erest chance. He had sold the
first little patch of land to his wife's relations, and what then?
Gone off and bought up the whole tract south of the water--what for?
Was it to annoy them by making himself their neighbour? At first, no
doubt, he had only thought of taking over a little strip of the land
there, just where the new village would have to be built if the
workings came to anything, but in the end he had come to be owner of
the whole fjeld. The land was to be had for next to nothing, and he
did not want a lot of trouble with boundaries. So, from sheer idleness
he had become a mining king, a lord of the mountains; he had thought
of a site for huts and machine sheds, and it had become a kingdom,
stretching right down to the sea.

In Sweden, the first little patch of land had passed from hand to
hand, and Geissler had taken care to keep himself informed as to its
fate. The first purchasers, of course, had bought foolishly, bought
without sense or forethought; the family council were not mining
experts, they had not secured enough land at first, thinking only of
buying out a certain Geissler, and getting rid of him. But the new
owners were no less to be laughed at; mighty men, no doubt, who could
afford to indulge in a jest, and take up land for amusement's sake,
for a drunken wager, or Heaven knows what. But when it came to trial
workings, and exploiting the land in earnest, then suddenly they found
themselves butting up against a wall--Geissler.

Children! thought Geissler, maybe, in his lofty mind; he felt his
power now, felt strong enough to be short and abrupt with folk. The
others had certainly done their best to take him down a peg; they
imagined they were dealing with a man in need of money, and threw out
hints of some fifteen or twenty thousand--ay, children. They did not
know Geissler. And now here he stood.

They came down no more that day from the fjeld, thinking best, no
doubt, not to show themselves over-anxious. Next morning they came
down, packhorses and all, on their way home. And lo--Geissler was not
there.

Not there?

That put an end to any ideas they might have had of settling the
manner in lordly wise, from the saddle; they had to dismount and wait.
And where was Geissler, if you please? Nobody could tell them; he went
about everywhere, did Geissler, took an interest in Sellanraa and all
about it; the last they had seen of him was up at the sawmill. The
messengers were sent out to look