Chapter 13 flood

For several days, the weather north of Lake Mälaren was frightening.The sky was leaden gray, the wind was howling, and the heavy rain kept slanting down.Although men and beasts knew that spring had come and were not hindered by such bad weather, they found it intolerable. It had rained heavily all day, and the snow in the spruce grove was soaked and melted.The spring tide has come.The large and small pools in the courtyards of various farms, and all the trickles in the fields, all bubbling and bubbling and filled with water, even the swamps and depressions suddenly swelled and surged, and it seemed that they wanted to act quickly. Let hundreds of rivers and rivers run back to the sea.

The water from the big and small streams rolled in and poured into the various tributaries of Lake Mälaren, and the tributaries themselves flooded and poured a lot of water into Lake Mälaren.But what was worse than this was that all the small lakes and ponds in Uppland and Börslage froze and shattered and the lakes thawed almost on the same day.As a result, large and small ice cubes were added to the rivers, and the river water rose up to the river bank.The soaring river water poured into Lake Mälaren together, and it didn't take long for the lake to be too full to hold any more, and the roaring lake water rushed towards the spout.But the Nostrom River, the outlet, is a narrow waterway, and it is impossible to discharge so much water at once.This, combined with the usual strong easterly winds at that time, caused the sea water to pour back into the river, forming a barrier against fresh water pouring into the Baltic Sea.Regardless of whether the downstream can be excreted, all the rivers continue to add water to Lake Mälaren.So the great lake was helpless, and had to let its waters overflow its shores and flood its banks.

The lake did not rise very quickly, as if it were not content to ruin its beautiful shores.However, the embankment of the lake was very short, and the slope was very steep. It didn't take long for the lake water to overflow the embankment and flood to a place several meters away on land.Even if the lake stopped flowing forward, it would be enough to cause great panic and unrest. Lake Mälaren has its peculiarities, it is entirely formed by narrow channels, bays and canyons, so there is no open, vast lake anywhere.It seems to be a lake dedicated to sightseeing, boating and fishing. There are many tree-lined and attractive islands in the lake, as well as some peninsulas and headlands with unique scenery.Nowhere along the lake are there bare, desolate and eroded banks.Lake Mälaren seems to be intent on attracting people to build palaces, summer villas, noble manors and retreats around it.Perhaps because of this, this lake has always been gentle, considerate and amiable.But in spring, it will suddenly restrain its smile and reveal its truly terrifying face, naturally it will inevitably cause such a great panic.

When it was about to flood, people repaired and oiled the large and small ships that had been pulled ashore in winter to park them, so that they could go underground as soon as possible.The wooden step boards on which the women usually stood by the lake while washing their clothes were also pumped to the shore.Highway bridges were reinforced.On the railway that circles around the lake, the road maintenance workers walked back and forth non-stop, carefully checking the roadbed, and did not dare to slack off a bit day and night, and dared not even sleep. Farmers rushed ashore the hay and dry leaves stored on the low-lying islands.Fishermen packed their large nets and trawls to keep the fish from being swept away by the floodwaters.All the ferries were crowded with anxious passengers, and all those who were rushing home or going out were anxious to get on their way without being blocked before the flood came.

In the area close to Stockholm, there are rows of summer houses on the lakeshore, and people are the busiest at this time.Although most of the villas are located in higher places, there is not much danger, but there are trestles and changing wooden sheds for mooring boats next to each villa, and those things must be dismantled and transported to a safe place. The bad news overflowing from the overflow embankment of Lake Mälaren not only made people panic, but also made the animals around the lake panic all day long.The wild ducks that lay their eggs in the groves on the lakeshore, and the field mice and gliders that live near the lakeshore and have young in their nests are also worried.Even the haughty swans worry about their nests and their eggs being washed away.

