and
bleeding, but he was still fighting. The boy could not battle with the
eagle; all that he could do was to seek more efficient help.

"Hurry, Dunfin, and call Akka and the wild geese!" he cried. The instant
he said that, the eagle flew back and stopped fighting.

"Who's speaking of Akka?" he asked. He saw Thumbietot and heard the wild
geese honking, so he spread his wings.

"Tell Akka I never expected to run across her or any of her flock out
here in the sea!" he said, and soared away in a rapid and graceful
flight.

"That is the self-same eagle who once brought me back to the wild
geese," the boy remarked, gazing after the bird in astonishment.

The geese had decided to leave the island at dawn, but first they wanted
to feed awhile. As they walked about and nibbled, a mountain duck came
up to Dunfin.

"I have a message for you from your sisters," said the duck. "They dare
not show themselves among the wild geese, but they asked me to remind
you not to leave the island without calling on the old fisherman."

"That's so!" exclaimed Dunfin, but she was so frightened now that she
would not go alone, and asked the goosey-gander and Thumbietot to
accompany her to the hut.

The door was open, so Dunfin entered, but the others remained outside.
After a moment they heard Akka give the signal to start, and called
Dunfin. A gray goose came out and flew with the wild geese away from the
island.

They had travelled quite a distance along the archipelago when the boy
began to wonder at the goose who accompanied them. Dunfin always flew
lightly and noiselessly, but this one laboured with heavy and noisy
wing-strokes. "We are in the wrong company. It is Prettywing that
follows us!"

The boy had barely spoken when the goose uttered such an ugly and angry
shriek that all knew who she was. Akka and the others turned to her, but
the gray goose did not fly away at once. Instead she bumped against the
big goosey-gander, snatched Thumbietot, and flew off with him in her
bill.

There was a wild chase over the archipelago. Prettywing flew fast, but
the wild geese were close behind her, and there was no chance for her to
escape.

Suddenly they saw a puff of smoke rise up from the sea, and heard an
explosion. In their excitement they had not noticed that they were
directly above a boat in which a lone fisherman was seated.

However, none of the geese was hurt; but just there, above the boat,
Prettywing opened her bill and d