Fundevogel
HERE was once a Forester who went into the woods to hunt, and he heard a cry like that of a little child. He followed the sound, and at last came to a big tree where a tiny child was sitting high up on one of the top branches. The mother had gone to sleep under the tree, and a bird of prey, seeing the child on her lap, had flown down and carried it off in its beak to the top of the tree.
The Forester climbed the tree and brought down the child, thinking to himself, ‘I will take it home, and bring it up with my own little Lina.’
So he took it home, and the two children were brought up together. The foundling was called Fundevogel, because it had been found by a bird. Fundevogel and Lina were so fond of each other, that they could not bear to be out of each other’s sight.
Now the Forester had an old Cook, who one evening took two pails, and began carrying water. She did not go once but many times, backwards and forwards to the well.
Lina saw this, and said: ‘Dear me, Sanna, why are you carrying so much water?’
‘If thou wilt not tell any one, I will tell thee why.’
Lina said no, she would not tell any one.
So then the Cook said: ‘To-morrow morning early, when the Forester goes out hunting, I am going to boil the water, and when it bubbles in the kettle, I am going to throw Fundevogel into it to boil him.’
Next morning the Forester got up very early, and went out hunting, leaving the children still in bed.
