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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gold Thread, by Norman MacLeod
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Gold Thread
+       A Story for the Young
+
+Author: Norman MacLeod
+
+Release Date: July 12, 2008 [EBook #26039]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GOLD THREAD ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Viv and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+  THE GOLD THREAD
+
+  =A Story for the Young=
+
+  BY THE REV. NORMAN MACLEOD, D.D.
+  ONE OF HER MAJESTY'S CHAPLAINS
+
+  ALEXANDER STRAHAN, PUBLISHER
+  56 LUDGATE HILL, LONDON
+  1867
+
+  [_Eighth Edition_]
+
+
+
+
+TO MY CHILDREN.
+
+
+I dedicate this story to you, because it was for you I first wrote it,
+and to you I first read it among the green hills of Moffat. It was
+afterwards printed in _Good Words_, and now you see it again appears as
+a little book for other children, who, I hope, will like it as much as
+you do.
+
+I wish to help and encourage you, and all who read this story, to learn
+the great lesson which it is intended to teach; that lesson is, that we
+should always trust God and do what is right, and thus hold fast our
+gold thread in spite of every temptation and danger, being certain that
+in this way only will God lead us in safety and peace to His home.
+
+Now, God gives each of you this gold thread to hold fast in your own
+house or in school, in the nursery or in the play-ground, on every day
+and in every place. His voice in your heart, and in His Word, will also
+tell you always what is right, if you only listen to it. You, too, will
+be constantly tempted in some way or other to give up your gold thread,
+and to be selfish, disobedient, lazy, or untruthful. Many things, in
+short, will tempt you to do your own will rather than God's will.
+
+You already know, and I hope you will always love and remember, those
+true stories in the Bible about the good men of the olden time, whose
+lives are there written. Now, what shewed that they were good? It was
+this, that _they trusted God, and did what was right_. If they ever let
+this their gold thread go, they lost their way and became unhappy; but
+when they held it fast, it led them in a way of peace and safety. To see
+how true this is, you have only to recall such stories as those of Noah,
+Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Job, Caleb and Joshua, Samuel, David and
+Jonathan, Elijah and Elisha, Hezekiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and his three
+companions, &c., &c., with those told you in the Book of Acts, not to
+mention the history of Jesus Christ, the perfect example for us all.
+
+That you, my dear children, may be "followers of those who through faith
+and patience now inherit the promises," and thus be "followers of God as
+dear children," is the constant prayer of your mother, and of your
+father,
+
+  NORMAN MACLEOD.
+
+
+
+
+  CONTENTS.
+
+                                                              PAGE
+  CHAPTER I.
+
+  THE WANDERER--WOLF THE SWINEHERD,                              1
+
+
+  CHAPTER II.
+
+  THE ROBBER'S TOWER,                                           12
+
+
+  CHAPTER III.
+
+  THE JOURNEY HOME--THE BIRD WITH THE GOLD EGGS--TRIALS
+  AND DIFFICULTIES,                                             23
+
+
+  CHAPTER IV.
+
+  THE GREAT LION--THE LITTLE SQUIRREL--AN OLD FRIEND--THE
+  BLOODHOUND--THE LAST TEMPTATION,                              35
+
+
+  CHAPTER V.
+
+  THE GREEN ISLAND OF THE LAKE, AND THE RETURN HOME,            51
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+GOLD THREAD.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE WANDERER--WOLF THE SWINEHERD.
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Once upon a time, a boy lost his way in a vast forest that filled many a
+valley, and passed over many a hill, a rolling sea of leaves for miles
+and miles, further than the eye could reach. His name was Eric, son of
+the good King Magnus. He was dressed in a blue velvet dress, with a gold
+band round his waist, and his fair locks in silken curls waved from his
+beautiful head. But his hands and face were scratched, and his clothes
+torn with the briars, as he ran here and there like one much perplexed.
+Sometimes he made his way through tangled brushwood, or crossed the
+little grassy plains in the forest, now losing himself in dark ravines,
+then climbing up their steep sides, or crossing with difficulty the
+streams that hurried through them. For a long time he kept his heart up,
+and always said to himself, "I shall find it, I shall find it;" until,
+as the day advanced, he was wearied and hungry; and every now and then
+he cried, "Oh, my father! where is my father! I'm lost! I'm lost!" Or,
+"Where, oh, where is my gold thread!" All day the forest seemed to him
+to be very sad. He had never seen it so gloomy. There was a strange
+sadness in the rustle of the leaves, and a sadness in the noise of the
+streams. He did not hear the birds sing as they used to do. But he heard
+the ravens croak with their hoarse voice, as their black forms swept
+along the precipices which here and there rose above the trees. The
+large hawks, too, always appeared to be wheeling over his head,
+pausing, and fluttering as if about to dart down upon him. Why was he so
+sad? Why was he so afraid?
+
+But on Eric journeyed, in the hope of finding his way out of the
+boundless forest, or of meeting some one who would be his guide. At
+last, the sun appeared to be near its setting, and he could see the high
+branches of the trees, shining like gold, as its last rays fell upon
+them. But underneath, the foliage was getting darker and darker; the
+birds were preparing to sleep, and everything soon became so still that
+he could hear his steps echoing through the wood, and when he stopped,
+he heard his heart beating, or a leaf falling; but nowhere did he see a
+house, and no human being had he met since morning. Then the wind
+suddenly began to rise, and he heard it at first creeping along the
+tree-tops like a gentle whisper, and by and by to call louder and louder
+for the storm to come. Dark clouds gathered over the sky, and rushed
+along chased by the winds, that were soon to fight with the giant trees.
+
+At last, he sat down at the root of a great old oak, burying his face
+in his hands, not knowing what to do. He then tried to climb the tree,
+in order to spend the night among its branches, in case wild beasts
+should attack him. But as he was climbing it, he heard some one singing
+with a loud voice. Listening attentively, and looking eagerly through
+the leaves, he saw a boy apparently older than himself, dressed in rough
+shaggy clothes, made from skins of wild animals. His long matted hair
+escaped over his cheeks from under a black bearskin cap. With a short
+thick stick he was driving a herd of swine through the wood. "Hey there,
+you black porker!" cried the boy, as he threw a stone at some pig which
+was running away. "Get along, you lazy long-snout!" he shouted to
+another, as he came thump on its back with his cudgel. And then he sung
+this song with a loud voice which made the woods ring:--
+
+     "Oh, there's nothing half so fine,
+      As to drive a herd of swine,
+      And through the forest toddle,
+      With nothing in my noddle,
+    But rub-a-dub, rub-dub, hey-up, halloo!
+
+     "When I wish to have some fun,
+      Then I make the porkers run,
+      Till they gallop, snort, and wheeze,
+      Among the leafy trees;
+    Oh, rub-a-dub, rub-dub, hey-up, halloo!
+
+     "How their backs begin to bristle,
+      When I shout aloud and whistle!
+      How they kick at every lick
+      That I give them with my stick!
+    Oh, rub-a-dub, rub-dub, hey-up, halloo!"
+
+"Get along, you rascals," cried the savage-looking herd, "or I'll kill
+and roast you before your time." But soon the herd, with his swine, were
+concealed from Eric's sight by the wood; though he still heard his
+"rub-a-dub" chorus, to which he beat time with a sort of rude drum, made
+with a dried skin and hoop. Eric determined to make his acquaintance, or
+at all events to follow him to some house; so he descended from the
+tree, and ran off in the direction from which he heard the song coming.
+He soon over-took him.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Hollo!" said the wild-looking lad, with as much astonishment as if Eric
+had fallen from the clouds: "Who? where from? where to?" "I have lost
+my way in the wood," said Eric, "and want you to guide me." "To Ralph?"
