[Subsection]

For two more days they trudged along driving the cattle. The road to town was long when you had cows with you and were unable to drive or go by boat.

They passed through districts that had been spared by the drought. All the cows that were meant to live could do so there.

"We'll get there today," said Skrim.

They arrived late in the afternoon. It was a long way from Bufast.

Per and Hans entered the town. First they left the cows in a pen outside the town, and then they walked in. The air smelled strange.

"It's coal smoke," said Skrim.

Clatter and noise: the roar of traffic, the roar of factories and mills. Tall chimneys pouring out black smoke. Crowds of people and crowds of stores.

Per and Hans certainly did not throw themselves into it. It was like this and like that, just how it ought to be. It tallied with what they already knew. It was like this in all the pictures of towns and in all the stories. They almost had a feeling of being cheated, for they had expected it to be very different from the pictures and the books.

A little later they noticed that they were walking in a fever of excitement just the same. Hans said, "It's fun, but strange." He said it quietly and frankly. Per too thought it fun but strange.

Skrim and the boys went into a small café to eat. The man who was going to buy the cows from Skrim was there too. They sat there for a long time. When they came out again, lights were shining in all the windows.

It was splendid! In some places there were trees growing close to the lamps. That was almost the best thing: the leaves in the strong lamplight.

This was the town. Per and Hans walked about looking at it all. They had very little money to spend. They found themselves wishing they had pocketsful of money so they could go in and buy.

Skrim took them with him down a long, brightly lit street. But the street ended at the dark pen where the cattle were standing. A prolonged, astonished bellow came from the pen.

It was well-built. None of them could escape. Everything was quiet; then one of them bellowed. It was ugly. As they went back through the lighted street, the bellow rang in Per's ears, giving him thoughts which he pushed away from him.