Their worries are not superfluous, because the water of Lake Mälaren is rising every moment. The lake overflowed and covered the lower trunks of the willow and alder trees on the shore.The vegetable garden is also soaked in water, and the ginger and garlic planted are mixed together to form a muddy soup with a special taste.The rye fields were low and suffered the heaviest losses. The lake rose for several days, flooding the low-lying meadows around Gripsholm Island.The great palace on the island was cut off from the land.It is no longer a strip of water from the land, but separated by a wide water surface.In Stroenness, the beautiful lakeside promenade has become a fast-moving river.In the city of Vasteras, people had to be prepared to travel in boats on the streets.Two moose that spent the winter on a small island in Lake Mälaren were flooded and homeless, so they had to swim over to find a new home on land.Numerous logs and timbers, and countless pots and jars are floating on the water, and people salvage them with boats.

On that day of calamity, Smeer the Fox came stealthily one day through a birch grove north of Lake Mälaren.As usual, he walked, gnashing his teeth, thinking of Goose and Thumb, and wondering how to find them, for he had lost all trace of them now. He was walking with great regret, and suddenly saw the carrier pigeon Acar landed on a birch branch. "Akar, what a coincidence to meet you." Smir said overjoyed, "You can probably tell me where Aka from Daxue Mountain and her flock of geese are now." "Of course I know where they are," said Akar coldly, "but I don't want to tell you."

"It doesn't matter if you tell them or not," Smeer pretended, "as long as you're willing to send them a word. You must know that Lake Mälaren is very bad these days. It's flooding. In Yere There are still many swans living in Stawan, and their nests and eggs are in danger. The king of swans, Dakla, heard that the little man with the geese is omnipotent, so he sent me out to ask Ka, would you like to take your thumb to Yersta Bay?" "I can deliver the message," said Acar, "but I don't know how the little man can get the swan out of danger."

"I don't know," Smeal said, "but there's nothing he can't do." "It's unbelievable that the swan king Dakla would send a fox to deliver a message to the geese. I'm a little suspicious about it," Akar said suspiciously. "Oh, you're right, we're usually really enemies," Smeer argued kindly, "but now that we're in trouble, we've got to put aside our differences and help each other out. You mustn't be right. Ka said, a fox told you about this, otherwise she would be paranoid." The safest waterfowl habitat in the entire Lake Mälaren area is Yersta Bay, which is the innermost part of Ekauersund Bay, and this bay is part of North Birch Island Bay, and is also the Lake Lun juts into the second big bay in the narrow part of Uppland, so Tao Bay in the bay is naturally very peaceful.

The shore of Yersta Bay is flat, the lake is very shallow, and the reeds are overgrown, just like Lake Taogen. Although it is not as famous as the lake of waterfowl like Lake Taogen, it is also a waterfowl paradise with a beautiful environment, so it has been used for many years. It is listed as a national protection object.There is a large colony of swans, and the old royal domain Ekkaulsund Bay is nearby.Therefore, the royal family banned all hunting activities here, lest the swans be disturbed and frightened. As soon as A-Ka received the message and heard that the swan was in need of help, he rushed to Ersta Bay as soon as he was obliged.That evening she led the geese there, and she saw at a glance that the disaster was serious.The huge nests of swans were uprooted by the wind and rolled across the headland in a gust of wind.Some nests were dilapidated, some were blown upside down, and the goose eggs that had been laid in the nests sank to the bottom of the lake, and the white flowers could be seen one by one.

