After this confession the commissioner drew back, ashamed at having been the victim of the delusion that his listener had understood what he said. Fie had spoken against a wall and taken his own echo for the other's voice.
Eight days later there was a great stir on the skerry, for Vestman had caught a salmon of twenty-six pounds. And as he believed he was the discoverer of this method of fishing, there was soon a notice in the newspaper about a new livelihood for fishermen, now that the stromling had begun to decrease. The happy fisherman, Eric Vestman of the custom house service, had thereby made himself deserving of the esteem and gratitude of his fellow citizens....
Shortly afterwards there occurred in a periodical for the people a defamatory article about fish commissioners, who understand nothing, but believe they have everything to teach.
Hereafter a writing soon followed from the Academy of Agriculture to the commissioner with the request for a complete report of the management of the fishing, especially the salmon fishing, to which the commissioner only answered by handing in his resignation.
Without further interest for the population and without that little support, which his former official position had given him, he soon learned how the savages, who thought that he had "been discharged," commenced a perfect war of extermination against him. First they began to cast his boat loose, under the pretense that there was no place on the bridge, and it drifted to land and was broken to pieces.
During the next rainy weather he observed, that the rain came into the attic room. And after he had complained to Oman it began to rain into the other rooms, without his discovering a failing rooftile.
Shortly after this, one night, a burglary occurred in the cellar, and the offenders were said to be Esthonians.
That their purpose was to drive him away was perfectly clear, but now it amused him to defy them, and this he did by not making any further remarks, and bearing everything.
But now when he was surrounded by real enemies and had in earnest stepped out of the community, the fear of the banished came over him with double force.