our home; and how can we take you with us? We have neither ship nor
boat.”
“How can I break this spell?” said their sister. And then she talked about
it nearly the whole night, only slumbering for a few hours. Eliza was
awakened by the rustling of the swans’ wings as they soared above. Her
brothers were again changed to swans, and they flew in circles wider and
wider, till they were far away; but one of them, the youngest swan,
remained behind, and laid his head in his sister’s lap, while she stroked his
wings; and they remained together the whole day. Towards evening, the rest
came back, and as the sun went down they resumed their natural forms.
“To-morrow,” said one, “we shall fly away, not to return again till a whole
year has passed. But we cannot leave you here. Have you courage to go
with us? My arm is strong enough to carry you through the wood; and will
not all our wings be strong enough to fly with you over the sea?”
“Yes, take me with you,” said Eliza. Then they spent the whole night in
weaving a net with the pliant willow and rushes. It was very large and
strong. Eliza laid herself down on the net, and when the sun rose, and her
brothers again became wild swans, they took up the net with their beaks,
and flew up to the clouds with their dear sister, who still slept. The
sunbeams fell on her face, therefore one of the swans soared over her head,
so that his broad wings might shade her. They were far from the land when
Eliza woke. She thought she must still be dreaming, it seemed so strange to
her to feel herself being carried so high in the air over the sea. By her side
lay a branch full of beautiful ripe berries, and a bundle of sweet roots; the
youngest of her brothers had gathered them for her, and placed them by her
side. She smiled her thanks to him; she knew it was the same who had
hovered over her to shade her with his wings. They were now so high, that a
large ship beneath them looked like a white sea-gull skimming the waves. A
great cloud floating behind them appeared like a vast mountain, and upon it
Eliza saw her own shadow and those of the eleven swans, looking gigantic
in size. Altogether it formed a more beautiful picture than she had ever
seen; but as the sun rose higher, and the clouds were left behind, the
