Chapter 22 Varmland and Dalsland

The next day, the boy took advantage of the fact that Aka and the other geese were not foraging together during the break, and asked Aka if what Bataki said was true.Aka did not deny it.At that time, the boy asked Akka to promise him that he would not reveal the secret to Morton the gander, because the big white goose was brave and loyal, and the boy was worried that if he knew the elf's condition, what misfortune might happen to him. Afterwards, the boy was always silent, sadly riding on the back of the goose, with his head drooping, not in the mood to take care of everything around him.He heard the old geese calling to the younger geese, now they were in the province of Dharana, now they could see Stanjan to the north, now they were flying over the East Dar, now they were at Hurmund Lake, now they were going west Flying over the Dar, but he didn't even look at those things. "It looks like I'm going to spend my life traveling with geese," he thought, "and I'm sure to get tired of seeing this country."

The wild geese were calling, and thus they had reached Värmland.He was still listless as he flew south along the Kra River. "I have seen enough rivers," he thought, "and I don't need to bother to see another river." And even if he wanted to, there was nothing below to look at, for there were some vast, dreary forests north of Varmeland, and the narrow, thin, eddy after eddy river, the Kra River, meandered by, now and then in the Here and there one sees a charcoal kiln, a place set on fire, or a small Finnish house without a chimney.But in general, the vast forest is boundless, and people would think that this is Lapland in the north.

The wild geese landed on a burnt-out land by the Kela River, where they were pecking at the tender autumn rye that had just grown.At this time, the boy heard chatter and laughter coming from the forest.I saw seven strong men walking out of the forest with backpacks on their backs and machetes on their shoulders.On this day, the boy missed human beings beyond words. Therefore, when he saw the seven workers take off their backpacks and sit on the ground to rest, he was very happy. They talked non-stop.The boy hid behind a mound of soil, and when he heard the voice of human beings, he felt indescribably happy.He soon found out that they were all from Varmland, and they were going to Norrland to find work.They are a group of very optimistic people, everyone has something to say, because they have worked in many places.But while they were talking, a man accidentally remarked that, though he had been all over Sweden, he had never seen a more beautiful place than Norrmagen, where his native town was in the west of Varmland.

"I'd agree with you if you said Felix Darren instead of Normagen," interjected another. "I am from Yesai County," said a third, "and I can tell you that the place is more beautiful than Normagen and Felixdalen." It appears that these seven people come from different parts of Varmland, each of whom thinks that his homeland is more beautiful and better than the others'.They quarreled fiercely about this, and no one could convince the other, and it seemed that they were about to turn their heads.At this moment, an old man with long black hair and a pair of narrow eyes passed by here. "What are you arguing about, boys?" he asked. "You are making such a noise that the whole forest can hear you."

A Värmlander turned hastily to the newcomer and said, "You're wandering around in the mountains and forests, you must be a Finn?" "Yes, I am Finn," said the old man. "That's great," said the man, "I've always heard that you Finns are more just than people from other countries." "A good reputation is worth more than gold," said the old Finn triumphantly. "We're sitting here arguing over which part of Varmland is the best, and I wonder if you'd like to settle that for us before we get into a bad fight over it."

"I will do my best," said the old Finn, "but you must be patient with me, because first I must tell you an old story." The Finn sat down on a rock and said: "Long ago, the land north of Lake Vänern looked very scary. It was full of wild mountains and steep hills, and it was impossible to live and live there. The roads could not be opened, and the land could not be cultivated. South of Lake Vänern it was as good and easy to farm as it is now. "At that time, a great man lived on the south bank of Lake Vänern, and he had seven sons. They were all quick and strong, but also very pompous. There was a lot of trouble between them, because each wanted to be superior to others.

"Father didn't like the endless quarrels. To end it, he called his seven sons together one day and asked if he would test them to see who was the best. "The sons are naturally willing, that's what they wish for. "'That's what we'll do, then,' said my father. 'You know there's a wasteland, full of knolls and gravel, on the north side of what we call Lake Vanern, and we can't make use of it. Tomorrow you all harness up, Take your plow and plow as hard as you can for the day. In the evening I will go and see which of you plows best.' "The next morning, before the sun had risen, the seven brothers had already prepared the horse and the plow, and were ready to go. When they drove the horse and set off, the battle was very majestic. The horse was brushed smooth, the plowshare was shining brightly, and the plow Their heads had just been ground. Like frightened horses, they galloped to Lake Vänern. Two of them turned and detoured, but the oldest son kept going. 'I'm not afraid Such a small pool." He said to Lake Vänern.

