The six little Bunkers wished this themselves, but of course all their wishes could not stop the rain from falling, and it pelted down all day.
Rather earlier the next morning than he was in the habit of getting up, Russ Bunker was awakened by hearing voices out in the bungalow yard under his window. He quickly jumped from bed, looked out, and what he saw surprised him. It was still raining hard, and the yard seemed to be turned into a small lake with chicken coops floating around in it. Besides the coops, there were planks and boards, and Captain Ben and other men were wading about with long rubber boots on, trying to secure the floating coops of chickens.
"Oh, Mother! Dad!" cried Russ in his excitement. "Wake up! The flood has come!"
CHAPTER XXI
AN ISLAND PICNIC
Mr. and Mrs. Bunker did not need the urging call of Russ to awaken them. They had already been up more than an hour when the little boy exclaimed so loudly about the flood. And it was as he had said. The rain had filled the little river back of the bungalow, the river had risen and made a lake of the yards and fields back of Captain Ben's home.
"What's the matter?" called Rose, who had been sleeping and dreaming of the island picnic until she heard Russ's voice. "What's happened?" she asked.
"Come and see," answered Russ.
Rose finished dressing and ran to join her brother at the window, which looked down into the yard. Soon Laddie and Vi were with them, and the four little Bunkers looked out on a curious scene. The other two little Bunkers—Mun Bun and Margy—were still asleep in their beds, or bunks. And it was indeed curious for Rose, Russ, Vi and Laddie to see Captain Ben and some others, including Daddy Bunker now, wading about and pulling the floating chicken coops to places of safety.
"Are the chickens going for a ride in their coops?" asked Vi.