The Wonderful Adventures of Nils 1732 Studios

Swedish · The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

Lilla Karlsön

Little Karlsö

323 sentences · 23 notes

Tap a sentence to open its words.

  1. 1

    The wild geese had spent the night on Öland's northern point and were now on their way toward the mainland.

    Vildgässenthe wild geesevildgässe · proper noun, nominativesubject of hade
    hadehadha · auxiliary verb, past, indicative, activeauxiliary of tillbragt
    tillbragtspenttillbrag · verb, active, supinemain verb of the sentence
    nattennightnatt · noun, nominative, common gender, singulardirect object of tillbragt
    påonpå · prepositionpreposition marking udde
    ÖlandsÖland'sÖland · proper noun, genitivepossessor of udde

    Swedish island.

    norranorthernnorra · adjective, nominative, singularmodifies udde
    uddepointudde · noun, nominative, common gender, singularoblique complement of tillbragt

    a headland/point of land.

    ochandoch · conjunctionlinks the coordination
    vorowerevoro · adjective, nominative, pluralcoordinated with tillbragt

    archaic plural past tense of vara ('to be'), used alongside var; a historical form, not a true adjective.

    nunownu · adverbmodifies tillbragt
    påonpå · prepositiondepends on tillbragt
    vägwayväg · noun, nominative, common gender, singularpart of the phrase på
    mottowardmot · prepositionpreposition marking fastlandet
    fastlandetthe mainlandfastland · noun, nominative, neuter, singularoblique complement of på

  2. A rather strong south wind was blowing over Kalmar Sound, so that they had been driven northward.

  3. Even so, they worked their way forward toward land at a good pace.

  4. But as they neared the first skerries, they heard a tremendous roar, as if a great host of strong-winged birds had come flying, and the water beneath them turned all at once completely black.

  5. Akka checked her wings so suddenly that she almost came to a standstill in the air.

  6. Then she dropped down to alight on the surface of the sea.

  7. But before the geese had reached the water, the west storm caught up with them.

  8. It was already driving clouds of dust, spray, and small birds before it; now it swept up the wild geese too, tumbled them over, and hurled them out toward the sea.

  9. 2

    It became a dreadful storm.

  10. The wild geese tried again and again to turn back, but they could not, and were driven out over the Baltic.

  11. The storm had already carried them past Öland, and the sea lay empty and desolate before them.

  12. There was nothing left for them to do but scud before it.

  13. 3

    When Akka noticed that they were unable to turn, she thought it was pointless to let the storm drive them across the whole Baltic.

  14. So she sank down onto the water.

  15. The sea was already running high, and it grew rougher every moment.

  16. The waves rolled forward sea-green with hissing foam on their crests.

  17. Each one heaved up higher than the last.

  18. It was as if they were competing over which could rise the highest and foam the wildest.

  19. But the wild geese were not afraid of the surging waves.

  20. This seemed, on the contrary, to give them great pleasure.

  21. They made no effort to swim, but let themselves be washed up onto the wave-crests and down into the troughs, and had as much fun as children on a swing.

  22. Their only worry was that the flock might be scattered.

  23. The poor land birds, driven past overhead in the storm, called out enviously: »There's no trouble for you, who can swim.»

  24. 4

    But the wild geese were certainly not out of all danger.

  25. For one thing, the rocking made them helplessly drowsy.

  26. Again and again they wanted to turn their heads back, tuck their bills under their wings, and sleep.

  27. Nothing could be more dangerous than falling asleep like that, and Akka called out again and again: »Don't fall asleep, wild geese!

  28. Whoever falls asleep drifts away from the flock.

  29. Whoever drifts away from the flock is lost.»

  30. 5

    Despite every effort to resist, one after another fell asleep, and Akka herself came very close to dozing off, when she suddenly saw something round and dark rise above the crest of a wave.

  31. »Seals!

  32. Seals!

  33. Seals!»

  34. cried Akka in a high, shrill voice, and rose into the air with loud beats of her wings.

  35. It was at the very last moment.

  36. Before the last wild goose had managed to lift off the water, the seals were so close that they snapped at her feet.

  37. 6

    So the wild geese were up in the storm again, which drove them before it out over the sea.

