The Trumpet of the Swan

Camp Kookooskoos lies next to a small lake in the Ontario woods. The camp consists of a log cabin for dining, seven tents for sleeping, canoes, a tennis court, a dock on the lake, and an outdoor privy for the 40 boys in attendance. When Sam and Louis arrive by canoe, about 20 boys run up to greet them. The boys are curious to learn more about Louis, and later that evening, camp director Mr. Brickle tells them Louis will be performing the camp’s bugle calls. 

At the end of this introduction, one camper named Applegate Skinner claims that he doesn’t care for birds. Mr. Brickle tells him that he has a right to his opinion, but that he must still treat Louis with respect, as he is one of the camp counselors. Another boy asks about the word “Kookooskoos,” and Mr. Brickle explains that it means “Camp Great Horned Owl.” When it is time for bed, Louis plays taps, and the campers fall asleep feeling “sleepy and serene and happy” as a great peace falls over the camp (97).

After taps, while the boys sleep in their tents, Louis places his belongings under a bush and sleeps on the lake. He often thinks of his family and his beloved Serena. In the morning, life at Camp Kookooskoos begins with breakfast and reveille, and in the afternoon, campers learn to canoe, swim, play tennis, and “walk in the woods without making a lot of noise” (100). 

One morning, a skunk with his head in a tin can wanders into camp and causes a commotion. Some campers offer outlandish suggestions on how to remove the can. Sam suddenly appears with a pole and some fishing line, which he ties into a slip knot. He climbs into a tree and manages to lasso the can off the skunk’s head, but not before the skunk sprays Mr. Brickle with a “delicious dash of wild perfume” (103). Mr. Brickle ironically thanks Sam for his help, and then suggests that they all go for a swim.

On another afternoon, when other campers make fun of Applegate Skinner’s name, an upset Applegate takes a canoe out on the lake. In the middle of the lake, his canoe accidentally tips over and he is in danger of drowning. He calls for help, and Louis, who hears Applegate’s cries, scoots across the water and saves the boy. He transfers Applegate to Sam’s canoe, and the two boys return to camp.

At the end of that evening’s meal, Mr. Brickle gives a speech lauding Louis’s bravery and asks Applegate what he thinks of birds now. Applegate responds that, while he is grateful to Louis, he still doesn’t care much for birds. Mr. Brickle is surprised, but doesn’t comment other than to say Louis deserves a medal. After he writes a letter to Washington, a man arrives to present Louis with a lifesaving medal, which Louis wears around his neck even though, with all the items he is carrying around his neck, Louis is “beginning to look like a hippie” (110).