“I thought you said something about needing this money yourselves,” reminded the boy.

“We do need it, so as to be able to give you such recompense as will make your mother and father think you have been working as a goose boy with worthy people.”

The boy turned half round and cast a glance toward the sea, then faced about and looked straight into Akka’s bright eyes.

“I think it strange, Mother Akka, that you turn me away from your service like this and pay me off before I have given you notice,” he said.

“As long as we wild geese remain in Sweden, I trust that you will stay with us,” said Akka.  “I only wanted to show you where the treasure was while we could get to it without going too far out of our course.”

“All the same it looks as if you wished to be rid of me before I want to go,” argued Thumbietot.  “After all the good times we have had together, I think you ought to let me go abroad with you.”

When the boy said this, Akka and the other wild geese stretched their long necks straight up and stood a moment, with bills half open, drinking in air.

“That is something I haven’t thought about,” said Akka, when she recovered herself.  “Before you decide to come with us, we had better hear what Gorgo has to say.  You may as well know that when we left Lapland the agreement between Gorgo and myself was that he should travel to your home down in Skane to try to make better terms for you with the elf.”

“That is true,” affirmed Gorgo, “but as I have already told you, luck was against me.  I soon hunted up Holger Nilsson’s croft and after circling up and down over the place a couple of hours, I caught sight of the elf, skulking along between the sheds.

“Immediately I swooped down upon him and flew off with him to a meadow where we could talk together without interruption.

“I told him that I had been sent by Akka from Kebnekaise to ask if he couldn’t give Nils Holgersson easier terms.

“‘I only wish I could!’ he answered, ’for I have heard that he has conducted himself well on the trip; but it is not in my power to do so.’

“Then I was wrathy and said that I would bore out his eyes unless he gave in.

“‘You may do as you like,’ he retorted, ’but as to Nils Holgersson, it will turn out exactly as I have said.  You can tell him from me that he would do well to return soon with his goose, for matters on the farm are in a bad shape.  His father has had to forfeit a bond for his brother, whom he trusted.  He has bought a horse with borrowed money, and the beast went lame the first time he drove it.  Since then it has been of no earthly use to him.  Tell Nils Holgersson that his parents have had to sell two of the cows and that they must give up the croft unless they receive help from somewhere.”

When the boy heard this he frowned and clenched his fists so hard that the nails dug into his flesh.