  38. It allowed itself no rest, and gave them none either.

  39. And they saw no land at all, only desolate sea.

  40. 7

    They dropped down onto the water again as soon as they dared.

  41. But when they had rocked on the waves for a while, they grew drowsy again.

  42. And when they fell asleep, the seals came swimming.

  43. If old Akka had not been so watchful, not a single one of them would have escaped safely.

  44. 8

    All day long the storm raged on, and it wrought terrible havoc among the great masses of birds that were out on their migrations at this time of year.

  45. Some were driven off course to distant lands, where they died of starvation; others grew so exhausted that they sank into the sea and drowned.

  46. Many were dashed to pieces against the cliff walls, and many fell prey to the seals.

  47. 9

    All day the storm lasted, and Akka began at last to wonder whether she and the flock would perish.

  48. They were now dead tired, and nowhere did she see a place where they could rest.

  49. Toward evening she no longer dared settle onto the sea, because it had all at once filled with great ice floes piling up against one another, and she feared they would be crushed between them.

  50. A couple of times the wild geese tried to stand on the ice floes.

  51. But once the wild storm swept them down into the water.

  52. Another time the merciless seals came crawling up onto the ice.

  53. 10

    At sunset the geese were once again up in the air.

  54. They flew onward, anxious about the coming night.

  55. Darkness seemed to close in on them far too quickly this evening, which was so full of dangers.

  56. 11

    It was dreadful that they still saw no land.

  57. What would become of them if they were forced to stay out on the sea the whole night?

  58. They would either be crushed between the ice floes, or bitten to death by the seals, or scattered by the storm.

  59. 12

    The sky stood cloud-covered, the moon kept itself hidden, and the darkness came quickly.

  60. At the same time, all of nature filled with a dreadfulness that made even the bravest hearts quail.

  61. The cries of migrating birds in distress had rung out over the sea all day, without anyone paying them any heed, but now, when one could no longer see who was uttering them, they seemed gloomy and frightening.

  62. Down on the sea the drift-ice floes struck against one another with a loud booming.

  63. The seals struck up their wild hunting songs.

  64. It was as if heaven and earth were about to crash together.

  65. 13

    THE SHEEP.

  66. 14

    The boy had sat for a while looking down into the sea.

  67. Suddenly he thought the roar had begun to grow louder than before.

  68. He looked up.

  69. Directly in front of him, only a couple of meters away, rose a rugged, bare rock wall.

  70. Down at its foot the waves broke into high spraying foam.

  71. The wild geese flew straight toward the cliff, and the boy could not imagine anything but that they must be dashed against it.

  72. 15

    He had scarcely had time to wonder that Akka had not seen this danger in time, when they were already right at the mountain.

  73. Then he also noticed that ahead of them the half-round mouth of a cave was opening up.

  74. Into this the geese steered, and in the next moment they were safe.

  75. 16

    The first thing the travelers thought of, before they allowed themselves to rejoice over their rescue, was to check whether all their companions had also come through safely.

  76. There were Akka, Yksi, Kolme, Neljä, Viisi, Kuusi, all six of the goslings, the gander, Dunfin, and Thumbietot, but Kaksi from Nuolja, the first goose on the left, was missing, and no one knew anything of her fate.

  77. 17

    When the wild geese noticed that no one but Kaksi had been separated from the flock, they took the matter lightly.

  78. Kaksi was old and wise.

  79. She knew all their routes and habits, and she would surely know how to find her way back to them.

  80. 18

    So the wild geese began to look around inside the mountain cave.

  81. Enough daylight still came in through the opening that they could see the cave was both deep and wide.

  82. They were rejoicing at having found such a splendid night's shelter, when one of them caught sight of some gleaming, green points shining out of a dark corner.

  83. »Those are eyes!»

  84. cried Akka then.

  85. »There are large animals in here.»

  86. They rushed toward the exit, but Thumbietot, who saw better in the dark than the wild geese, called out to them: »There's nothing to flee from!

  87. It's only some sheep lying along the cave wall.»

  88. 19

    When the wild geese had grown used to the dim light in the cave, they could see the sheep quite well.