+asked the swineherd. "Ralph! pray, who is he?" "Master, chief, captain,
+everything, everybody," replied the young savage. "I will go anywhere
+for shelter, as night is coming on; but I will reward you if you bring
+me to my father's home." "Who is your father, my fine fellow?" inquired
+the swineherd, leaning on his stick. "The king," replied Eric. "You lie,
+Sir Prince! Ralph is king." "I speak the truth, swineherd." The
+swineherd by this time was examining Eric's dress with an impudent look.
+"Pay me now," said he; "give me this gold band, and I will guide you."
+"I cannot give you this gold band, for my father gave it to me, and I
+have lost enough to-day. By the by, did you see a gold thread waving
+anywhere among the trees?" "A gold thread! what do you mean? I saw
+nothing but pigs until I saw you, and I shall treat you like a pig, d'ye
+hear? and lick you too, for I have no time to put off. So give me your
+band. Come, be quick!" said he, with his fierce face, and holding up his
+stick as he came up to Eric. "Keep off, swineherd; don't touch me!"
+"Don't touch you! why shouldn't I touch you? Do you see this stick? How
+would you like to have it among your fine curls, as I drive it among the
+pigs' bristles?" And he began to flourish it over his head, and to press
+nearer and nearer. "Once, twice, when I say thrice, if you do not
+unbuckle, I shall save you the trouble, and leave you to the wild
+beasts, who would like a tender bit of prince's flesh better than pork.
+Come; once! twice!" Eric was on his guard, and said, "I shall fight you,
+you young robber, till death, rather than give you this band,--so keep
+off." "Thrice!" shouted the herd, and down came his thick cudgel, which
+he intended should fall on Eric's head. But Eric sprang aside, and
+before he could recover himself, dashed in upon him, tripped him up, and
+threw him on the grass, seizing him by the throat in a moment. The herd,
+in his efforts to get out of Eric's grasp, let go his cudgel, which Eric
+seized, and held over his head. "Unless you promise, Master Swineherd,
+to leave me alone, I may leave _you_ alone with the wild beasts." "You
+are stronger than I thought," said the herd. "Let me up, or I shall be
+choked. Let me up, I say, and I promise to guide you." "I shall trust
+you," said Eric, "though you would not trust me. Rise!" So the herd
+rose, and picked up his cap, but Eric would not give him his stick until
+he guided him to some house. "Come along," said he, sulkily. "What is
+your name?" asked Eric. "They call me Wolf. I killed a wolf once with my
+boar-spear." "Why, Wolf, did you try to kill me?" "Because I wanted your
+gold belt." "But it is a great sin to rob and kill." "Other people rob
+me, and would kill me too, if I did not take care of their pigs," said
+Wolf, carelessly. "You should fear God, Wolf." "I fear that name truly,
+for Ralph always swears by it when he is in a rage. But I do not know
+what it means." "Oh, Wolf, surely your father and mother told you about
+God, who made all things, and made you and me; God, who loves us, and
+wishes us to love Him, and to do what is right?" "I have no father or
+mother," replied Wolf, "nor brothers or sisters, and I do not know God.
+No one cares for me but my pigs, and so I sleep with them, and eat with
+them." "Poor fellow!" said Eric with a look of kindness, "I am sorry for
+you. Here is all the money I have. Take it. I wish to shew you that I
+have no ill-will to you;" and Eric gave him a gold coin. Wolf gave a
+grunt like one of his pigs, and began his song of "Rub-a-dub." "No one
+ever gave me money before," remarked Wolf almost to himself, as he
+examined the coin on his rough hand, which looked like tanned leather.
+"How much is this?" inquired Wolf. Eric explained its value. The herd
+was astonished, and began to think what he could purchase with it. "It
+would buy a large pig," he said. He seemed very anxious to conceal the
+coin, and so he hid it in the top of his hairy cap. "See that tall
+tower," said Wolf, "which looks like a rock above the trees; that is the
+only house near for twenty miles round. You can reach it soon; and when
+you do reach it," said Wolf, speaking low, as if some one might hear
+him, "take my advice, and get away as fast as you can from my master
+Ralph, for"--and Wolf gave a number of winks, as much as to say, I know
+something. "What do you mean?" asked Eric. "Oh, nothing, nothing; but
+take Wolf's advice, and say to Ralph you are a beggar. Put the gold band
+in your pocket, and swear to remain with him, but run off when you can.
+Cheat him; that's my way." "It is not my way," replied Eric, "and, come
+what may, never can be, for a voice says to me,
+
+    "'Better to die
+      Than ever to lie.'"
+
+"Ha! ha!" said Wolf; "I wish you lived with Ralph. He would teach you
+another lesson, my lad." "I would rather that I had you, Wolf, to live
+in my house. I would be kind to you, and help you to be good, and tell
+you about God, who lives in the sky." "And is that He who is speaking?
+Listen!" Thunder began to mutter in the clouds. "Yes, it is He," replied
+Eric; "and if you will only listen, you can also hear Him often speak
+with a small, still voice in your heart." "I never heard Him," replied
+Wolf; "but I cannot stay longer with you, for my pigs will wander: there
+is a black rascal who always leads them astray. Now, king's son, give
+Wolf the stick; it is all he has." "Here it is to you, and I am sure you
+will not use it wrongly; you will try and be good, Wolf? for it will
+make you happy." "Humph," said Wolf, "I am happy when I get my pigs
+home, and Ralph does not strike me. But I must away, and see you don't
+tell any one you gave me money. They would rob me." And away he ran
+among the trees in search of his pigs, while Eric heard his little drum,
+and his song of "Rub-a-dub, halloo!" die away in the distance. Another
+loud peal and flash of lightning made Eric start, and off he ran towards
+a light which now beamed from the tower. But he thought to himself, "I
+am much worse than that poor Wolf, for I knew what was right, and did
+not do it. I heard the voice, but did not attend to it. Oh, my father,
+why did I not obey you!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE ROBBER'S TOWER.
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Sometimes he lost sight of the light, and again he caught it, till it
+became brighter and brighter, and very soon he came to a high rock, on
+the top of which was perched a tall, dark tower. After groping about, he
+found a narrow path that led up to the tower, from one of the windows of
+which the light was brightly shining. He ascended a flight of steep
+steps till he reached a massive door covered with iron. He knocked as
+loud as he could, when a large dog began barking furiously inside, and
+springing up to the door, as if it would tear it down. Then a gruff
+voice called out of a window over the door, "Who is there? Who disturbs
+me in this way?" The little boy replied, "Please, sir, I am Eric, son of
+King Magnus, and I have lost my way in this wood." "The son of the king,
+are you?" asked the voice. "That is a grand joke! Let me have a sight of
+you." Then the window was shut, and he heard footsteps coming tramp,
+tramp, down the stairs, and the voice said to the dog, "Lie down, hound,
+and don't be greedy! You would not eat a young prince, would you? Lie
+down, Tuscar!" The door was then opened by a fierce-looking man, with a
+long beard. The man bid him enter, and examined him about himself and
+his journey. Eric answered truly every question. Then the man rang a
+bell for an old woman who lived in the house, and bid her take the boy
+with her, and give him his supper. The old woman looked very ugly and
+very cross, and led him up, up, a great number of dark, gloomy stairs,
+until she reached a small room, with a bed and table in it, where she
+bade Eric wait till she brought him supper. The big hound followed them,
+and stayed in the room while the woman went away. Eric was at first
+afraid of the dog, he was so large and wild-looking, but he came and
+laid his head on his knee, and he scratched his ears, and patted him,
+and was very kind to him. The supper came, and the boy managed to keep a
+few bits of meat out of his own supper for the dog, and when the old
+woman went out of the room, he fed the hound, who seemed very hungry,
+and said to him, "Tuscar, old fellow, I like you very much. Take another
+bit, good dog, and be happy!" The dog wagged his tail, and looked up
+kindly with his large eyes, for he was thankful for his supper, and ate
+much more than Eric. "Now," said the old woman gruffly, when she took
+away the remains of the supper, "you have ate what would do me for a
+week. You won't starve, Master Prince. Go to bed." The old woman left
+him, but suddenly returning, she discovered Eric on his knees. As he
+rose, she scoffed and jeered him, and asked, "Do you always say your
+prayers?" "Yes, always," replied the boy. "Who taught you?" "My mother,
+who is dead." The old woman heaved a deep sigh, but the boy did not know
+why. Perhaps she used to pray when she was a little girl herself, and
+had given up speaking to God, or even thinking of Him, and so had become
+wicked; or perhaps she thought of some child of her own whom she had
+never taught to pray. She soon went away without speaking a word more,
+and Eric was left in darkness. He looked out through the narrow window
+of his room, but could see nothing but black clouds rushing over the
+sky. Far down he heard a stream roaring, and the wind, which now blew a
+gale, came booming over the tree-tops, and howling round the tower.