When Acre set down in the headland, all the swans that dwelt there gathered on the east bank, where it was best sheltered from the wind.Even though they were tortured in the flood, the arrogance and arrogance in their bodies did not decrease at all, and they did not show the slightest sadness and depression. "Thousands of troubles, hundreds of sorrows, it's not worth it!" They said mockingly, "Anyway, there are plenty of grass roots and stalks on the lakeshore, and we can build new nests soon." He never thought of asking a stranger to come to his rescue, so he didn't know anything about the fox Smeer calling the geese. There are hundreds of swans gathered there, and they are arranged in order of seniority and age, with the young and inexperienced at the outermost, and the old and wise at the innermost.In the very center of the circle of swans are Dakla the Swan King and Snofry the Swan Queen, both of whom are older than the rest of the swans and can count most of the swans as their children. The swan king Dakla and the swan queen Snofri have the family history of swans in their stomachs, and they can recount the history of their family of swans that have not lived in the wild in Sweden.It was impossible to find them in the wild in the early days, and the swans were presented to the king as tribute and kept in the ditches and ponds of the palace.But a pair of swans escaped from that tiresome court to the free world, and the swans that now live in this bay are all bred by them.Now there are many wild swans in this area. They are distributed in the large and small bays of Lake Mälaren, as well as in lakes such as Lake Taugen and Lake Hussburg, but all these swans are the swans of Yersta Bay. So the swans in this headland are proud that their offspring can reproduce from one lake to another. The wild geese landed on the west bank by chance. Seeing that the swans had gathered on the opposite bank, Aka immediately turned around and swam towards them.She was very surprised that the swan sent someone to ask her for help, but she thought it was an honor, so she was willing to help without hesitation. When he was about to get close to the swan, Aka stopped to see if the wild geese following were lined up in a straight line and whether the distance between the rows was even. "Swim up and put them in order," she ordered, "and don't stare at the swans as if you'd never seen a beautiful animal, and don't care what they say about you." It was not the first time for A-Ka to visit the elderly Swan King couple.They always treated Akka, a bird of great knowledge and great reputation, with courtesy.But she was tired of walking among the swans that gathered around them.As she swam past the swans, she felt how small and ugly she was, a feeling she had never felt before.Some of the swans also made sarcastic remarks, calling her gray or pauper.The wisest thing to do with such taunts is to pretend not to hear them. This time it seemed to go uncharacteristically smoothly.The swans walked aside without saying a word, and the geese seemed to be walking down a street greeted by big white birds on both sides.In order to express affection to these strange visitors, the swans flapped their sail-like wings, which was really a spectacular scene.They didn't even say a single sarcasm, which made A-Ka feel strange. "Well, it must be that Dakla knew about their bad habits, so he took care of them not to be rude again." The leading goose thought. But just when the swans were trying to maintain good manners, they suddenly caught sight of the white gander at the end of the geese formation. At this moment, there was an uproar among the swans, and the exclamations and angry reprimands made the neat team go into a commotion. "What is that," cried one of the swans, "is the goose trying to cover himself with some white feathers?" "Are they really wishing to become swans?" The swans all around shouted in unison. They began to sing and echo each other with clanging voices, shouting everywhere, because it was impossible for anyone to explain to them why there was a domestic gander in the procession of geese. "That must be the king of geese!" they laughed. "They were too presumptuous." "That's not a goose, it's a duck." The big white goose firmly kept in mind Aka's instruction not to ignore any nasty words he heard just now.Silently, he swam forward as fast as he could.But it didn't help, the swans approached more brazenly. "What kind of a frog is that on his back?" asked one of the swans. "Why, they must think that if he dresses like a man, we won't be able to tell he's a frog." The swans that had been neatly arranged just now were all out of order at this moment, and they all rushed over to see the gander. "That white goose dared to show up among our swans, I really don't know that there is a word 'shame' in the world!" "Perhaps his feathers are as gray as the geese's, but he rolled in the flour vat at the