
wider and wider, and the water actually streamed into it. Per Ola didn't
pay the slightest attention to this. He sat upon the little bench in
front and called to every bird he saw, and wondered why Jarro didn't
appear.
At last Jarro caught sight of Per Ola. He heard that someone called him
by the name which he had borne among human beings, and he understood
that the boy had gone out on Takern to search for him. Jarro was
unspeakably happy to find that one of the humans really loved him. He
shot down toward Per Ola, like an arrow, seated himself beside him, and
let him caress him. They were both very happy to see each other again.
But suddenly Jarro noticed the condition of the scow. It was half-filled
with water, and was almost ready to sink. Jarro tried to tell Per Ola
that he, who could neither fly nor swim, must try to get upon land; but
Per Ola didn't understand him. Then Jarro did not wait an instant, but
hurried away to get help.
Jarro came back in a little while, and carried on his back a tiny thing,
who was much smaller than Per Ola himself. If he hadn't been able to
talk and move, the boy would have believed that it was a doll.
Instantly, the little one ordered Per Ola to pick up a long, slender
pole that lay in the bottom of the scow, and try to pole it toward one
of the reed-islands. Per Ola obeyed him, and he and the tiny creature,
together, steered the scow. With a couple of strokes they were on a
little reed-encircled island, and now Per Ola was told that he must step
on land. And just the very moment that Per Ola set foot on land, the
scow was filled with water, and sank to the bottom. When Per Ola saw
this he was sure that father and mother would be very angry with him. He
would have started in to cry if he hadn't found something else to think
about soon; namely, a flock of big, gray birds, who lighted on the
island. The little midget took him up to them, and told him their names,
and what they said. And this was so funny that Per Ola forgot
everything else.
Meanwhile the folks on the farm had discovered that the boy had
disappeared, and had started to search for him. They searched the
outhouses, looked in the well, and hunted through the cellar. Then they
went out into the highways and by-paths; wandered to the neighbouring
farm to find out if he had strayed over there, and searched for him also
down by Takern. But no matter how much they sought they did not find
him.
Caesar, the dog, understood very well that the farmer-folk were looking
for Per Ola, but he did nothing to lead them on the right track;
instead, he lay still as though the matter didn't concern him.
Later in the day, Per Ola's footprints were discovered down by the
boat-landing. And then came the thought that the old, leaky scow was no
longer on the strand. Then one began to understand how the whole affair
had come about.
The farmer and his helpers immediately took out the boats and went in
search of the boy. They rowed around on Takern until way late in the
evening, without seeing the least shadow of him. They couldn't help
believing that the old scow had gone down, and that the little one lay
dead on the lake-bottom.
In the evening, Per Ola's mother hunted around on the strand. Everyone
else was convinced that the boy was drowned, but she could not bring
herself to believe this. She searched all the while. She searched
between reeds and bulrushes; tramped and tramped on the muddy shore,
never thinking of how deep her foot sank, and how wet she had become.
She was unspeakably desperate. Her heart ached in her breast. She did
not weep, but wrung her hands and called for her child in loud piercing
tones.
Round about her she heard swans' and ducks' and curlews' shrieks. She
thought that they followed her, and moaned and wailed--they too.
"Surely, they, too, must be in trouble, since they moan so," thought
she. Then she remembered: these were only birds that she heard complain.
They surely had no worries.
It was strange that they did not quiet down after sunset. But she heard
all these uncountable bird-throngs, which lived along Takern, send forth
cry upon cry. Several of them followed her wherever she went; others
came rustling past on light wings. All the air was filled with moans and
lamentations.
But the anguish which she herself was suffering, opened her heart. She
thought that she was not as far removed from all other living creatures
as people usually think. She understood much better than ever before,
how birds fared. They had their constant worries for home and children;
they, as she. There was surely not such a great difference between them
and her as she had heretofore believed.
Then she happened to think that it was as good as settled that these
thousands of swans and ducks and loons would lose their homes here by
Takern. "It will be very hard for them," she thought. "Where shall they
bring up their children now?"
She stood still and mused on this. It appeared to be an excellent and
agreeable accomplishment to change a lake into fields and meadows, but
let it be some other lake than Takern; some other lake, which was not
the home of so many thousand creatures.
She remembered how on the following day the proposition to lower the
lake was to be decided, and she wondered if this was why her little son
had been lost--just to-day.
Was it God's meaning that sorrow should come and open her heart--just
to-day--before it was too late to avert the cruel act?
She walked rapidly up to the house, and began to talk with her husband
about this. She spoke of the lake, and of the birds, and said that she
believed it was God's judgment on them both. And she soon found that he
was of the same opinion.
They already owned a large place, but if the lake-draining was carried
into effect, such a goodly portion of the lake-bottom would fall to
their share that their property would be nearly doubled. For this reason
they had been more eager for the undertaking than any of the other shore
owners. The others had been worried about expenses, and anxious lest the
draining should not prove any more successful this time than it was the
last. Per Ola's father knew in his heart that it was he who had
influenced them to undertake the work. He had exercised all his
eloquence, so that he might leave to his son a farm as large again as
his father had left to him.
He stood and pondered if God's hand was back of the fact that Takern had
taken his son from him on the day before he was to draw up the contract
to lay it waste. The wife didn't have to say many words to him, before
he answered: "It may be that God does not want us to interfere with His
order. I'll talk with the others about this to-morrow, and I think we'll
conclude that all may remain as it is."
While the farmer-folk were talking this over, Caesar lay before the
fire. He raised his head and listened very attentively. When he thought
that he was sure of the outcome, he walked up to the mistress, took her
by the skirt, and led her to the door. "But Caesar!" said she, and
wanted to break loose. "Do you know where Per Ola is?" she exclaimed.
Caesar barked joyfully, and threw himself against the door. She opened
it, and Caesar dashed down toward Takern. The mistress was so positive
he knew where Per Ola was, that she rushed after him. And no sooner had
they reached the shore than they heard a child's cry out on the lake.
Per Ola had had the best day of his life, in company with Thumbietot and
the birds; but now he had begun to cry because he was hungry and afraid
of the darkness. And he was glad when father and mother and Caesar came
for him.