  89. The adults numbered about as many as themselves, but besides these there were a few small lambs.

  90. A large ram with long, twisted horns seemed to be the foremost of the flock.

  91. The wild geese went up to him, bowing a great deal.

  92. »Well met in the wilderness!»

  93. they greeted him, but the great ram lay still and did not say a single word of welcome.

  94. 20

    The wild geese thought then that the sheep were displeased that they had taken shelter in their cave.

  95. »Perhaps it isn't proper that we've come in here into your house?»

  96. said Akka.

  97. »But we can't help it, for we've been driven by the wind.

  98. We've been driven about in the storm all day, and it would be a great mercy to be allowed to stay here tonight.»

  99. After this it was a good while before any of the sheep answered in words, but instead it could be clearly heard that a couple of them drew long sighs.

  100. Akka certainly knew that sheep are always shy and peculiar, but these seemed to have no idea at all how to conduct themselves.

  101. At last an old ewe, who had a long, sorrowful face and a plaintive voice, said: »It isn't that any of us refuses to let you stay, but this is a house of mourning, and we cannot receive guests as we once did.»

  102. — »You needn't be anxious about that,»

  103. said Akka.

  104. »If you knew what we've been through today, you would surely understand that we're content just to have a safe spot to sleep on.»

  105. 21

    When Akka said this, the old ewe rose.

  106. »I do believe it would be better for you to fly about in the strongest storm than to stay here.

  107. But even so, you shall not leave here before we have offered you as good a welcome as the house can provide.»

  108. 22

    She led them to a hollow in the ground that was full of water.

  109. Beside it lay a heap of husks and chaff, and this she asked them to make do with.

  110. »We've had a harsh, snowy winter this year here on the island,»

  111. she said.

  112. »The farmers who own us came out to us with hay and oat straw, so that we wouldn't starve to death.

  113. And this rubbish here is all that's left of the fare.»

  114. 23

    The geese fell upon the food at once.

  115. They felt they had come off well, and were in their best of spirits.

  116. They did notice that the sheep were anxious, but they knew how easily frightened sheep tend to be, and did not think there was any real danger afoot.

  117. As soon as they had eaten, they intended, as usual, to settle down to sleep.

  118. But then the great ram rose and came up to them.

  119. The geese thought they had never seen a sheep with such long, heavy horns.

  120. In other ways too he was remarkable.

  121. He had a large, domed forehead, wise eyes, and a fine bearing, as though he were a proud and courageous creature.

  122. 24

    »I cannot answer for letting you fall asleep without telling you that it is not safe here,»

  123. he said.

  124. »We cannot receive night guests these days.»

  125. At last Akka began to understand that this was serious.

  126. »We'll go our way, since you insist upon it,»

  127. she said.

  128. »But won't you first tell us what it is that troubles you?

  129. We have no idea about anything.

  130. We don't even know where we've come to.»

  131. — »This is Little Karlsö,»

  132. said the ram.

  133. »It lies off Gotland, and no one but sheep and seabirds lives here.»

  134. — »Perhaps you're wild sheep?»

  135. said Akka.

  136. — »It's not far from that,»

  137. answered the ram.

  138. »We have next to nothing to do with people.

  139. There is an old agreement between us and the farmers at a farm over on Gotland, that they will supply us with fodder if it turns into a snowy winter, and in exchange they may take away those of us who become too many.

  140. The island is small, so it cannot feed too many of us.

  141. But otherwise we take care of ourselves all year round, and we don't live in houses with doors and locks, but keep to caves like this one.»

  142. 25

    »Do you stay out here in winter too?»

  143. asked Akka, astonished.

  144. — »Yes, we do,»

  145. answered the ram.

  146. »We have good grazing up here on the mountain all year round.»

  147. — »It sounds to me as though you should have things better than other sheep,»

  148. said Akka.

  149. »But what misfortune is it, then, that has come upon you?»

  150. — »There was a hard frost this past winter.

  151. The sea froze, and then three foxes came across on the ice, and they have stayed here ever since.

  152. Otherwise there isn't a single dangerous animal on this island.»

  153. — »Really, do the foxes dare tackle one such as you?»

