They were now very near the Eastern sea; and on the meadow where the geese had alighted the soil was sandy, as it usually is on the sea-coast.  It looked as if, formerly, there had been flying sand in this vicinity which had to be held down; for in several directions large, planted pine-woods could be seen.

When the wild geese had been feeding a while, several children came along, and walked on the edge of the meadow.  The goose who was on guard at once raised herself into the air with noisy wing-strokes, so the whole flock should hear that there was danger on foot.  All the wild geese flew upward; but the white one trotted along on the ground unconcerned.  When he saw the others fly he raised his head and called after them:  “You needn’t fly away from these!  They are only a couple of children!”

The little creature who had been riding on his back, sat down upon a knoll on the outskirts of the wood and picked a pine-cone in pieces, that he might get at the seeds.  The children were so close to him that he did not dare to run across the meadow to the white one.  He concealed himself under a big, dry thistle-leaf, and at the same time gave a warning-cry.  But the white one had evidently made up his mind not to let himself be scared.  He walked along on the ground all the while; and not once did he look to see in what direction they were going.

Meanwhile, they turned from the path, walked across the field, getting nearer and nearer to the goosey-gander.  When he finally did look up, they were right upon him.  He was so dumfounded, and became so confused, he forgot that he could fly, and tried to get out of their reach by running.  But the children followed, chasing him into a ditch, and there they caught him.  The larger of the two stuck him under his arm and carried him off.

When the boy, who lay under the thistle-leaf saw this, he sprang up as if he wanted to take the goosey-gander away from them; then he must have remembered how little and powerless he was, for he threw himself on the knoll and beat upon the ground with his clenched fists.

The goosey-gander cried with all his might for help:  “Thumbietot, come and help me!  Oh, Thumbietot, come and help me!” The boy began to laugh in the midst of his distress.  “Oh, yes!  I’m just the right one to help anybody, I am!” said he.

Anyway he got up and followed the goosey-gander.  “I can’t help him,” said he, “but I shall at least find out where they are taking him.”

The children had a good start; but the boy had no difficulty in keeping them within sight until they came to a hollow where a brook gushed forth.  But here he was obliged to run alongside of it for some little time, before he could find a place narrow enough for him to jump over.

When he came up from the hollow the children had disappeared.  He could see their footprints on a narrow path which led to the woods, and these he continued to follow.