+Every now and then a flash lighted up the forest, and the thunder
+crashed in the sky. It was a fearful night!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Some time after, he heard footsteps at his door, and immediately the man
+with the beard entered, and sat down. "Do you know," he asked, "where
+your father is?" "No," said Eric; "as I told you, I lost my way in the
+forest, and have been wandering all day, and cannot find him; but
+perhaps you will send some one to-morrow with me to shew me the way to
+his castle, and I am sure my kind, good father will give you a rich
+reward." "You are very, very far from your father's house," said the
+man, "and I fear you will never see him again; but come with me, and I
+shall shew you some beautiful things that will please you." So the man
+took Eric by the hand, and, carrying a lamp, he led him into a room that
+seemed full of gold and silver, with beautiful dresses, sparkling with
+diamonds, and every kind of splendour, and he said, "Stay with me, my
+boy, and I will give you all this, for I am a king too, and will make
+you my heir." "Oh, no, no," said Eric; "I will never forsake my own
+father." The man then said, "If you stay with me, you need never go
+to school all day, but may amuse yourself from morning till night, and
+have a beautiful pony to ride, and a gun to shoot deer with, and also
+fishing-rods, and a servant to attend you, and any kind of meat and
+drink you like best. Do stay with me!" "You are very kind," said Eric,
+"but I cannot be happy without my father." "Come then with me, my fine
+fellow, and I shall shew you something different," said the man, seizing
+Eric firmly by the arm, and looking very angry. After walking along a
+passage, from the end of which confused noises came, a door was opened,
+and in a large hall, round a great oak table, sat a company of
+fierce-looking men, drinking from large flagons which stood before them.
+Their faces were red, and their eyes gleamed like fire. Ralph placed
+Eric on the table. One of the robbers was singing this song:--
+
+    "We're the famous robber band--
+                       Hurrah!
+     The lords of all the land--
+                       Hurrah!
+     A fig for law or duty,
+     If we only get our booty;
+     With a fa, lal, la, la, la!
+
+    "'Every man to mind himself,'
+                       Hurrah!
+     Is the rule of Captain Ralph!
+                       Hurrah!
+     Then let the greatest thief
+     And robber be our chief--
+     With a fa, lal, la, la, la!"
+
+No wonder poor Eric trembled as he heard that lawless band thus glorying
+in their shame, and like demons singing their horrid song in praise of
+all that was most dreadful and most wicked. He had read stories of
+robbers, which sometimes made him think that they were fine, brave
+fellows; but now that he was among them, he saw how depraved, cruel, and
+frightful they were. Their savage, coarse looks terrified him; but he
+was held by Ralph on the table. When the song was ended, one of them
+asked, "Whom have we got here?" "Who do you think?" replied Ralph. "What
+would you say, my men, to a young prince,--no less than the son of our
+great enemy, King Magnus?" "A young prince! The son of Magnus! What a
+prize!" they exclaimed. "What shall we do with him?" "First of all, let
+us have his gold belt," said Ralph, unbuckling Eric's belt. "Ha! what a
+pretty thing it is!" "My father gave it to me, and I don't wish to part
+with it. The swineherd Wolf tried to take it from me, but I fought him,
+and kept it," said Eric. "Wolf is a brave young robber," replied Ralph,
+"and he shall have it for his trouble. In the meantime, my lad, it is
+mine. But what, my men, shall we do with the prince?" "Kill him," said
+one. "Starve him to death," said another. "Put his eyes out, and send
+him back to his father," said a third. Eric prayed to God, but said
+nothing. "I propose," said Ralph, "to make him a captain if he will stay
+with us." "Never!" said Eric; "I would rather die!" "Let him die, then,"
+said a fierce robber; "for his father hung my brother for killing one of
+his nobles." "I tell you what we will do with the lion's whelp," said
+Ralph; "let us keep him in prison, and send a message to his father,
+that we have him snug in a den among the mountains, and that, unless he
+sends us an immense ransom, we shall kill him." "That will do famously,"
+said the robbers; "so off with him!" Then Ralph led the boy down
+stairs,--down, down, until he thought they never would stop, and at last
+they came to an iron door, with great bars on it, and a large lock, and
+he turned to Eric, and said, "I know your father, and I hate him! for he
+sends his soldiers after me, and tries to save travellers from me, and
+now I have got his son. I will keep you here till you die, or till he
+pays!" Then he opened the dungeon door, and thrust Eric in. When it
+closed, it echoed like thunder through the passages. Eric cast himself
+down on the dungeon floor.
+
+All appeared to be a strange dream. Oh, how he repented having disobeyed
+his father! and how he seemed to be as bad as the dreadful robbers in
+having done what he pleased, and followed his own will, instead of doing
+what was right! About an hour after, he heard some rustling, as if high
+up on the wall, and a voice whispered "Eric!" "Who is there?" asked
+Eric, and his little heart trembled. "Silence! quiet! it is Wolf. Here
+is a small window in your prison, and I have opened it outside; climb
+up, get out, and run for your life." Eric heard no more, but scrambled
+in the dark up the rough stones in the wall until he reached the window,
+where he looked out, and saw the stars and the woods. He soon forced his
+way through, and dropped down on the opposite side. Some one caught him
+in his arms. It was Wolf. "Here is your gold band, Eric. I got it from
+Ralph; for He who was speaking in the thunder has been saying things in
+my heart. You were kind to poor Wolf. Now escape! Fly! I shall close the
+window again. Ralph will never know how you got out, and he will not
+open the prison-door till after breakfast. So you have a long time. Run
+as long as you can along that road till you reach a hill, then cross it,
+until you reach a stream, which you must follow downwards. The worst of
+the storm is over, and the night will soon be calm. Off!" "Bless you,
+Wolf!" said Eric; "I shall never forget you." Poor Eric! how he ran,
+and ran, beneath the stars! He felt no fatigue for a time. He thought he
+heard the robbers after him; every time the wind blew loud, he imagined
+it was their wild cry. On he ran till he reached the hill, and crossed
+it, and came to a green spot beneath a rock, on the banks of the stream,
+when he could run no more, but fell down, and whether he fainted or fell
+asleep he could not tell.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE JOURNEY HOME--THE BIRD WITH THE GOLD EGGS--TRIALS AND DIFFICULTIES.
+
+
+Eric knew not how long he slept, but, as in a dream, he heard a sweet
+voice singing these words:--
+
+    "Rest thee, boy, rest thee, boy, lonely and dreary,
+       Thy little heart breaking from losing the way;
+     Thy father has not left thee friendless, though weary,
+       When learning through suffering to fear and obey."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Eric opened his eyes, but moved not a limb, as if under some strange
+fascination. It was early morning. High over head a lark was "singing
+like an angel in the clouds." The mysterious voice went on in the same
+beautiful and soothing strain--
+
+    "Oh, sweet is the lark as she sings o'er her nest,
+       And warbles unseen in the clear morning light;
+     But sweeter by far is the song in the breast
+       When in life's early morning we do what is right!"