farm." Aka just swam in front of Dakla, and was about to open his mouth to ask him what help he needed, but the Swan King noticed the commotion in the swan group. "What's the noise? Didn't I give an order not to allow you to be rude in front of the guests?" He shouted sullenly. The swan queen, Snofri, swam to dissuade her swans, and Dakla turned around to talk to Akka.Unexpectedly, Snofry swam back again, her face was full of anger. "Hey, can you tell them to shut up!" she yelled at Swan Dynasty. "There's a white goose over there," said Snuffrey gruffly. "It looks disgusting. I don't wonder if they're mad." "A white wild goose?" Dakla said, "Could it be crazy? How could such a strange thing happen? You must be delusional." The circle around Morton the gander was getting smaller and smaller. Akka and the other geese tried to swim to his side, but they were pushed and shoved, and they couldn't squeeze in front of the gander. The old swan king is much stronger than other swans.He swam over quickly, pushed the swans away, and opened a way to the white geese.But he saw with his own eyes that there was indeed a white goose on the water, and he was as enraged as the other swans.Howling angrily, he threw himself straight at Morton the gander, pecking a few feathers from him. "I'm going to teach you a lesson, wild goose, how dare you make a fool of yourself among the swans by dressing up like this," he yelled loudly. "Fly, Morton the gander! Fly, fly!" cried Akka, for she knew that the swan would pluck every feather from the great gander. "Fly, fly!" Thumb also shouted.But the gander was surrounded by swans and couldn't open its wings.The swans stretched their powerful beaks from all directions to peck at his feathers. Morton the gander fought back, biting and pecking them as hard as he could.The other geese also began to fight against the swans, but there were so many outnumbered that the consequences would be disastrous if there was no unexpected help. When a redstart noticed that the geese were surrounded by swans and could not escape, it immediately uttered the shrill cry of birds gathering to drive away goshawks.He had just called three times, and all the birds in the area were rushing towards Yersta Bay, their chirping, overwhelming, like countless sharp arrows. Although these birds are thin and weak, they are united as one and rush straight towards the swan.They screamed around the swan's ears, blocked the swan's sight with their wings, and flapped their wings to make the swan dizzy.They shouted in unison: "The swan is not ashamed! The swan is not ashamed!" This made the swan very upset. The attack of these little birds lasted only for a moment, but when the little birds flew away, the swan woke up and saw that the wild geese had already spread their wings and flew to the opposite bank of the headland bay. The manners of the swans are good to say the least. When they see the wild geese running away, they will be proud and disdain to chase after them, so that the wild geese can stand on a pile of reeds and sleep peacefully. But Nils Hogelson was so hungry that he couldn't sleep. "Why, I must go to some farm and find something to fill my stomach." In those days, there were all kinds of things floating on the surface of the lake, and it was easy for a child like Niels Hogelson to find something to float across the lake.Without even thinking about it, he jumped onto a small plank floating among the reeds, picked up a small stick as an oar, and slowly paddled across the shallow water to the shore. He had just landed and hadn't stood firm when he suddenly heard a splash in the water behind him.He stopped and took a closer look. He first saw a mother swan sleeping in a large nest a few meters away from him, and then saw a fox approaching the swan nest on tiptoe. He had just taken a step or two in the water step. "Hey, hey, hey, stand up quickly! Stand up quickly!" The boy screamed wildly, slapping the surface of the water with the wooden stick in his hand.At last the mother swan stood up, but very slowly, and if the fox really wanted to jump at her, he would have time to catch her.But the fox didn't do that, but turned around and ran straight towards the boy. Seeing that the situation was not good, Thumb quickly fled towards the land.In front of him was a large open and flat meadow, with no trees in sight to climb up to, and no holes in which to hide.He had no choice but to run away desperately.Although boys are good at running, they are nothing compared to foxes with light movements and dexterous steps. A stone's throw from the lake stood a few small cottages of sharecroppers, brightly lit in their windows.Of course the boy ran over there.But he had to admit to himself that the fox would catch him before he got anywhere near it. The fox had got behind the boy and was quite sure of catching him.Suddenly, the boy dodged to the side, turned around and ran towards the