"The others saw how brave he was, and they were not to be outdone. They stood on the plow and drove the horses into the water. The horses were very big, and they walked a long distance in the water before they could reach the bottom of the lake. They had to Swimming. The plow floated on the water, but it was not so easy for a man to stay on it. Some held the plow and let it be dragged, and some swam across the lake, but they all passed, And immediately started plowing the land, which was later called Varmland and Dalsland. The eldest plowed a piece of land in the middle, the second and third sons were on both sides of him, and the two sons at the bottom were arranged in turn. , the youngest of the two sons, one is in the westernmost line of the land, and the other is in the easternmost line.

"At first, the furrow the boss plowed was straight and wide, because Lake Vänern was flat and easy to cultivate. He also made fast progress, but then he came across a rock, which was too big to go around, so he had to He lifted the plow over the rocks. Then he thrust the plow into the ground again and continued to plow a wide and deep furrow. But after a while, he came across a very hard ground and had to lift the plow again. , and later, he was in the same situation again. He was angry that he could not consistently plow wide and deep furrows. Finally, the ground was so full of rocks that it was impossible to cultivate it, and he had to scratch the surface of the ground. In this way, he finally plowed to the north end of the field, and sat there waiting for his father.

"The furrow that the second plowed at first was wide and deep, and he found a good passage between the hills, so he never stopped. But he plowed now and then on the slopes of the valley. He The further north he plowed, the more bends he made and the narrower the furrows became. But he went so fast that he didn't stop even when he reached the top of the field, and he plowed a lot more. "The third, the one to the left of the older brother, started off well. He plowed the furrows wider than the others, but soon he came across a bad field and was forced to turn west. Plow. He turned as far north as he could, and plowed deep and wide. But at a great distance from the boundary of the field there was no way to go, and he was forced to stop again. He didn't want to stop in the middle of the road, so he turned his horse's head and plowed in the other direction. But soon he had no way to go, and was forced to stop again. 'This ditch must be the worst.' He Thought as he sat on the plow waiting for his father.

"As for the rest, the same can be said. They all act like men. Those in the middle have a lot of trouble, but the ones to the east and west of them are even worse, because the fields on either side are full of rocks. Heaps and swamps cannot be plowed straight and evenly. As for the two youngest sons, it can be said that they just walked around in the field, but they also did a lot of work. "In the evening, the seven brothers were all exhausted, and sat listlessly at the end of their respective furrows and waited. "Here comes the father. He goes first to his son who works in the far west. "'Good evening!' said my father, coming up. 'How are you doing?' "'Not so good,' said the son, 'this field is too hard to plow.' "'I suppose you sat with your back to the work,' said my father, 'turn around, and you'll see how much you've done! You haven't done as little as you think. ' "The son turned his head and saw that where he had plowed, there was a beautiful valley with a lake at the bottom, and the steep slopes on both sides were full of lush woods, which was very pleasant to the eye. He walked a long way in the Dalsland and Normagen regions. At some distance the lakes of Largos, Thunder Dragon, Big Thunder, and the two lakes of Syrah had been plowed, so Father had every reason to be pleased with him. "'Now let's go and see how the others are doing,' said the father. The next son they went to see, was the fifth son, who plowed out Yesai County and Lake Grafsfjöden; three The son plowed out Weymes; the eldest plowed Fexdalen and Fregen; the second plowed the Eyre Valley and the Kla; the fourth labored hard at Belislage, In addition to many small lakes, he also plowed out the Yongen Lake and Daglesong Lake; the sixth son took a very strange road. , forming the Rhett River, and then he accidentally crossed the land line and dug some small lakes in the Westmanland mining area. "When the father had seen all the ground his sons had plowed, he said he had every reason to be satisfied that, in his judgment, everyone had done a good job. The field was no longer barren, but It is a fertile soil that can be farmed and lived in. They have created many lakes and fertile basins rich in fish resources. Waterfalls are formed on the big rivers and streams, which can drive machines to grind flour, saw wood and forge steel bars. Between the ditches Forests for fuel and charcoal can grow on the ridges of the mountain, and there is also the possibility of building a road to the Belisragna Iron Mine. "The sons were delighted to hear that, but now they want to know who made the best furrow. "'In a field like this,' said my father, 'it is the harmony of the furrows that counts, not that one furrow is better than the other. I think that any furrow that goes as far as Normagen and the Dalsland Anyone at the lake will admit that he has seldom seen a more beautiful place than there, but he will also like the sunny and fertile areas around Grafsfjöden and Lake Wemeen. In open, comfortable places After living for a while, he may want to change places, move to the narrow canyons along the Flegan Lake and the Kla River. Lakes of all shapes and sizes in the region, with twists and turns, so many that no one can remember them all. After seeing the fragmented lakes, he must also be delighted to see lakes as blue as Skageng. And rejoice. Now I want to tell you that the case of the sons is the same as that of the furrow. No father can be happy that one son is better than the others. If from the youngest son to the oldest son, Father can look at it with the same loving eyes, and then he will feel peace and comfort in his heart.'”