+
+Eric could neither move nor speak; but in his heart he confessed with
+sorrow that he had done what was wrong. And again the voice sang--
+
+    "Now, darling, awaken, thou art not forsaken!
+       The old night is past and a new day begun;
+     Let thy journey with love to thy father be taken,
+       And at evening thy father will welcome thee home."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"I will arise and go to my father!" said Eric, springing to his feet. He
+saw beside him a beautiful lady, who looked like a picture he once saw
+of his mother, or like one of those angels from heaven about whom he had
+often read. And the lady said, "Fear not! I know you, Eric, and how
+it came to pass that you are here. Your father sent you for a wise and
+good purpose through the forest, and gave you hold of a gold thread to
+guide you, and told you never to let it go. It was your duty to him to
+have held it fast; but instead of doing your duty, trusting and obeying
+your father, and keeping hold of the thread, you let it go to chase
+butterflies, and gather wild-berries, and to amuse yourself. This you
+did more than once. You neglected your father's counsels and warnings,
+and because of your self-confidence and self-pleasing, you lost your
+thread, and then you lost your way. What dangers and troubles have you
+thus got into through disobedience to your father's commands, and want
+of trust in his love and wisdom! For had you only followed your father's
+directions, the gold thread would have brought you to his beautiful
+castle, where there is to be a happy meeting of your friends, with all
+your brothers and sisters." Poor little Eric began to weep! "Listen to
+me, child," said the lady, kindly, "for _you cannot have peace but by
+doing what is_ _right_. Know, then, that all your brothers and sisters
+made this very journey by help of the gold thread, and they are at home
+with great joy." "Oh, save me! save me!" cried Eric, and caught the
+lady's hand. "Yes, I will save you," said she, "if you will learn
+obedience. I know and love you, dear boy. I know and love your father,
+and have been sent by him to deliver you. I heard what you said, and
+know all you did, last night, and I was very glad that you proved, in
+trial, your love to your father, your love of truth, and your love of
+others, and this makes me hope all good of you for the future. Come now
+with me!" And so the beautiful woman took him by the hand. The storm had
+passed away, and the sun was shining on the green leaves of the trees,
+and every drop of dew sparkled like a diamond. The birds were all
+warbling their morning hymns, and feeding their young ones in their
+nests. The streams were dancing down the rocks and through the glens.
+"The mountains broke forth into singing, and all the trees clapped
+their hands with joy." Everything thus seemed beautiful and happy to
+Eric, for he himself was happy at the thought of doing what was right,
+and of going home. The lady led him to a sunny glade in the wood,
+covered with wild flowers, from which the bees were busy gathering their
+honey, and she said, "Now, child, are you willing to do your father's
+will?" "Oh, yes!" "Will you do it, whatever dangers may await you?"
+"Yes!" "Well, then, I must tell you that your father has given me the
+gold thread which you lost; and he bids me again tell you, with his warm
+love, that if you keep hold of it, and follow it wherever it leads, you
+are sure to come to him at sunset; but if you let it go, you may wander
+on in this dark forest till you die, or are again taken prisoner by
+robbers. Know, also, that there is no other possible way of saving you,
+but by your following the gold thread." "I am resolved to do my duty,
+come what may," said Eric. "May you be helped to do it!" said the lady.
+She then gave him a cake, to support him in his journey. "And now,
+child," she added, "one advice more I will give you, and it was given
+you by your father, though you forgot it; it is this--if ever you feel
+the thread slipping from your hands, or are yourself tempted to let it
+go, pray immediately, and you will get wisdom and strength to find it,
+to lay hold of it, and to follow it. Before we part, kneel down and ask
+assistance to be good and obedient, brave and patient, until you meet
+your father." The little boy knelt down and repeated the Lord's Prayer;
+and as he said, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven," he
+felt calm and happy as he used to do when he knelt at his mother's knee,
+and he thought her hand was waving over him, as if to bless him. When he
+lifted up his head there was no one there but himself; but he saw an old
+gray cross, and a GOLD THREAD was tied to it, and passed away, away,
+shining through the woods.
+
+With a firm hold of his gold thread, the boy began his journey home.
+He passed along path-ways on which the brown leaves of last year's
+growth were thickly strewn, and from among which flowers of every
+colour were springing. He crossed little brooks that ran like silver
+threads, and tinkled like silver bells. He passed under trees with
+great trunks, and huge branches that swept down to the ground, and
+waved far up in the blue sky. The birds hopped about him, and looked
+down upon him from among the green leaves, and they sang him songs,
+and some of them seemed to speak to him. He thought one large bird
+like a crow cried, "Good boy! good boy!" and another whistled, "Cheer
+up! cheer up!" and so he went merrily on, and very often he gave the
+robins and blackbirds that came near him bits of his cake. After
+awhile, he came to a green spot in the middle of the wood, without
+trees, and a footpath went direct across it, to the place where the
+gold thread was leading him, and there he saw a sight that made him
+wonder and pause. It was a bird about the size of a pigeon, with
+feathers like gold and a crown like silver, and it was slowly walking
+near him, and he saw gold eggs glittering in a nest among the grass a
+few yards off. Now, he thought, it would be such a nice thing to bring
+home a nest with gold eggs! The bird did not seem afraid of him, but
+stopped and looked at him with a calm blue eye, as if she said,
+"Surely you would not rob me?" He could not, however, reach the nest
+with his hand, and though he pulled and pulled the thread, it would
+not yield one inch, but seemed as stiff as a wire. "I see the thread
+quite plain," said the boy to himself, "and the very place where it
+enters the dark wood on the other side. I will just leap to the nest,
+and in a moment I shall have the eggs in my pocket, and then spring
+back and catch the thread again. I cannot lose it here, with the sun
+shining; and, besides, I see it a long way before me." So he took one
+step to seize the eggs; but he was in such haste that he fell and
+crushed the nest, breaking the eggs to pieces, and the little bird
+screamed and flew away, and then suddenly the birds in the trees began
+to fly about, and a large owl swept out of a dark glade, and cried,
+"Whoo--whoo--whoo-oo-oo;" and a cloud came over the sun! Eric's heart
+beat quick, and he made a grasp at his gold thread, but it was not
+there! Another, and another grasp, but it was not there! and soon he saw
+it waving far above his head, like a gossamer thread in the breeze. You
+would have pitied him, while you could not have helped being angry with
+him for having been so silly and disobedient when thus tried, had you
+only seen his pale face, as he looked above him for his thread, and
+about him for the road, but could see neither! And he became so confused
+with his fall, that he did not know which side of the open glade he had
+entered, nor to which point he was travelling. But at last he thought he
+heard a bird chirping, "Seek--seek--seek!" and another repeating, "Try
+again--try again--try--try!" and then he remembered what the lady had
+said to him, and he fell on his knees and told all his grief, and cried,
+"Oh, give me back my thread! and help me never, never, to let it go
+again!" As he lifted up his eyes, he saw the thread come slowly, slowly
+down; and when it came near, he sprang to it and caught it, and he did
+not know whether to laugh, or cry, or sing, he was so thankful and
+happy! "Ah!" said he, "I hope I shall never forget this fall!" That part
+of the Lord's Prayer came into his mind which says, "Lead us not into
+temptation, but deliver us from evil." "Who would have thought," said he
+to himself, "that I was in any danger in such a beautiful, green, sunny
+place as this, and so very early, too, in my journey! Oh! shame upon
+me!" As he proceeded with much more thought and caution, a large crow up
+a tree was hoarsely croaking, and seemed to say, "Beware, beware!"
