But the poor chickens! What an awful noise they made, as they tried to keep on the dry side of the floating house!
The ducks, of course, didn't mind it, but they added their queer quacking to the noise.
"We can never catch any of the chickens," said Harry. "We ought to have a rope and pull the house in."
"A rope," called Tom to the crowd on the shore. "Throw us a rope!"
Someone ran off and got one, and it was quickly thrown out to the boys in the boat.
"Push up closer," Tom told Harry and Bert, who had the oars now. Tom made a big loop on the rope and threw it toward the house. But it only landed over a chicken, and caused the frightened fowl to fly high up in the air and rest in a tree on the bank.
"Good!" cried the people on the edge. "One is safe, anyhow!"
Tom threw the rope again. This time it caught on a corner of the henhouse, and as he pulled the knot tight they had the floating house secure.
"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted the people.
By this time Mr. Mason and Uncle Daniel had reached the spot in their boat.