Then Gerda repeated her story over again,while the wood-pigeons in the cage over her cooed,and the other pigeons slept.The little robber-girl put one arm across Gerda's neck,and held the knife in the other,and was soon fast asleep and snoring.But Gerda could not close her eyes at all;she knew not whether she was to live or die.The robbers sat round the fire,singing and drinking,and the old woman stumbled about.It was a terrible sight for a little girl to witness.
Then the wood-pigeons said,“Coo,coo;we have seen little Kay.A white fowl carried his sledge,and he sat in the carriage of the Snow Queen,which drove through the wood while we were lying in our nest.She blew upon us,and all the young ones died excepting us two.Coo,coo.”
“What are you saying up there?”cried Gerda.“Where was the Snow Queen going?Do you know anything about it?”
“She was most likely travelling to Lapland,where there is always snow and ice.Ask the reindeer that is fastened up there with a rope.”
“Yes,there is always snow and ice,”said the reindeer;“and it is a glorious place;you can leap and run about freely on the sparkling ice plains.The Snow Queen has her summer tent there,but her strong castle is at the North Pole,on an island called Spitzbergen.”
“Oh,Kay,little Kay!”sighed Gerda.
“Lie still,”said the robber-girl,“or I shall run my knife into your body.”
In the morning Gerda told her all that the wood-pigeons had said;and the little robber-girl looked quite serious,and nodded her head,and said,“That is all talk,that is all talk.Do you know where Lapland is?”she asked the reindeer.