Chapter 40
Holger DanskeIN Denmark there stands an old castle named Kronenburg,
close by the Sound of Elsinore, where large ships, both English,
Russian, and Prussian, pass by hundreds every day. And they salute
the old castle with cannons, "Boom, boom," which is as if they
said, "Good-day." And the cannons of the old castle answer "Boom,"
which means "Many thanks." In winter no ships sail by, for the
whole Sound is covered with ice as far as the Swedish coast, and
has quite the appearance of a high-road. The Danish and the Swedish
flags wave, and Danes and Swedes say, "Good-day," and "Thank you"
to each other, not with cannons, but with a friendly shake of the
hand; and they exchange white bread and biscuits with each other,
because foreign articles taste the best.
But the mo