+"Thank you, Mr Crow," said the boy, "I shall;" and he threw him a bit of
+bread for his good advice. But now the thread led him through the
+strangest places. One was a very dark, deep ravine, with a stream that
+roared and rushed far down, and overhead the rocks seemed to meet, and
+thick bushes concealed the light, and nothing could Eric see but the
+gold thread, that looked like a thread of fire, though even that grew
+dim sometimes, until he could only feel it in his hand. And whither he
+was going he knew not. At one time he seemed to be on the edge of a
+precipice, until it seemed as if the next step _must_ lead him over, and
+plunge him down; but when he came to the very edge, the thread led him
+quite safely along it. At another, a rock which looked like a wall rose
+before him, and he said to himself, "Well, I must be stopped here! I
+shall never be able to climb up!" But just as he touched it, he found
+steps cut in it, and up, up, the thread guided him to the top! Then it
+would bring him down, down, until he once stood beside a raging stream,
+and the water foamed and dashed. "Now," he thought, "I must be drowned;
+but come what may, I will not let my thread go." And so it was, that
+when he came so near the stream as to feel the spray upon his cheek, and
+was sure that he must leap in if he followed his thread, what did he see
+but a little bridge that passed from bank to bank, and by which he
+crossed in perfect safety; until at last he began to lose fear, and to
+believe more and more that he would always be in the right road, so
+long as he did not trust mere appearances, but kept hold of his thread!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE GREAT LION--THE LITTLE SQUIRREL--AN OLD FRIEND--THE BLOODHOUND--THE
+LAST TEMPTATION.
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+But Eric had now to endure a great trial of his faith in the thread. As
+he journeyed on, it led him up a winding path towards the summit of a
+hill. The large trees of the forest were soon left behind, and small
+stunted bushes grew among masses of gray rocks. The path was like the
+bed of a dry brook, and was often very steep. There were no birds except
+little stone-chats, that hopped and chirped among the large round
+stones. Far below, he could see the tops of the trees, and here and
+there a stream glittering under the sunbeams. Nothing disturbed the
+silence but the hoarse croak of the raven, or the wild cry of a kite or
+eagle, that, like a speck, wheeled far up in the sky. But suddenly, Eric
+heard a roar like thunder coming from the direction towards which the
+thread was leading him. He stopped for a moment, but the thread was firm
+in his hand, and led right up the hill. On he went, and no wonder he
+started, when, as he turned the corner of a rock, he heard another roar,
+and saw the head of a huge lion looking out of what seemed to be a cave,
+a few yards back from the edge of a dizzy precipice! He saw, too, that
+the path he must follow was between the lion's den and the precipice.
+What now was to be done? Should he give up his thread and fly? No! A
+voice in his heart encouraged him to be brave and not fear, and he knew
+from his experience that he had always been led in safety and peace when
+he followed the road, holding fast to his thread. He was certain that
+his father never would deceive him, or bid him do anything but what was
+right; and he was sure, too, that the lady, from her love to him, and
+her teaching him to trust God and to pray, would not have bid him do
+anything that was wrong. And then an old verse his father taught him
+came into his mind--
+
+    "In the darkest night, my child,
+     Canst thou see the Right, my child?
+         Forward then! God is near!
+     The Right will be light to thee,
+     Armour and might to thee;
+         Forward! and never fear!"
+
+So Eric resolved to go on in faith. There was just one thing he saw
+which cheered him, and that was a white hare, sitting with her ears
+cocked, quite close to the lion's den, and he wondered how she had no
+fear, but he could not explain it at the time. On he walked, but he
+could hardly breathe, as the thread led still nearer and nearer to the
+den. These big eyes were glaring on him, and seemed to draw him closer
+and closer! There the lion stood, on one side of the path, while the
+great precipice descended on the other. One step more, and he was
+between these two dangers. He moved on until he was so near that he
+seemed to feel the lion's breath, and then the brute sprang out on him,
+and tried to strike him with his huge paw that would have crushed him to
+the dust! Eric shut his eyes, and gave himself up for lost. But the lion
+suddenly fell back, for he was held fast by a great iron chain, and so
+Eric passed in safety!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Oh, how thankful he was! and how gladly he ran down hill, the lion in
+his den roaring behind him! Down he ran until all was quiet again. As he
+pursued his journey in the beautiful green woods, something told him his
+greatest trial was past. He felt very peaceful and strong. And now, as
+he reached some noble old beech-trees, the thread fell on the grass, and
+he took this as a sign that he should lie down too, and so he did,
+grateful for the rest. He ate some of his cake, and drank from a clear
+spring beside him, and feasted on wild strawberries which grew in
+abundance all round him. He then stretched himself on his back among
+soft moss, and looked up through the branches of the gigantic tree, and
+saw with delight the sunlight speckling the emerald green leaves and
+brown bark with touches of silver, and, far up, the deep blue sky with
+white clouds reposing on it, like snowy islands on a blue ocean; and he
+watched the squirrels, with their bushy tails, as they ran up the tree,
+and jumped from branch to branch, and sported among the leaves, until he
+fell into a sort of pleasant day-dream, and felt so happy, he hardly
+knew why. As he lay here, he thought he heard, in his half-waking dream,
+a little squirrel sing a song. Was it not his own heart, now so glad
+because doing what was right, which was singing? This was the song which
+he thought he heard:--
+
+     "I'm a merry, merry squirrel,
+      All day I leap and whirl,
+    Through my home in the old beech-tree;
+      If you chase me, I will run
+      In the shade and in the sun,
+    But you never, never can catch me!
+      For round a bough I'll creep,
+        Playing hide-and-seek so sly,
+      Or through the leaves bo-peep,
+        With my little shining eye.
+          Ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha!
+
+     "Up and down I run and frisk,
+      With my bushy tail to whisk
+    All who mope in the old beech-trees;
+      How droll to see the owl,
+      As I make him wink and scowl,
+    When his sleepy, sleepy head I tease!
+      And I waken up the bat,
+        Who flies off with a scream,
+      For he thinks that I'm the cat
+        Pouncing on him in his dream.
+          Ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha!
+
+     "Through all the summer long
+      I never want a song,
+    From my birds in the old beech-trees;
+      I have singers all the night,
+      And, with the morning bright,
+    Come my busy humming fat brown bees.
+      When I've nothing else to do,
+        With the nursing birds I sit,
+      And we laugh at the cuckoo
+        A-cuckooing to her tit!
+          Ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha!
+
+     "When winter comes with snow,
+      And its cruel tempests blow
+    All the leaves from my old beech-trees;
+      Then beside the wren and mouse
+      I furnish up a house,
+    Where like a prince I live at my ease!
+      What care I for hail or sleet,
+        With my hairy cap and coat;
+      And my tail across my feet,
+        Or wrapp'd about my throat!
+          Ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha! ha, ha, ha!"
+
+As Eric opened his eyes, and looked up, he saw a little squirrel with
+its tail curling up its back, sitting on a branch looking down upon him;
+and then it playfully ran away with the tail down and waving after it.
+"Farewell, happy little fellow!" said Eric; "I must do my work now, and
+play like you afterwards;" for at that moment the thread again became
+tight, and Eric, refreshed with his rest, and hearty for his journey,
+stepped out bravely. He saw, at some distance, and beyond an open glade
+in the forest, a rapid river towards which he was descending. When near
+the river, he perceived something struggling in the water, and then
+heard a loud cry or scream for help, as if from one drowning. He was
+almost tempted to run off to his assistance without his thread, but he
+felt thankful that the thread itself led in the very direction from
+whence he heard the cries coming. So off he ran as fast as he could, and
+as he came to the brink of a deep, dark pool in the river, he saw the
+head of a boy rising above the water, as the poor little fellow tried to
+keep himself afloat. Now he sank--again he rose--until he suddenly
+disappeared. Eric laid hold of his thread with a firm hand, and leaped
+in over head and ears, and then rose to the surface, and with his other
+hand swam to where the boy had sank. He soon caught him, and brought him
+with great difficulty to the surface, which he never could have done
+unless the thread had supported them both above the water.
