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208
Animal Heroes
·
Ernest Thompson Seton
187
Birdless
and
lifeless,
the
gray-green
snow-pied
waste
extends
over
all
the
stretch
that
is
here
between
the
timber-line
and
the
snow-line,
above
which
winter
never
quits
its
hold.
Farther
north
both
come
lower,
till
the
timber-line
is
at
the
level
of
the
sea;
and
all
the
land
is
in
that
treeless
belt
called
Tundra
in
the
Old
World,
and
Barrens
in
the
New,
and
that
everywhere
is
the
Home
of
the
Reindeer--the
Realm
of
the
Reindeer-moss.
I
In
and
out
it
flew,
in
and
out,
over
the
water
and
under,
as
the
Varsimle',
the
leader
doe
of
the
Reindeer
herd,
walked
past
on
the
vernal
banks,
and
it
sang:--
"Skoal!
Skoal!
Gamle
Norge
Skoal!"
and
more
about
"a
White
Reindeer
and
Norway's
good
luck,"
as
though
the
singer
were
gifted
with
special
insight.
When
old
Sveggum
built
the
Vand-dam
on
the
Lower
Hoifjeld,
just
above
the
Utrovand,
and
set
his
ribesten
a-going,
he
supposed
that
he
was
the
owner
of
it
all.
But
some
one
was
there
before
him.
And
in
and
out
of
the
spouting
stream
this
some
one
dashed,
and
sang
songs
that
he
made
up
to
fit
the
place
and
the
time.
He
skipped
from
skjaeke
to
skjaeke
of
the
wheel,
and
did
many
things
which
Sveggum
could
set
down
only
to
luck--whatever
that
is;
and
some
said
that
Sveggum's
luck
was
a
Wheel-troll,
a
Water-fairy,
with
a
brown
coat
and
a
white
beard,
one
that
lived
on
land
or
in
water,
as
he
pleased.
But
most
of
Sveggum's
neighbors
saw
only
a
Fossekal,
the
little
Waterfall
Bird
that
came
each
year
and
danced
in
the
stream,
or
dived
where
the
pool
is
deep.
And
maybe
both
were
right,
for
some
of
the
very
oldest
peasants
will
tell
you
that
a
Fairy-troll
may
take
the
form
of
a
man
or
the
form
of
a
bird.
Only
this
bird
lived
a
life
no
bird
can
live,
and
sang
songs
that
men
never
had
sung
in
Norway.
Wonderful
vision
had
he,
and
sights
he
saw
that
man
never
saw.
For
the
Fieldfare
would
build
before
him,
and
the
Lemming
fed
its
brood
under
his
very
eyes.
Eyes
were
they
to
see;
for
the
dark
speck
on
Suletind
that
man
could
barely
glimpse
was
a
Reindeer,
with
half-shed
coat,
to
him
and
the
green
slime
on
the
Vandren
was
beautiful
green
pasture
with
a
banquet
spread.
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