1872 FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN IN THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE SEA by Hans Christian Andersen SOME years ago, large ships were sent towards the north pole, toexplore the distant coasts, and to try how far men could penetrateinto those unknown regions. For more than a year one of these shipshad been pushing its way northward, amid snow and ice, and the sailorshad endured many hardships; till at length winter set in, and thesun entirely disappeared; for many weeks there would be constantnight. All around, as far as the eye could reach, nothing could beseen but fields of ice, in which the ship remained stuck fast. Thesnow lay piled up in great heaps, and of these the sailors madehuts, in the form of bee-hives, some of them as large and spaciousas one of the "Huns' graves," and others only containing room enoughto hold three or four men. It was not quite dark; the northernlights shot forth red and blue flames, like continuous fireworks,and the snow glittered, and reflected back the light, so that thenight here was one long twilight. When the moon was brightest, thenatives came in crowds to see the sailors. They had a very singularappearance in their rough, hairy dresses of fur, and riding in sledgesover the ice. They brought with them furs and skins in greatabundance, so that the snow-houses were soon provided with warmcarpets, and the furs also served for the sailors to wrap themselvesin, when they slept under the roofs of snow, while outside it wasfreezing with a cold far more severe than in the winter with us. Inour country it was still autumn, though late in the season; and theythought of that in their distant exile, and often pictured tothemselves the yellow leaves on the trees at home. Their watchespointed to the hours of evening, and time to go to sleep, althoughin these regions it was now always night. In one of the huts, two of the men laid themselves down to rest.The younger of these men had brought with him from home his best,his dearest treasure- a Bible, which his grandmother had given himon his departure. Every night the sacred volume rested under his head,and he had known from his childhood what was written in it. Everyday he read in the book, and while stretched on his cold couch, theholy words he had learnt would come into his mind: "If I take thewings of the morning, and fly to the uttermost parts of the sea,even there Thou art with me, and Thy right hand shall uphold me;"and under the influence of that faith which these holy words inspired,sleep came upon him, and dreams, which are the manifestations of Godto the spirit. The soul lives and acts, while the body is at rest.He felt this life in him, and it was as if he heard the sound of dear,well-known melodies, as if the breezes of summer floated around him;and over his couch shone a ray of brightness, as if it were shiningthrough the covering of his snow-roof. He lifted his head, and sawthat the bright gleaming was not the reflection of the glitteringsnow, but the dazzling brightness of the pinions of a mighty angel,into whose beaming face he was gazing. As from the cup of a lily,the angel rose from amidst the leaves of the Bible; and, stretchingout his arm, the walls of the hut sunk down, as though they had beenformed of a light, airy veil of mist, and the green hills andmeadows of home, with its ruddy woods, lay spread around him in thequiet sunshine of a lovely autumn day. The nest of the stork wasempty, but ripe fruit still hung on the wild apple-tree, althoughthe leaves had fallen. The red hips gleamed on the hedges, and thestarling which hung in the green cage outside the window of thepeasant's hut, which was his home, whistled the tune which he hadtaught him. His grandmother hung green birds'-food around the cage, ashe, her grandson, had been accustomed to do. The daughter of thevillage blacksmith, who was young and fair, stood at the well, drawingwater. She nodded to the grandmother, and the old woman nodded to her,and pointed to a letter which had come from a long way off. Thatvery morning the letter had arrived from the cold regions of thenorth; there, where the absent one was sweetly sleeping under theprotecting hand of God. They laughed and wept over the letter; and he,far away, amid ice and snow, under the shadow of the angel's wings,wept and smiled with them in spirit; for he saw and heard it all inhis dream. From the letter they read aloud the words of Holy Writ: "Inthe uttermost parts of the sea, Thy right hand shall uphold me." Andas the angel spread his wings like a veil over the sleeper, therewas the sound of beautiful music and a hymn. Then the vision fled.It was dark again in the snow-hut: but the Bible still restedbeneath his head, and faith and hope dwelt in his heart. God waswith him, and he carried home in his heart, even "in the uttermostparts of the sea. THE END.