07 Call Up the Swan

Call Up the Swan While the children were practising on the robins, Little Billy said to Don Mini, 'Is there no way in the world to get rid of that disgusting Red-Hot Smoke-Belching Gruncher down below?' 'The only time a Gruncher dies,' Don Mini said, 'is if he falls into deep water. The water puts out the fire inside him and then he's dead. The fire to a Gruncher is like your heart is to you. Stop your heart and you die at once. Put out the fire and the Gruncher dies in five seconds. That's the only way to kill a Gruncher.'

'Now hang on a minute,' Little Billy said. 'Is there by any chance a pond or something around here?' 'There's a big lake on the far side of the forest,' Don Mini said. 'But who's going to entice the Gruncher into that? Not us. And certainly not you. He'd be on you before you got within ten yards of him.' 'But you did say the Gruncher can't see in front of him because of all the clouds of smoke he blows,' Little Billy said. 'Quite true,' Don Mini said. 'But how is that going to help us? I don't think the Gruncher is ever going to fall into the lake. He never goes out of the forest.' 'I think I know how to make him fall in,' Little Billy said. 'What I want,' Little Billy went on, 'is a bird that is big enough to carry me.' Don Mini thought about this for a while, then he said, 'You are a very small boy and because of that I think a swan could carry you quite easily.' 'Call up a swan,' Little Billy said. Suddenly there was a new authority in his voice.

'But … but I hope you're not going to do anything dangerous,' Don Mini cried. 'Listen carefully,' Little Billy said, 'because you must tell the swan exactly what he has to do. With me on his back he must fly down to the Gruncher. The Gruncher will smell me and know that I am very close. But he won't see me through all the steam and the smoke. He'll go mad trying to get at me. The swan will tantalize him by flying back and forth right in front of him. Is that possible?'

'Quite possible,' Don Mini said, 'except that you might easily fall off. You've had no flying practice at all.' 'I'll hang on somehow,' Little Billy said. 'Then the swan, keeping very low, will fly off through the forest with the ravenous Gruncher hotfoot in pursuit. The swan will keep just ahead of the Gruncher all the time, driving him crazy with my smell, and in the end the swan will fly straight over the big deep lake and the Gruncher, now travelling at terrific speed, will follow right behind. Presto, he's in the lake!'

'My boy!' Don Mini cried. 'You are a genius! Will you do it?' 'Call up the swan,' Little Billy ordered. Don Mini turned to one of the robins which had just come back from a practice flight with a child Minpin on its back. Little Billy heard him talking to the robin in a kind of curious twitter. He couldn't understand a word of it. The robin nodded its head and flew off.

Two minutes later, a truly magnificent swan, as white as snow, came swooping in and landed on a branch nearby. Don Mini walked over to it and once again a curious twittery conversation took place, a much longer one this time, with Don Mini doing nearly all the twittering and the swan nodding and nodding. Then Don Mini turned to Little Billy and said, 'Swan thinks it's a great idea. He says he can do it. But he's just a bit anxious because you have never