+
+"Eric!" cried the gasping boy, opening his eyes, almost covered by his
+long, wet hair. "Wolf!" cried Eric, "is it you?" It was indeed poor
+Wolf, who lay panting on the dry land, with his rough garments dripping
+with water, and himself hardly able to move. "Oh, tell me, Wolf, what
+brought you here! I am so glad to have helped you!" After a little time,
+when Wolf could speak, he told him in his own way, bit by bit, how Ralph
+had suspected him; and how the old woman had heard him speaking as she
+was looking out of an upper window; and how when Ralph asked the gold
+belt he could not give it; and how he was obliged himself to fly; and
+how he had been running for his life for hours. "Now let us fly," said
+Wolf; "I am quite strong again. I fear that they are in pursuit of us."
+
+They both went on at a quick pace, Eric having shewn Wolf the
+wonderful thread, and explained to him how he must never part with it,
+come what may, and having also given him a bit of his cake to comfort
+him. "O rub-a-dub, dub!" said Wolf, squeezing the water out of his
+hair, as he trotted along; "I am glad to be away. Ralph would have
+killed me like a pig. The voice told me to run after you." So on they
+went together, happy again to meet. Suddenly Wolf stopped, and
+listening with anxious face, he said, "Hark! did you hear anything?"
+"No," said Eric, "what was it?" "Hush!--listen!--there again--I hear
+it!" "I think I do hear something far off like a dog's bark," replied
+Eric. "Hark!" So they both stopped and listened, and far away they
+heard a deep "Bow-wow-wow-wow-o-o-o-o-o" echoing through the forest.
+"Let us run as fast as we can," said the boy, in evident fear; "hear
+him!--hear him!" "Bow-wow-wow-o-o-o-o," and the sound came nearer and
+nearer. "What is it? why are you so afraid?" inquired Eric. "Oh! that
+is Ralph's bloodhound, Tuscar," cried Wolf, "and he is following us.
+He won't perhaps touch me, but you he may." So Eric ran as fast as he
+could, but never let go the gold thread, which this time led towards a
+steep hill, which they were obliged to scramble up. "Run,
+Eric!--quick--hide--up a tree--anywhere!" "I cannot, I dare not," said
+Eric; "whatever happens, I must hold fast my thread." But they heard
+the "Bow-wow-o-o-o" coming nearer and nearer, and as they looked back
+they saw the large hound rush out of the wood, and as he came to the
+water, catching sight of the boys on the opposite hill, he leaped in,
+and in a few minutes would be near them. And now he came bellowing
+like a fierce bull up the hill, his tongue hanging out, and his nose
+tracking along the ground, as he followed their footsteps. "I shall
+run and meet him," said Wolf, "and stop him if I can;" and down ran
+the swineherd, calling, "Tuscar! Tuscar! good dog, Tuscar!" Tuscar
+knew Wolf, and passed him, but ran up to Eric. As he reached Eric, who
+stood calm and firm, the bloodhound stopped, panting, smelling his
+clothes all round, but, strange to say, wagging his huge tail! He then
+ran back the way he had come, as if he had made a mistake, and all his
+race was for nothing! How was this? Ah, poor Tuscar remembered the
+supper Eric had given him, and was grateful for his kindness!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Wolf was astonished at Eric's escape, until he heard how he and Tuscar
+had become acquainted; and then Wolf heard the voice in his heart say
+that there was nothing better than kindness and love shewn to man or
+beast. They both after this pursued their journey with light and hopeful
+hearts, for they had got out of what was called the wild robber country,
+and Eric knew that he was drawing near home. The thread was stronger
+than ever, and every hour it helped more and more to support him. Wolf
+trotted along with his short stick, and sometimes snorting and blowing
+with the fatigue like one of his own pigs. They talked as best they
+could about all they had seen. "Did you see big Thorold the lion?" asked
+Wolf. "I did," said Eric; "he is very awful, but he was chained." "Lucky
+for you!" said Wolf, "for Ralph hunts with him and kills travellers. He
+will obey none but Ralph. I heard him roaring. He is hungry. He once ate
+one of my pigs, and would have ate me if he had not first caught the
+poor black porker. I escaped up a tree." And thus they chatted, as they
+journeyed on through woods, and across green plains, and over low hills,
+until Wolf complained of hunger. Eric at once gave him what remained
+of his large cake; but it did not suffice to appease the hunger of the
+herd, who was, however, very thankful for what he got. To their delight
+they now saw a beautiful cottage not far from their path, and, as they
+approached it, an old woman, with a pretty girl who seemed to be her
+daughter, came out to meet them. "Good day, young gentlemen!" said the
+old woman with a kind smile and a courtesy; "you seem to be on your
+travels, and look wearied? Pray come into my cottage, and I shall
+refresh you." "What fortunate fellows we are!" said Wolf. "We are much
+obliged to you for your hospitality," replied Eric. But, alas! the
+thread drew him in an opposite direction; so turning to Wolf, he said,
+"I cannot go in." "Come, my handsome young gentleman," said the young
+woman, "and we shall make you so happy. You shall have such a dinner as
+will delight you, I am sure; and you may remain as long as you please,
+and I will dance and sing to you; nor need you pay anything." And she
+came forward smiling and dancing, offering her arm to Eric. "Surely you
+won't be so rude as refuse me! you are so beautiful, and have such
+lovely hair and eyes, and I never saw such a belt as you wear: do come!"
+"Come, my son," said the old woman to Wolf, as she put her hand round
+his neck. "With all my heart!" replied Wolf; "for, to tell the truth, I
+am wearied and hungry; one does not get such offers as yours every day."
+"I cannot go," again said Eric. _They_ could not see the thread, for to
+some it was invisible; but _he_ saw it, and felt it like a wire passing
+away from the cottage. "Who are you, kind friends?" inquired Eric.
+"Friends of the king and of his family. Honest subjects, good people,"
+said the old woman. "Do you know Prince Eric?" asked Wolf. "Right well!"
+replied the young woman. "He is a great friend of mine; a fine, tall,
+comely youth. He calls me his own little sweetheart." "It is false!"
+said Eric; "you do not know him. You should not lie." But he did not
+tell her who he was, neither did Wolf, for Eric had made a sign to him
+to be silent. "I won't enter your dwelling," said Eric, "for my duty
+calls me away." They both gave a loud laugh, and said, "Hear him! Only
+hear a fine young fellow talking about duty! Pleasure, ease, and liberty
+are for the young. We only want to make you happy: come!" "I shall go
+with you," said Wolf; "do come, Eric." "Wolf, speak to me," whispered
+Eric to the swineherd. "You know _I_ cannot go, for my duty tells me to
+follow the thread. But now I see that this is the house of the wicked,
+for you heard how they lied; they neither know the king nor his
+children; and they laugh too at duty. Be advised, Wolf, and follow me."
+Wolf hesitated, and looked displeased. "Only for an hour, Eric!" "Not a
+minute. Wolf. If you trust them more than me, go; but I am sure you and
+I shall never meet again." "Then I will trust you, Eric," said Wolf;
+"the voice in my heart tells me to do so." And so they both passed on.
+But the old woman and the girl began to abuse them, and call them all
+manner of evil names, and to laugh at them as silly fellows. The girl
+threw stones at them, which made Wolf turn round and flourish his stick
+over his head. At last they entered the cottage, the old woman shaking
+her fist, and calling out from the door, "I'll soon send my friend Ralph
+after you!" "Oh, ho! is that the way the wind blows!" exclaimed Wolf,
+with a whistle; and, grasping Eric's arm, said, "You were right, prince!
+I never suspected them. I see now they are bad." "I saw that before,"
+replied Eric, "and knew that no good would come to us from making their
+acquaintance." "Were they not cunning?" "Yes; but, probably, with all
+their smiles, flattery, and fair promises, they would have proved more
+cruel in the end than either Ralph or old Thorold." "What would they
+have done to us? Why did they meet us? Who are they, think you?" "I
+don't know, Wolf; it was enough for me that they lied, and did not wish
+us to do what was right. The gold thread given me by my father never
+could have led me into the society and house of the wicked. I am glad we
+held it fast."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE GREEN ISLAND OF THE LAKE, AND THE RETURN HOME.