  154. — »Oh no, not by day; then I can well defend myself and mine,»

  155. said the ram, shaking his horns.

  156. »But they creep up on us at night, when we're asleep inside the caves.

  157. We try to stay awake, but sometime one has to sleep, and then they come upon us.

  158. They've already killed every single sheep in the other caves, and there were flocks there just as large as mine.»

  159. 26

    »It's no pleasure to speak of how helpless we are,»

  160. said the old ewe now.

  161. »We can do no better than if we were tame sheep.»

  162. — »Do you think they'll come here tonight?»

  163. said Akka.

  164. — »There's nothing else to expect,»

  165. answered the old one.

  166. »They were here last night and stole a lamb from us.

  167. They'll surely come again, for as long as any of us is left alive.

  168. That's what they've done at the other places.»

  169. — »But if they're allowed to go on like this, you'll be wiped out entirely,»

  170. said Akka.

  171. — »Yes, it won't be long before it's the end of all the sheep on Little Karlsö,»

  172. said the ewe.

  173. 27

    Akka stood there rather torn.

  174. It was no pleasure to go back out into the storm again, and it was no good either to stay in a house where such guests were expected.

  175. When she had thought it over for a while, she turned to Thumbietot.

  176. »I wonder if you would help us, as you have done many times before,»

  177. she said.

  178. Yes, the boy answered, he would be glad to.

  179. — »It's a great pity for you not to get any sleep,»

  180. said the wild goose, »but I wonder if you're able to stay awake until the foxes come, and wake us then, so that we can fly away.»

  181. The boy was only moderately pleased by this, but anything was better than going back out into the storm again, so he promised that he would keep himself awake.

  182. 28

    He went up to the cave opening, crept down behind a rock so as to have shelter from the storm, and sat down to keep watch.

  183. 29

    When the boy had sat there for a while, the storm seemed to be dying down.

  184. The sky grew clear, and moonlight began to play on the waves.

  185. The boy went to the cave opening to look out.

  186. The cave was situated quite high up on the mountain.

  187. A narrow, steep path led up there.

  188. It was on that path, no doubt, that he had to expect the foxes.

  189. 30

    No foxes did he see as yet, but instead something that in the first instant frightened him a great deal more.

  190. On the strip of beach below the mountain stood some great giants or other stone trolls, or perhaps they were actually people.

  191. At first he thought he was dreaming, but now he was quite certain that he had not fallen asleep.

  192. He saw the great fellows so clearly that it could not be any trick of the eyes.

  193. Some stood out on the strand and others right up against the mountain, as if they meant to climb up it.

  194. Some had large, thick heads, and others had none at all.

  195. Some were one-armed, and some had humps both front and back.

  196. He had never seen anything so extraordinary.

  197. 31

    The boy stood there frightening himself over those trolls, so that he almost forgot to watch out for the foxes.

  198. But now he heard a claw scrape against a stone.

  199. He saw three foxes coming up the steep slope, and as soon as he knew he had something real to deal with, he grew calm again and was not the least bit afraid.

  200. It occurred to him that it would be a great shame just to wake the geese and leave the sheep to their fate.

  201. He felt he would like to arrange things differently.

  202. 32

    He ran quickly back into the cave, shook the great ram by the horns until he woke, and at the same time swung himself up onto his back.

  203. »Get up, father, and we'll try to give the foxes a scare!»

  204. said the boy.

  205. 33

    He had tried to be as quiet as possible, but the foxes must still have heard some noise.

  206. When they came up to the mouth of the cave, they stopped and conferred.

  207. »That was surely one of them in there, moving about,»

  208. said one.

  209. »I wonder if they're awake.»

  210. — »Oh, just go on!»

  211. said another.

  212. »They can't do anything to us anyway.»

  213. 34

    When they came farther into the cave, they stopped and sniffed the air.

  214. »Which one shall we take tonight?»

  215. whispered the one going first.

  216. — »Tonight we'll take the great ram,»

  217. said the last one.

  218. »After that we'll have easy work with the rest.»

  219. 35

    The boy sat on the old ram's back and watched how they crept forward.

