childhood left in Clement,
and he felt a shudder run down his spinal column as he peeped into the
bag. Ashbjoern saw that he was frightened and began to laugh; but
Clement took the matter seriously. "Tell me, Ashbjoern, where you came
across him?" he asked. "You may be sure that I wasn't lying in wait for
him!" said Ashbjoern. "He came to me. I started out early this morning
and took my rifle along into the boat. I had just poled away from the
shore when I sighted some wild geese coming from the east, shrieking
like mad. I sent them a shot, but hit none of them. Instead this
creature came tumbling down into the water--so close to the boat that I
only had to put my hand out and pick him up."

"I hope you didn't shoot him, Ashbjoern?"

"Oh, no! He is well and sound; but when he came down, he was a little
dazed at first, so I took advantage of that fact to wind the ends of two
sail threads around his ankles and wrists, so that he couldn't run away.
'Ha! Here's something for Skansen,' I thought instantly."

Clement grew strangely troubled as the fisherman talked. All that he had
heard about the tiny folk in his childhood--of their vindictiveness
toward enemies and their benevolence toward friends--came back to him.
It had never gone well with those who had attempted to hold one of them
captive.

"You should have let him go at once, Ashbjoern," said Clement.

"I came precious near being forced to set him free," returned the
fisherman. "You may as well know, Clement, that the wild geese followed
me all the way home, and they criss-crossed over the island the whole
morning, honk-honking as if they wanted him back. Not only they, but the
entire population--sea gulls, sea swallows, and many others who are not
worth a shot of powder, alighted on the island and made an awful racket.
When I came out they fluttered about me until I had to turn back. My
wife begged me to let him go, but I had made up my mind that he should
come here to Skansen, so I placed one of the children's dolls in the
window, hid the midget in the bottom of my bag, and started away. The
birds must have fancied that it was he who stood in the window, for they
permitted me to leave without pursuing me."

"Does it say anything?" asked Clement.

"Yes. At first he tried to call to the birds, but I wouldn't have it and
put a gag in his mouth."

"Oh, Ashbjoern!" protested Clement. "How can you treat him so! Don't you
see that he is something supernatural!"