The Adventures of Poor Mrs. Quack

by Thornton W. Burgess

  Peter nodded.

  "And that she said that she doesn't dare go near the banks becauseof fear of the terrible guns?"

  Again Peter nodded.

  "Well, if that's the case, what is the matter with some of us whoare not afraid of the terrible guns looking for Mr. Quack?" saidSammy. "I will, for one, and I'm quite sure that my cousin, Blackythe Crow, will, for another. He surely will if he thinks it willspoil the plans of any hunters. Blacky would go a long distance todo that. He hates terrible guns and the men who use them. And heknows all about them. He has very sharp eyes, has Blacky, and heknows when a man has got a gun and when he hasn't. More than that,he can tell better than any one I know of just how near he cansafely go to one of those terrible guns. He is smart, my cousinBlacky is, and if he will help me look for Mr. Quack, we'll findhim if he is alive."

  "That will be splendid!" cried Peter, clapping his hands. "Butaren't you afraid of those terrible guns, Sammy?"

  "Not when the hunters are trying for Ducks," replied Sammy. "Ifthere is a Duck anywhere in sight, they won't shoot at poor littleme or even at Blacky, though they would shoot at him any other time.You see, they know that shooting at us would frighten the Ducks.Blacky knows all about the Big River. In the winter he often getsconsiderable of his food along its banks. I've been over there anumber of times, but I don't know so much about it as he does. Nowhere is my plan. I'll go find Blacky and tell him all about whatwe want to do for Mrs. Quack. Then, when Mrs. Quack comes backto the Smiling Pool, if she hasn't found Mr. Quack, we'll tell herwhat we are going to do and what she must do. She must swim rightup the Big River, keeping out in the middle where she will be safe.If there are any hunters hiding along the bank, they will see her,and then they won't shoot at Blacky or me because they will keephoping that Mrs. Quack will swim in near enough for them to shoother. Blacky will fly along over one bank of the Big River, and Iwill do the same over the other bank, keeping as nearly oppositeMrs. Quack as we can. Being up in the air that way and lookingdown, we will be able to see the hunters and also Mr. Quack, ifhe is hiding among the rushes. Are you quite sure that Mrs. Quackwill come back to the Smiling Pool to-night?"

  "She said she would," replied Peter. "Last night she came just alittle while before dark, and I think she will do the same thingto-night, to see if any more corn has been left for her. You knowFarmer Brown's boy put some there yesterday, and it tasted so goodto her that I don't believe she will be able to stay away, even ifshe wants to. I think your plan is perfectly splendid, Sammy Jay.I do hope Blacky the Crow will help."

  "He will. Don't worry about that," replied Sammy. "Hello! Theregoes Farmer Brown's boy over to the Smiling Pool now."

  "Then there will be some more corn for Mrs. Quack. I just knowit!" cried Peter. "He is going to see if Mrs. Quack is there, andI just know he has his pockets full of corn."

  "I wouldn't mind a little of it myself," said Sammy. "Well, I mustgo along to hunt up Blacky. Good-by, Peter."

  "Good-by and good luck," replied Peter. "I've always said you are nothalf such a bad fellow as you try to make folks think you are, SammyJay."

  "Thanks," said Sammy, and started for the Green Forest to look forhis cousin, Blacky the Crow.

  XV

  THE HUNT FOR MR. QUACK

  In spite of her hopelessness in regard to Mr. Quack, there is nodoubt that Mrs. Quack felt better that night after she had eatenthe corn left among the rushes of the Smiling Pool by Farmer Brown'sboy. Now she had that very comfortable feeling that goes with afull stomach, she could think better. As the Black Shadows creptacross the Smiling Pool, she turned over in her mind Sammy Jay'splan for helping her the next day. The more she thought about it,the better it seemed, and she began to feel a little ashamed thatshe had not appeared more grateful to Sammy when he told her. Atthe time she had been tired and hungry and discouraged. Now shewas beginning to feel rested, and she was no longer hungry. Thesethings made all the difference in the world. As she thought overSammy's plan, she began to feel a little hope, and when at lastshe put her head under her wing to go to sleep, she had made upher mind that the plan was worth trying, and that she would do herpart.

  Bright and early the next morning, Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crowwere in the Big Hickory-tree near the Smiling Pool ready to startfor the Big River to hunt for Mr. Quack. Peter Rabbit had been soafraid that he would miss something that he had stayed near theSmiling Pool all night, so he was on hand to see the start.

  It had been agreed that Mrs. Quack was to go to a certain place onthe Big River and then swim up as far as she thought it would beof any use. She was to stay in the middle of the river, where shewould be quite safe from hunters with terrible guns, and where alsothese same hunters would be sure to see her and so not be temptedto shoot at Blacky the Crow if he happened to fly over them. Yousee, they would hope that Mrs. Quack would swim in near enough tobe shot and so would not risk frightening her by shooting at Blacky.

  When Mrs. Quack had finished her breakfast, she started for theBig River, and her stout wings moved so swiftly that they made awhistling sound. Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow followed her, butthough they flew as fast as they could, Mrs. Quack had reachedthe Big River before they had gone half the way. When they did getthere, they saw Mrs. Quack out in the middle, swimming about andwatching for them. Blacky flew across the river and pretended tobe hunting for food along the farther bank, just as every hunterknows he often does. Sammy Jay did the same thing on the otherbank.

  Mrs. Quack swam slowly up the Big River, keeping in the middle,and Blacky and Sammy followed along up the two banks, all the timeusing their sharp eyes for all they were worth to find Mr. Quackhiding among the broken-down rushes or under the bushes in thewater, for the Big River had overflowed its banks, and in someplaces bushes and trees were in the water.