  220. »Now push straight ahead!»

  221. whispered the boy.

  222. The great ram lunged, and the first fox was flung headlong back toward the opening.

  223. »Now push to the left!»

  224. said the boy, turning the ram's great head in the right direction.

  225. The ram aimed a terrible blow, which caught the second fox in the side.

  226. He rolled over several times before he got back on his feet and could flee.

  227. The boy would have gladly wished that the third one too had gotten a blow, but he had already made off.

  228. 36

    »Now I think they've had enough for tonight,»

  229. said the boy.

  230. — »I think so too,»

  231. said the great ram.

  232. »Now lie down on my back and burrow down into the wool!

  233. You deserve to be good and warm after all the wind you've been out in.»

  234. 37

    The next day the great ram walked about with the boy on his back and showed him the island.

  235. It consisted of one single enormous rock.

  236. It was like a great house with sheer walls and a flat roof.

  237. The ram first went up onto the mountaintop and showed the boy the good grazing lands there, and the boy had to admit that the island seemed made especially for sheep.

  238. Not much else grew up on the mountain besides sheep's fescue and those small dry, spice-scented plants that sheep like.

  239. 38

    But there was indeed more than sheep-pasture to look at for one who had made it up the steep slope.

  240. First of all, the whole sea could be seen, which now lay blue and sunlit, rolling forward in glossy swells.

  241. Only here and there at a headland did it spray up in foam.

  242. Straight to the east lay Gotland with its even, elongated coastline, and to the southwest, Great Karlsö, which was built in the same way as the little island.

  243. When the ram went all the way to the edge of the mountaintop, so that the boy could see down along the rock walls, he noticed that they were entirely full of birds' nests, and on the blue sea below him lay scoters and eiders and kittiwakes and guillemots and razorbills, so peaceful and pretty, busy fishing for herring.

  244. 39

    »This is truly a land of promise,»

  245. said the boy.

  246. »You sheep live in a very beautiful place.»

  247. — »Yes, it's certainly beautiful here,»

  248. said the great ram.

  249. It was as if he had wanted to add something, but he said nothing, only sighed.

  250. »But if you go about here alone, you must be very careful of all the fissures that run across the mountain,»

  251. he continued after a while.

  252. And this was good advice, for there were deep and wide fissures in several places.

  253. The largest of them was called Hell's Hole.

  254. That fissure was many fathoms deep and nearly a fathom wide.

  255. »If anyone fell down here, it would be the end of him,»

  256. said the great ram.

  257. The boy thought it sounded as though he had some particular meaning behind what he said.

  258. 40

    Then he led the boy down to the strand.

  259. Now, close up, he got to see those giants that had frightened him the night before.

  260. They were nothing more than great rock pillars.

  261. The great ram called them »raukar».

  262. The boy could not get his fill of looking at them.

  263. He thought that if there had ever been trolls turned to stone, they ought to look just like this.

  264. 41

    Even though it was beautiful down on the strip of beach, the boy still liked it better up on the mountain height.

  265. It was gruesome down here, because everywhere they came upon dead sheep.

  266. It was here that the foxes had held their meals.

  267. He saw skeletons picked entirely clean, but also bodies that were only half-eaten, and others that they had barely tasted, leaving them lying untouched.

  268. It was quite heartbreaking to see that the wild beasts had thrown themselves on the sheep purely for sport, just for the sake of hunting and tearing them to death.

  269. 42

    The great ram did not stop in front of the dead, but walked calmly past them.

  270. But the boy could not help seeing all the horror of it, all the same.

  271. 43

    Now the great ram went back up onto the mountain height, but when he got there, he stopped and said: »If someone able and clever were to see all the misery that reigns here, he surely would not rest until these foxes had gotten their punishment.»

  272. — »The foxes have to live too, I suppose,»

  273. said the boy.

  274. — »Yes,»

  275. said the great ram, »those that don't tear apart more animals than they need for their keep may well live.

  276. But these here are evildoers.»

  277. — »The farmers who own the island ought surely to be able to come here and help you,»

  278. the boy suggested.

