Page:Hans Andersen's fairy tales (Robinson).djvu/206

 THE STORKS 'Never mind,' said the mother, 'don't listen to them; they will do you no harm.'

But the boys went on singing, and pointed their fingers at the storks: only one little boy, called Peter, said 'it was a sin to mock and tease animals, and that he would have nothing to do with it.'

The mother-stork again tried to comfort her little ones. 'Never mind,' said she; 'see how composedly your father is standing there, and upon one leg only.'

'But we are so frightened!' said the young ones, drawing their heads down into the nest.

The next day, when the children were again assembled to play together, and saw the storks, they again began their song—

'And are we really to be hanged and burnt?' asked the young storks.

'No indeed!' said the mother. 'You shall learn to fly: I will teach you myself. Then we can fly over to the meadow, and pay a visit to the frogs. They will bow to us in the water, and say, "Croak, croak!" and then we shall eat them; will not that be nice?'

'And what then?' asked the little storks.

'Then all the storks in the country will gather together, and the autumnal exercise will begin. It is of the greatest consequence that you should fly well then; for every one who does not, the general will stab to death with his bill; so you must pay great attention when we begin to drill you, and learn very quickly.'

'Then we shall really be killed after all, as the boys said? Oh, listen! they are singing it again!' 166