headland.The fox rushed very hard, and he didn't have time to stop. When he turned around, he was still a few steps away from the boy.Without waiting for him to catch up, the boy ran to the side of the two men who had been fishing on the lake all day and were only going home so late. The two men were so tired and sleepy that they paid no attention to the boy and the fox, though they ran about right before their eyes.Boys don't intend to talk to them, ask for help, but just want to walk with them. "A fox must not dare to jump up to people all the time," he thought. But after a while, he heard the sound of the fox's front paws scratching the ground, and the fox still came after him.Well, the fox probably guessed that the two people would accidentally mistake him for a dog, because dogs dared to swagger and run in front of people. "Hey, look, what kind of dog is that sneaking behind us?" asked a man. What are you doing behind!" The other man yelled and kicked the fox across the road.After the fox got up, he still followed the two men relentlessly, but he didn't dare to approach them, and was always two or three steps away. The men walked quickly to the tenant quarters, and together they entered a farmhouse.The boy was going to follow, but when he got to the porch in front of the house, he saw a big, mighty-looking dog with long hair coming out of its den to welcome its master.The boy suddenly changed his mind and stood outside instead of entering the house. "Hey, watchdog," the boy whispered to the dog when the two men had closed the door, "wonder if you'd do me a favor and catch a fox tonight?" The watchdog had poor eyesight, and from being chained for a long time, had become very irritable and prone to irritability. "Hmph, tell me to catch the fox," he burst up full of resentment, "what kind of guy are you, how dare you come here to make fun of me being chained and not far away? If you come close, I will beat you Let you taste the power, so that you will never dare to make fun of me again." "Whether you believe it or not, I'm not afraid to come to you anyway." said the boy, and ran towards the dog. When the dog saw him clearly, it was so surprised that it couldn't even say a word. out. "I'm that little man that everyone calls Thumbs, the one that runs around with the geese," said the boy. "Haven't you heard of me?" "The sparrow has chirped and praised you a long time ago," said the dog. "It's unexpected that you have done many earth-shattering things in such a small person." "I've been doing well so far," said the boy, "but if you don't help me now, I'm going to be ruined. There's a fox after me. Ambush behind the house." "Well, that's true, I smell a fox," said the watchdog. "We must get rid of the fox!" He just barked for a while. "I think the fox is too frightened to make any more trouble tonight," said the watchdog. "Well, it won't help to frighten the fox by shouting for a while," said the boy. "He'll be here again in a while. I've figured it out, and the best thing to do is You catch him." "Are you trying to make fun of me again?" cried the watchdog angrily. "Come with me to your den, and don't let the fox hear our plan," whispered the boy. "I'll tell you what to do." The boy and the watchdog went into the kennel, and lay there talking quietly. Not long after, the fox poked his head out from the corner of the house. He saw the silence around him, and then quietly slipped into the yard.He sniffed and sniffed, smelling boys, until he found the kennel.He squatted down not far from the kennel, thinking about how to lure the boy out.At this moment the watchdog stuck out its head suddenly, and barked at him, "Go away, or I'll catch you." "Hmph, I can stay here as long as I want, can you manage it?" The fox sneered. "Go away!" the watchdog roared again in a threatening tone, "or tonight will be the last time you hunt outside." However, the fox still sneered and remained motionless on the spot. "I know the length of the chain around your neck." He said leisurely. "I've warned you twice," said the watchdog, emerging from the kennel, "and now you have only yourself to blame." Just as he said this, he leapt forward, pounced, and threw the fox to the ground effortlessly.Because the watchdog was not on a leash, the boy had already untied the iron chain from the dog's neck. They bit for a while, and the winner was quickly decided.The watchdog stood proudly victorious, while the fox lay motionless on the ground. "Hmph, if you dare to move," the watchdog roared, "if you dare to move, I will bite you to death." He picked up the fox by the back of the neck and dragged him into the kennel.The boy came over with the dog chain, and wrapped it twice around the fox's neck, and tied him there firmly.When the boy tied him up, the fox had to lie on his stomach well, not daring to move. "Now I hope, Smeer the Fox, you'll make a good watchdog," said the boy when he had done all this.