He hurried along, and soon he had crossed the top of the small hill over which Lola had come to summon his help. Down in a little hollow on the shore of the lake the sailor saw Trouble and Janet trying to beat off a big, white bird that had hold of Trouble’s loose bloomers with its yellow bill.
“Oh, Uncle Ben! Uncle Ben! Come quick!” cried Jan, as she saw the sailor over the top of the grassy hill. “He’s trying to pull Trouble into the water!”
“Bless my hat!” cried Uncle Ben, as he saw what was going on. “It’s a wild swan. I’ve heard folks tell about them coming to the lake, but this is the first I’ve seen here. Don’t be afraid, Trouble!” he called. “It’s only a swan bird and it won’t hurt you!”
Quickly Uncle Ben ran down to the edge of the water and caught up Trouble in his arms. He had to pull the loose bloomers out of the big, yellow bill of the large white swan that had hold of the cloth. And as Uncle Ben did this the swan spread out its wings and hissed, just as geese hiss at you when they think you are going to hurt them.
“Go on away, Mr. or Mrs. Swan, whatever you are!” cried Uncle Ben, as he held Trouble safely in his arms. “Go on away! Shoo! We won’t hurt you and we don’t want you to bother us!”
Janet had run back from the shore as soon as she saw that her brother was safe, and a moment later, putting Trouble down so that Janet and Lola could look after him, Uncle Ben caught up a branch of a tree and waved it at the wild swan.
The big, white bird flapped its wings, stretched out its long neck, gave a hiss or two, and then began to flap its wings. A moment later, with a sort of “honking” sound, it began to half run, half fly along the top of the water. And then, suddenly, it seemed to jump up into the air, and away it flew, its neck stretched out in front like a yardstick.
“There it goes!” cried Uncle Ben, with a laugh. “Now it won’t bother you any more, Trouble!”
“What was that big bird that just flew away?” cried Tom and Ted, hurrying up from the fishing cove.
“It was a wild swan,” said Uncle Ben. “I never saw one by itself before. Generally they fly in flocks, sometimes eight or ten of them. They go from lake to lake, often staying a long while on the same one. But what did this one do, Janet?”