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Not long after this strange adventure, they reached a rising ground,
+from which a magnificent view burst upon them. Below, there was a large
+lake, surrounded by wooded hills, above which rose noble rocks fringed
+with stately pines, and higher ranges of mountains beyond, some of whose
+summits were covered with snow that glittered like purest alabaster in
+the azure blue of the sky. Eric gave a cry of joy; for he saw the house
+of one of his father's foresters, which he had once visited with his
+father. "Wolf! Wolf!" he exclaimed, "look yonder, that is the house of
+Darkeye, the forester. We are safe!" and the thread was leading straight
+down in the very direction which they wished. Darkeye's house was built
+on a small green island in the lake. The island was like a little fort,
+for on every side the rocks descended like a wall. It could only be
+approached by a boat, which Darkeye kept on the island, and then by a
+narrow stair cut out of the rock at the landing-place. No robbers could
+thus get near it, and Darkeye was there to give shelter to travellers,
+and to help any of the poor who had to pass that way. The thread led
+down to the shore. They forgot their fatigue, and ran down till they
+reached the ferry. "Boat, ahoy!" shouted Eric. By and by two boys were
+seen running out of the cottage, and after looking cautiously at those
+who were calling for the boat, they rowed off, and soon were at the
+shore, where stood Eric with his gold belt, and Wolf in his rough skins.
+"Olaf! Torquil! don't you remember me?" asked Eric, looking at his old
+friends. The boys looked astonished as they recognised the young prince,
+and received him joyfully into their boat, he holding by the thread,
+which seemed to cross the ferry towards the cottage. How many questions
+were mutually put and answered in a few minutes! They told him their
+father was at home; and how he had lately seen the king; and how the
+king was anxiously looking for Eric's return; and how glad all on the
+island would be to see him; and the younger boy, Torquil, told him how
+they had now a tame otter, that fished in the lake, and a fine golden
+eagle which they had got young in her nest, that also lived on the
+island with them; and how their mother had got another baby since he had
+been there, and how happy they all were, and so on, until they arrived
+at the island, and there was old Darkeye himself waiting to receive
+them; and when he saw who was in the boat, he ran down the stone steps
+and grasped the young prince's hand, and drew him to his heart.
+"Welcome! welcome!" said he; "I knew you had been in the forest, but
+your father would not tell me anything more about you. He only said that
+he longed for your coming home. But who is this?" asked Darkeye,
+pointing to Wolf. "A friend of mine," said Eric, with a smile. "My name
+is Wolf," grunted the swineherd. "I think I have seen him before. But
+no! What? Yes!" said Darkeye, examining him; then added, as if he had
+discovered some old acquaintance, "Surely I _have_ seen him. Tell me, my
+fine fellow, did you"---- It was evident Darkeye had seen Wolf killing
+his game, or in some affray with the robbers. Wolf looked sternly at
+Darkeye, then at Eric, but said nothing. "Oh, Darkeye, do not trouble
+poor Wolf," said Eric, "but let him go into the cottage; and come you
+with me, as I wish to tell you all that has happened to me during these
+few days." So, while the boys took Wolf to the cottage, and food was
+being prepared, Eric told Darkeye all his adventures; and you would
+have been sure that the forester was hearing something which surprised
+and interested him wonderfully, had you seen his face, and how he
+sometimes laughed, or knit his brows and looked angry, or sad and
+solemn, or sprung to his feet from the rock on which he was sitting
+beside Eric. When Eric came to speak about the old woman and her
+daughter, "Ah!" said Darkeye, "there are not worse people in that wicked
+country! They say that the old woman is a witch of some kind. But
+whether she poisons travellers or drowns them, I know not. No doubt she
+is in league with Ralph the robber, and would have robbed you or kept
+you fast in some way or other till you were handed over to him. You were
+right, my prince, in all you did. The only way of being delivered from
+temptation is to be brave, and do what is right, come what may." Then,
+grasping Eric by the hand, he led him back to the cottage. There
+Darkeye's wife received him like a mother, and all the children gathered
+round him in surprise and admiration, he looked so brave and lovely.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+One of the walls of the cottage was reared on the edge of the rock, so
+that it seemed a continuation of it, and to rise up from the deep waters
+of the lake. The boys were thus able often to fish with a long line out
+of the window. A winding-stair led to a look-out on the roof, from which
+the whole island, called "The Green Island of the Lake," could be seen.
+It was about a mile or more in circumference, and was dotted all over
+with the cottages of the other foresters and king's huntsmen, each
+surrounded with clumps of trees, through which the curling smoke from
+the chimneys might be seen ascending. There were everywhere
+beautifully-kept gardens, with fruits, and flowers, and bee-hives; and
+fields, too, with their crops. On the green knolls and in the little
+valleys might be seen cows and sheep; while flocks of goats browsed
+among ivy-covered rocks. In the middle of the island was a little
+shallow lake, beside which the otter had his house among the rocks; and
+there the eagle also lived. All the children in the island were the
+best of friends, and they played together, and sailed their boats on the
+little lake, and every day met in the house of one of the foresters to
+learn their lessons; and on Sunday, as they were very far away from any
+church, old Darkeye used to read the Good Book to them, and worship with
+them, and did all he could to make them love God and one another. There
+was also in the island a house, where, by the king's orders, all poor
+travellers could find refuge and refreshment. And it was a great
+pleasure to the boys and girls to visit them; and if they were sick and
+confined to bed, to attend to their wants. If the stranger had any
+children, the young islanders always shared their sports with them. And
+nothing pleased these stranger children more than to get leave to sail a
+boat, or to have the loan of a fishing-rod, or to hear the boys call
+Oscar, for that was the name of the otter, out of his den, and to play
+with Tor the eagle; or to see them feed Oscar with some of the fish they
+had caught, and Tor with a bit of meat. The dogs were so friendly, too,
+that they never touched Oscar, but would swim about in the same pool
+with him. And so all were happy in the Green Island; because Darkeye had
+taught them what a wicked thing selfishness was, and that the only way
+to be happy was by thinking about others as well as themselves, and by
+becoming like Him, the Elder Brother of us all, who "pleased not
+Himself." He also used to say: "Now, when you work, work like men, and
+when you play, play like boys: be hearty at both." And so, while there
+was no idleness, there was abundance of recreation. Another evil was
+never permitted on the island, and that was, disobedience to parents, or
+want of respect to the old. But, indeed, punishment for these offences
+was seldom needed. The young learned to _like_ to do what was right, and
+were too brave and manly to give pain and trouble to others, by forcing
+them to find fault or to punish. I should have mentioned, also, that
+they had a little band of musicians. One beat the drum, a few played the
+fife, and others some simple instrument; while almost all could sing
+tolerably well in parts. Thus, many a traveller would pause and listen
+with delight, as he heard, on a summer's evening, the chorus sung from
+many voices, or the music from the band coming from the island. "Young
+people," Darkeye used to say, "have much wealth and happiness given
+them, for themselves and others, if they only used their gifts."
+
+But I am forgetting Eric and Wolf. They were both, you may be sure,
+ready for their dinner, and there was laid for them on a table, cream,
+cakes, and fresh trout, and such other good things as the kind woman
+could get ready.
+
+But now the thread began to move, as if it wished Eric to move also.
+Before rising to depart, he told Wolf how Darkeye, for his sake, would
+be so glad to take care of him, until he got his father's permission to
+bring him into the castle; that he would learn to be a huntsman, and be
+taught what was good, and to know about the Voice that spoke in his
+heart; and that all the boys in the island would make him their friend
+if he did what was right. "Ralph will come here!" said Wolf, hanging his
+head. "I wish the rascal did," said Darkeye, "for he would never go
+back. But he cannot enter my fort, and knows me and my huntsmen too well
+ever to try it. I have had more than one brush with the villain, and we
+hope soon to drive him and his brood from their bloody nest. Wolf, you
+are welcome and safe, for Eric's sake!" Then turning to Eric, he said,
+"I shall teach him, and make a man of him, my young prince, depend upon
+it. And now, before we part, I have to ask a favour," continued Darkeye.
