When he reached the seventh he was safe across, and he turned to thank the white swan. And when he had thanked her, he called:--
"_White swan, white swan, swimming so gay! Carry a message for me to-day: My love to my mother, wherever she be; I know she is always thinking of me_."
Then the white swan swam back to carry the message, and the little boy ran on his way.
Oh! there were so many beautiful things to hear,--the birds singing and the bees humming; and so many beautiful things to see,--the flowers and butterflies and green grass! And after a while he came to a wood, where every tree wore a green dress; and through the wood, under the shade of the trees, flowed a babbling creek.
"I wonder how I can get over?" said the little boy; and the wise wind whispered:
"There is always a way to get over the stream. Follow me! follow me!"
[Illustration: "There is always a way to get over the stream, Follow me! Follow me!"]
Then he followed the sound of the wise wind's voice, and the wind blew against a tall pine tree, and the pine tree fell across the creek, and lay there, a great round foot-log, where the little boy might step. He made his way over, and thanked the wise wind; and he asked:--
"_Wise wind, wise wind, blowing so gay! Carry a message for me to-day: My love to my mother, wherever she be; I know she is always thinking of me_."
The wind blew back to carry the message, and the little boy made haste on his journey. His way lead through a meadow, where the clover grew and the white sheep and baby lambs were feeding together in the sunshine.
On one side of this meadow flowed a silver shining river, and the child wandered up and down the bank to find some way to cross, for he knew that he must go on.
As he walked there, a man called a carpenter found him, and said to him:--
"There is always a way to get over the stream. Follow me! follow me!"
Then the little boy followed the carpenter, and the carpenter and his men built a bridge of iron and wood that reached across from bank to bank. And when the bridge was finished, the child ran over in safety; and after he had thanked the carpenter, he said:--
"_Carpenter, carpenter, on your way! Carry a message for me to-day: My love to my mother, wherever she be, I know she is always thinking of me_."