In Midsummer Days, and Other Tales Part 16

"I belong to the Vastgotadal regiment; where do you come from?"

"I," said the dwarf, "I am in the Alleberg."

"The Alleberg is in the Vastgota country," answered the soldier.

"We have removed it to this place," replied the dwarf.

"You lie!" exclaimed the soldier, seized the pot by its handle and threw the porridge into the fire.

"Now we'll have a look at the mouse-hole," he said, and went right into the mountain.

There he found a giant sitting by a huge fire, making an iron bar red-hot.

"Good day, good day," said the soldier, stretching out his hand.

"Good day to you," said the giant, giving him the red-hot iron bar.

Cask took the iron and pressed it so hard that it hissed.

"You have got very warm hands, I must say," he said. "What's your name?"

"I'm the giant Swede," said the troll.

"That was a Swedish hand-shake of yours, anyhow, and now I realise that I am in the Alleberg. Are the golden helmets still asleep?"

"Will you be quiet!" exclaimed the giant, threatening him with the red-hot bar.

"You shall see them, because you belong to the Vastgotadal regiment, but first of all you must solve my riddle," he continued.

"If you want to fight one of your own countrymen, well and good. But first of all, put that fiery thing away!"

"Very well, Cask, you shall recite the history of Sweden while I smoke my pipe. Then I will show you the golden helmets. The whole history of Sweden, please."

"I can easily do that, although I was not one of the top dogs at the military school. Let me try and recall it to memory."

"There is one condition: you must not mention the name of a single king; for if you do, those inside will get angry; and when they get angry, then, you know...."

"It will be awfully difficult. But light your pipe and I'll begin.

Here's a match!"

The soldier scratched his head and began:

"One--two--three! In the year 1161, or thereabouts, Sweden first came into existence; a kingdom, a king, and an archbishop--is that enough?"

"No," said Swede, "not at all. Begin again."

"Very well, then! In the year 1359 the Swedish people became a nation, for then the Parliament of the four estates first met, and it continued to meet, with interruptions, until 1866."

"Well, but you're a soldier," said Swede, "surely you'll have a few words to say about wars."

"There are only two wars of any importance, and they ended, the first with the peace of Bromsebro in 1645, when we got Herjedalen, Jamtland, and Gottland, and the second with the peace of Roskilde in 1658, when we got Schonen, Halland, Blekinge, and Bohuslan. And that is all there is of the history of Sweden."

"But you forget the const.i.tutions?"

"Well, we had an autocracy from 1680 to 1718 then there followed a period of freedom until 1789, and this was followed again by an autocracy. Then came Adlersparre's revolution in 1809, and he got Hans Jarke to draw up the const.i.tution which is still surviving. That is all you need know. Haven't you finished your pipe yet?"

"There!" said the giant. "It wasn't so bad on the whole! And now you shall see the golden helmets."

The troll arose with difficulty and went into the inferior of the mountain; the soldier followed at his heels.

"Tread softly!" said the giant, pointing to a light with a golden helmet who was leaning against a door, made of rock, apparently fast asleep.

But before the words had been out of his mouth, Cask stumbled and the iron on the heel of his shoe struck a stone so forcibly that it emitted sparks. The golden helmet awoke at once, just as if he had been a sleeping sentry, and called:

"Is it time?"

"Not yet!" answered the giant.

The knight with the golden helmet sat down again and instantly fell asleep.

The giant opened a mountain wall and the soldier looked into a huge hall. A table, that seemed to have no end, ran through the centre of the hall, and in the twilight the soldier could see a brilliant gathering of knights with golden helmets sitting in arm-chairs, the backs of which were decorated with golden crowns. At the head of the table sat a man who seemed head and shoulders taller than the rest; his beard reached to his waist, like the beard of Moses or Joshua, and he held a hammer all his hand.

All of them seemed fast asleep, although it was neither the sleep which restores strength, nor the sleep which is called eternal sleep.

"Now, pay attention," said the giant, "to-day is the great commemoration day."

He pressed a finger on a lark garnet in the mountain rock, and a thousand flames shot up.

The golden helmets awoke.

"Who goes there?" asked the man with the prophet's beard.

"Swede," answered the giant.

"A good name!" replied Gustav Eriksson Wasa, for it was he. "How much time has pa.s.sed away?"

"In years, after the birth of Christ, one thousand nine hundred and three."

"Time flies. But have you made arty progress? Are you still a country and a nation?"

"We are. But since Gustavus I, the country has grown. Jamtland, Herjedalen, and Gottland have been added."

"Who conquered them?"

"Well, it was in the time of Queen Christina; but her guardians really conquered them."

"And then?"

"Then we got Schonen, Halland, Blekinge, and Bohuslan."