We have neither ship nor boat."
  "How can I break this spell?" said their sister. And then shetalked about it nearly the whole night, only slumbering for a fewhours. Eliza was awakened by the rustling of the swans' wings asthey soared above. Her brothers were again changed to swans, andthey flew in circles wider and wider, till they were far away; but oneof them, the youngest swan, remained behind, and laid his head inhis sister's lap, while she stroked his wings; and they remainedtogether the whole day. Towards evening, the rest came back, and asthe sun went down they resumed their natural forms. "To-morrow,"said one, "we shall fly away, not to return again till a whole yearhas passed. But we cannot leave you here. Have you courage to gowith us? My arm is strong enough to carry you through the wood; andwill not all our wings be strong enough to fly with you over the sea?"
  "Yes, take me with you," said Eliza. Then they spent the wholenight in weaving a net with the pliant willow and rushes. It wasvery large and strong. Eliza laid herself down on the net, and whenthe sun rose, and her brothers again became wild swans, they took upthe net with their beaks, and flew up to the clouds with their dearsister, who still slept. The sunbeams fell on her face, thereforeone of the swans soared over her head, so that his broad wings mightshade her. They were far from the land when Eliza woke. She thoughtshe must still be dreaming, it seemed so strange to her to feelherself being carried so high in the air over the sea. By her side laya branch full of beautiful ripe berries, and a bundle of sweetroots; the youngest of her brothers had gathered them for her, andplaced them by her side. She smiled her thanks to him; she knew it wasthe same who had hovered over her to shade her with his wings. Theywere now so high, that a large ship beneath them looked like a whitesea-gull skimming the waves. A great cloud floating behind themappeared like a vast mountain, and upon it Eliza saw her own shadowand those of the eleven swans, looking gigantic in size. Altogether itformed a more beautiful picture than she had ever seen; but as the sunrose higher, and the clouds were left behind, the shadowy picturevanished away. Onward the whole day they flew through the air like awinged arrow, yet more slowly than usual, for they had their sister tocarry. The weather seemed inclined to be stormy, and Eliza watched thesinking sun with great anxiety, for the little rock in the ocean wasnot yet in sight. It appeared to her as if the swans were making greatefforts with their wings. Alas! she was the cause of their notadvancing more quickly. When the sun set, they would change to men,fall into the sea and be drowned. Then she offered a prayer from herinmost heart, but still no appearance of the rock. Dark clouds camenearer, the gusts of wind told of a coming storm, while from athick, heavy mass of clouds the lightning burst forth flash afterflash. The sun had reached the edge of the sea, when the swansdarted down so swiftly, that Eliza's head trembled; she believedthey were falling, but they again soared onward. Presently shecaught sight of the rock just below them, and by this time the sun washalf hidden by the waves. The rock did not appear larger than a seal'shead thrust out of the water. They sunk so rapidly, that at the momenttheir feet touched the rock, it shone only like a star, and at lastdisappeared like the last spark in a piece of burnt paper. Then shesaw her brothers standing closely round her with their arms linkedtogether. There was but just room enough for them, and not thesmallest space to spare. The sea dashed against the rock, andcovered them with spray. The heavens were lighted up with continualflashes, and peal after peal of thunder rolled. But the sister andbrothers sat holding each other's hands, and singing hymns, from whichthey gained hope and courage. In the early dawn the air became calmand still, and at sunrise the swans flew away from the rock withEliza. The sea was still rough, and from their high position in theair, the white foam on the dark green waves looked like millions ofswans swimming on the water. As the sun rose higher, Eliza sawbefore her, floating on the air, a range of mountains, with shiningmasses of ice on their summits. In the centre, rose a castleapparently a mile long, with rows of columns, rising one aboveanother, while, around it, palm-trees waved and flowers bloomed aslarge as mill wheels. She asked if this was the land to which theywere hastening. The swans shook their heads, for what she beheldwere the beautiful ever-changing cloud palaces of the "FataMorgana," into which no mortal can enter. Eliza was still gazing atthe scene, when mountains, forests, and castles melted away, andtwenty stately churches rose in their stead, with high towers andpointed gothic windows. Eliza even fancied she could hear the tones ofthe organ, but it was the music of the murmuring sea which sheheard. As they drew nearer to the churches, they also changed into afleet of ships, which seemed to be sailing beneath her; but as shelooked again, she found it was only a sea mist gliding over the ocean.So there continued to pass before her eyes a constant change of scene,till at last she saw the real land to which they were bound, withits blue mountains, its cedar forests, and its cities and palaces.Long before the sun went down, she sat on a rock, in front of alarge cave, on the floor of which the over-grown yet delicate greencreeping plants looked like an embroidered carpet. "Now we shallexpect to hear what you dream of to-night," said the youngest brother,as he showed his sister her bedroom.
  "Heaven grant that I may dream how to save you," she replied.And this thought took such hold upon her mind that she prayedearnestly to God for help, and even in her sleep she continued topray. Then it appeared to her as if she were flying high in the air,towards the cloudy palace of the "Fata Morgana," and a fairy cameout to meet her, radiant and beautiful in appearance, and yet verymuch like the old woman who had given her berries in the wood, and whohad told her of the swans with golden crowns on their heads. "Yourbrothers can be released," said she, "if you have only courage andperseverance. True, water is softer than your own delicate hands,and yet it polishes stones into shapes; it feels no pain as yourfingers would feel, it has no soul, and cannot suffer such agony andtorment as you will have to endure. Do you see the stinging nettlewhich I hold in my hand?