They felt sad at having to leave their dear old bridge, for they
knew it was something which belonged to all of them. Houses and
farms, groves and meadows, were owned by different persons, but the
bridge was their common property.

But was there nothing else that they had in common? Had they not
the church in among the birches on the other side of the bridge?
Had they not the pretty white schoolhouse, and the parsonage?

And they had something more in common. Theirs was the beauty which
they saw from the bridge: the lovely view of the broad and mighty
river flowing peacefully on between its tree-clad banks, and all
a-sparkle in the summer light; the wide view across the valley
clear over to the blue hills. All this was theirs! It was as if
burned into their eyes. And now they would never see it again.

When the Hellgumists came to the middle of the bridge, they began
to sing one of Sankey's hymns. "We shall meet once again," they
sang, "we shall meet in that Eden above."

There was no one on the bridge to hear them. They were singing to
the blue hills of their homeland, to the silvery waters of the
river, to the waving trees. And from throats tightened by sobs and
tears came the song of farewell:

"O beautiful homeland, with thy peaceful farms with their red and
white tree-sheltered houses; with thy fertile fields and green
meadows; thy groves and orchards; thy long valley, divided by the
shining river, hear us! Pray God that we may meet again, that we
may see thee again in Paradise!"

***

When the long procession of carts and wagons had crossed the
bridge, it came to the churchyard. In the churchyard there was a
large flat gravestone that was crumbling from age. It bore neither
name nor date, but according to tradition, the bones of an ancestor
of the Ljung family rested under it.

When Ljung Bjoern Olafsson, who was now going to Jerusalem, and his
brother Pehr were children, they had once sat on that stone and
talked. At first they were as chummy as could be; then all at once
they got to quarrelling about something, became very much excited,
and raised their voices. What they quarrelled about they had long
since forgotten, but what they never could forget was, that while
they were quarreling the hardest, they heard several distinct and
deliberate rappings on the stone where they were seated. They broke
off instantly. Then they took each other by the hand, and stole
quietly away. Afterward, they could neve