  279. — »They have rowed over here several times,»

  280. answered the ram, »but the foxes hid themselves away in caves and fissures, so that they couldn't get a shot at them.»

  281. — »Surely you can't mean, father, that a poor little wretch like me should be able to master creatures that neither you nor the farmers have been able to get the better of.»

  282. — »One who is small and clever can still set many things right,»

  283. said the great ram.

  284. 44

    They spoke no more of this, but the boy went and sat down with the wild geese, who were grazing up on the high plateau.

  285. Although he had not wanted to show it to the ram, he was very grieved for the sheep's sake, and he would gladly have wanted to help them.

  286. »At least I can speak to Akka and Morten Goosey-Gander about the matter,»

  287. he thought.

  288. »Perhaps they can help me with a good piece of advice.»

  289. 45

    A little while later the white gander took the boy on his back and walked out over the mountain plateau toward Hell's Hole.

  290. 46

    He wandered carefree over the open mountaintop and did not seem to think about how white and large he was.

  291. He sought no shelter behind tussocks or other rises, but walked straight ahead.

  292. It was strange that he was not more careful, for he seemed to have suffered badly in yesterday's storm.

  293. He limped on his right leg, and his left wing hung and dragged, as though it might be broken.

  294. 47

    He behaved as though there were no danger at all, nipping a blade of grass here and another there, without looking around in any direction.

  295. The boy lay stretched out on the goose's back, looking up at the blue sky.

  296. He was by now so used to riding that he could both stand and lie down on the goose's back.

  297. 48

    As the gander and the boy were so carefree, they did not, of course, notice that the three foxes had come up onto the mountain plateau.

  298. And the foxes, who knew that it is nearly impossible to get close to a goose on open ground, did not at first intend to hunt the gander at all.

  299. But as they had nothing else to do, they finally went down into one of the long crevices anyway and tried to creep up on him.

  300. They went about it so carefully that the gander could not catch a glimpse of them.

  301. 49

    They were not far off when the gander made an attempt to rise into the air.

  302. He beat out with his wings, but he did not manage to lift off.

  303. When the foxes, seeing this, felt they understood that he could not fly, they hurried forward with greater eagerness than before.

  304. They no longer kept themselves hidden in the ravine, but went up onto the high plateau.

  305. They sheltered themselves as best they could behind tussocks and slabs of rock, and came ever closer to the gander, without his seeming to notice that he was being hunted.

  306. At last the foxes were so close that they could take a run-up for the final leap.

  307. All three flung themselves at once with a long leap at the gander.

  308. 50

    At the last moment he must have noticed something after all, for he sprang aside, so that the foxes missed him.

  309. This did not mean a great deal, however, for the gander had only a couple of fathoms' lead, and on top of that he was limping.

  310. The poor fellow ran off all the same, as fast as he could manage.

  311. 51

    The boy sat backwards on the goose's back and called and shouted at the foxes: »You've eaten yourselves too fat on mutton, foxes.

  312. You can't even catch up to a goose.»

  313. He taunted them so that they grew mad with rage and thought of nothing but rushing forward.

  314. 52

    The white one ran straight toward the great crevice.

  315. When he reached it, he gave a beat of his wings so that he got across.

  316. The foxes were, just then, right upon him.

  317. 53

    The gander hurried on at the same pace as before, even after he had gotten across Hell's Hole.

  318. But he had scarcely run a couple of meters before the boy patted him on the neck and said: »Now you can stop, gander.»

  319. 54

    At that same moment they heard behind them some wild howls and a scraping of claws and heavy falls.

  320. But of the foxes they saw nothing more.

  321. 55

    The next morning the lighthouse keeper on Great Karlsö found a piece of bark wedged under his front door, and on it was carved, in slanting, angular letters: »The foxes on Little Karlsö have fallen into Hell's Hole.

  322. Take care of them!»

  323. 56

    And that the lighthouse keeper did.

The particulars

The text
Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, Selma Lagerlöf. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils.
Translation
Public-domain Swedish (Lagerlöf, d. 1940; published 1906–07). English translation © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.
Words
Every word of the text, by letter.
Data
JSON · Markdown · A guide for agents
Two whoopie pies and a pine. An inside joke.