+"You know our custom near evening? If the thread permits, remain, and be
+one of us." "I remember it," said Eric, "and will remain and be one of
+you, and let poor Wolf also be one." And so they entered the cottage,
+and all sat down round an open window which looked out upon the
+beautiful lake with its wooded islands, and surrounded by the noble
+forest, above which rose the giant peaks and precipices. The water was
+calm as glass, and reflected every brilliant colour from rock and tree,
+and, most of all, from the golden clouds, which already began to gather
+in the west. Darkeye read from the Good Book of one who had left his
+father's house, and went to a far country, where he would fain have
+satisfied his hunger from the husks which the swine did eat, and could
+not, but who at last returned home after having suffered from his
+disobedience. When he closed the book, all stood up and sung these words
+with sweet and happy voices:--
+
+    "Father! from Thy throne above,
+       Bless our lowly home below!
+     Jesus, Shepherd! in Thy love,
+       Guard Thy flock from every foe.
+
+    "Thine we are! for Thou hast made us;
+       Thine, for we're redeem'd by Thee;
+     Thine, for Thou hast ever led us,
+       Thine, we evermore shall be!
+
+    "May we love Thee, may we fear Thee,
+       May Thy will, not ours, be done,
+     Never leave us till we're near Thee
+       In the Home where all are one!"
+
+Then they knelt down, and Darkeye spoke to God in name of them all,
+thanking Him for His goodness, and telling Him their wants. When they
+rose from their knees, the gold thread shone brilliantly, and, like a
+beam of light, passed out at the door in the direction of the ferry.
+During the singing of the verses, Wolf seemed for the first time quite
+overcome. He bent his head, and covered his face with his hands. He then
+said, in a low voice, when the short service was over, and as if
+speaking to himself, while all were silent listening to him, "I had a
+dream. Long, long ago. A carriage--a lady. She was on her knees, with
+her hands clasped, and speaking to the sky. She had hold of me. Ralph
+was there and the robbers. I forget the rest." He rose and looked out of
+the window, gazing vacantly. "What can he mean?" asked Eric aside to
+Darkeye, who was looking tenderly on Wolf. "Ah! who knows, poor boy!
+Singing always touches the heart of these wanderers. Perhaps--yes--it
+may be," he said, so that Eric alone could hear him, "that he has been
+taken when a child by Ralph from some rich traveller, and perhaps his
+mother was killed! He may have been the child of good people. Was that
+person his mother who, he says, prayed for him? If so, her prayers are
+now answered, for her boy will be delivered,--poor Wolf! Wolf, my boy,"
+said Darkeye, "come and bid farewell to your friend." Wolf started as
+from a dream, and came to Eric. "Farewell, my kind Wolf, and I hope to
+see you some day in my father's house." The herd spoke not a word, but
+wiped his eyes with the back of his rough hand. "Cheer up, Wolf, for you
+will be good and happy here." "Wolf is happy already, and he will take
+care of the pigs, or do anything for you all." He then held out his
+stick to Eric, and said, "Take it; keep it for my sake; it is all Wolf
+has to give; Ralph has the gold coin." "Thank you, good Wolf; but you
+will require it, and I need nothing to remember you." "Don't be angry,
+Eric, for what I did to you in the forest when we first met. My heart is
+sorry." "We did not know one another then, Wolf, and I shall never
+forget that it is to you I owe my escape." "Wolf loves you, and every
+one here." "I am sure you do, Wolf, and I love you. God bless you, Wolf,
+I must go; farewell!" And thus they parted. But all gathered round Eric,
+and accompanied him to the boat, blessing the little prince, and wishing
+him a peaceful and happy journey. Eric thanked them with many smiles and
+tender words. Darkeye alone went with him into the boat, wondering
+greatly at the thread, and most of all at the prince, who shone with a
+beauty that seemed not of this world. The prince landed, but Darkeye
+knew, for many reasons, that he could not accompany him in his journey,
+which he must take alone. Eric embraced Darkeye, and waving his hand to
+all on the island, he was soon lost to their sight in the great forest.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A winding pathway, over the ridge of hills, led down to a broad and
+rapid but smooth river, and on its banks was a royal boat, splendid and
+rich to look upon. She was white as snow, with a purple seat at the end
+covered by a canopy, that gleamed with golden tassels and many gems.
+The thread led into the boat, and though no one was there, Eric entered,
+and sat on a purple cushion, on which the Gold Thread also laid itself
+down. No sooner had he gone on board of the boat, than--as if his little
+foot, when it touched her, had sent her from the shore--she slowly moved
+into the centre of the channel, and was carried downwards by the
+current. On she swept on the bosom of that clear stream, between shores
+adorned with all that could delight the eye--rocks and trees and
+flowers, with here and there foaming waterfalls, from mountain rivulets
+which poured themselves into the great river. The woods were full of
+song, and birds with splendid plumage flashed amidst the foliage like
+rainbow hues amidst the clouds. Eric knew not whither he was being
+carried, but his heart was sunshine and peace. On and on he swept with
+the winding stream, until at last, darting under a dark archway of rock,
+and then emerging into light, the boat grounded on a shore of pure white
+sand, while the thread rose and led him to the land. No sooner had he
+stepped on shore and ascended the green bank, than he found himself at
+the end of a long broad avenue of splendid old trees, whose tops met
+overhead. The far-off end of the avenue was closed by a great marble
+staircase, which ascended to a magnificent castle. Wall rose above wall,
+and tower over tower. He saw grand flights of stairs, leading from one
+stately terrace to another, with marble statues, clear gushing
+fountains, and flower-gardens, and every kind of lovely tree. It was his
+father's castle at last! He ran on with breathless anxiety and joy. He
+soon reached a large gate, that seemed to be covered with glittering
+gold. As he looked at it, he saw the thread tied to a golden knocker
+upon it, shaped like the old cross in the forest. Inscribed over the
+gate were the words, "He that persevereth to the end shall be saved." He
+seized the knocker, and the moment it fell, the thread broke and
+vanished like a flash of light. A crash of music was then heard. The
+door opened, and there, in the midst of a court paved with marble of
+purest white, and on a golden throne, sat Eric's father, surrounded by
+his brothers and sisters. The beautiful lady was there too, and many,
+many more to welcome Eric. His father clasped him to his heart, and
+said, "My son was lost, but is found!" While all crowded round Eric to
+bid him welcome, with his weary feet and torn dress, kept together by
+the golden band, a chorus was heard singing,--
+
+    "Home where the weary rest,
+     Home where the good are blest,
+       Home of the soul;
+     Glorious the race when run,
+     Glorious the prize when won,
+       Glorious the goal!"
+
+Then there rose a swell of many young voices singing,--
+
+    "Oh, be joyful, be joyful, let every voice sing!
+     Welcome, brothers, our brother, the son of the king;
+     His wanderings are past, to his father he's come;
+     Little Eric, our darling, we welcome thee home!
+
+    "Oh, bless'd is the true one who follows the road,
+     Holding fast to his GOLD THREAD OF DUTY TO GOD,
+     Who, when tempted, is firm, who in danger is brave,
+     Who, forgetting himself, will a lost brother save.
+     Then be joyful, be joyful, for Eric is come;
+     Little Eric, our darling, we welcome thee home!"
+
+And then the sun set, and the earth was dark, but the palace of the king
+shone like an aurora in the wintry sky.
+
+
+_The End._
+
+_Printed by Dalziel Brothers, Camden Press_
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gold Thread, by Norman MacLeod
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