  Now Sammy Jay dearly loves to hunt for things. Whenever he knowsthat one of his neighbors in the Green Forest has hidden something,he likes to hunt for it. It isn't so much that he wants what hasbeen hidden, as it is that he wants to feel he is smart enough tofind it. When he does find it, he usually steals it, I'm sorry tosay. But it is the fun of hunting that Sammy enjoys most. So nowSammy thoroughly enjoyed hunting for Mr. Quack. He peered into everylikely hiding-place and became so interested that he quite forgotabout the hunters who might be waiting along the bank.

  So it happened that he didn't see a boat drawn in among the bushesuntil he was right over it. Sitting in it was a man with a terriblegun, very intently watching Mrs. Quack out in the middle of theBig River. Sammy was so startled that before he thought he openedhis mouth and screamed "Thief! thief! thief!" at the top of hislungs, and flew away with all his might. Mrs. Quack heard his screamand understood just what it meant.

  A little later Blacky the Crow discovered another hunter hidingbehind the bushes on his side. "Caw! caw! caw!" shouted Blacky,flying out over the water far enough to be safe from that terriblegun he could see.

  "Quack! quack!" replied Mrs. Quack, which meant that she understood.And so the hunt went on without a sign of poor Mr. Quack.

  XVI

  SAMMY JAY SEES SOMETHING GREEN

  For all their peeking and peering among the broken-down rushes andunder the bushes along the banks of the Big River, and no sharpereyes ever peeked and peered, Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow hadfound no sign of the missing Mr. Quack.

  "I guess Mrs. Quack was right and that Mr. Quack was killed whenhe was shot," muttered Sammy to himself. "Probably one of thosehunters had him for dinner long ago. Hello! There's another hunterup where the Laughing Brook joins the Big River! I guess I won'ttake any chances. I'd like to find Mr. Quack, but Sammy Jay is alot more important to me than Mr. Quack, and that fellow just mighthappen to take it into his head to shoot at me."

  So Sammy silently flew around back of the hunter and stopped in atree where he could watch all that the man did. For some time Sammysat there watching. The hunter was sitting behind a sort of fenceof bushes which quite hid him from any one who might happen to
beout on the Big River. But of course Sammy could see him perfectly,because he was behind him. Out in front of that little fence, whichwas on the very edge of the water, were a number of what Sammyat first took to be some of Mrs. Quack's relatives. "Why doesn'the shoot them?" thought Sammy. He puzzled over this as he watchedthem until suddenly it came into his head that he hadn't seen oneof them move since he began watching them. The man changed hisposition, and still those Ducks didn't move, although some of themwere so near that they simply couldn't have helped knowing when thehunter moved unless they were more stupid than any one of Sammy'sacquaintance.

  This was very curious, very curious indeed. Sammy flew a littlenearer and then a little nearer, taking the greatest care not tomake a sound. Pretty soon he was so near that he could see thoseDucks very plainly, and he stared with all his might. He couldn'tsee any feathers! No, Sir, he couldn't see any feathers! Then heunderstood.

  "Huh!" said he to himself. "Those are not Ducks at all. They arejust pieces of wood made to look like Ducks. Now I wonder what theyare for."

  In a few minutes he found out. He saw the hunter crouch down alittle lower and look down the Big River. Sammy looked too. He sawa flock of real Ducks flying swiftly just above the middle of theBig River. Suddenly the leader turned straight towards the placewhere the hunter was hiding, and the others followed him. He couldhear Mrs. Quack calling excitedly out in the middle of the BigRiver, but the strangers did not heed her. They had their eyes onthose wooden Ducks and were coming straight in to join them.

  "They think they are real Ducks and so this place is perfectlysafe!" thought Sammy. He saw the hunter make ready to shoot with histerrible gun and then, without stopping to think what might happento him, he opened his mouth and screamed at the top of his voice.He saw the Ducks suddenly swing out towards the middle of the BigRiver and knew that they had heard his warning. He saw the huntersuddenly rise and point his gun at the flying Ducks. He heard thebang, bang of the terrible gun, but not one of the flock was hit. Thedistance was too great. Sammy chuckled happily. Then he rememberedthat he himself was within easy reach of that terrible gun, andprobably the hunter was very angry. In great fright Sammy turnedand flew, dodging behind trees and every second expecting to hearagain the roar of that terrible gun.

  But he didn't, and so when he thought he was safe, he stopped. Nowin flying away from the hunter he had followed the Laughing Brookwhere it winds through a sort of swamp before it joins the BigRiver. Because there was more water than could be kept between thebanks of the Big River, it had crept over the banks, and all thetrees of the swamp were standing in water. Just beyond where Sammywas sitting was a pile of brush in the water. A Jolly Little Sunbeam,dancing down through the tree tops, touched something under theedge of the brush, and Sammy's sharp eyes caught a flash of green.Idly he watched it, and presently it moved. Instantly Sammy wasall curiosity. He flew over where he could see better.

  "Now what can that be?" thought Sammy, as he peered down at thepile of brush and tried to see under it.

  XVII

  MR. QUACK IS FOUND AT LAST

  Sammy Jay's eyes sparkled as he watched that spot of green under thepile of brush in the swamp through which the Laughing Brook findsits way to join the Big River. All around was water, for you knowit was spring, and the melting snows on the hills way up where theBig River has its beginning were pouring more water into the BigRiver than its banks would hold as it hurried down to the GreatOcean. It just couldn't hurry fast enough to take all that waterdown as fast as it ran into the Big River, and so the water hadcrept over the banks in places. It had done this right here in thelittle swamp where Sammy was.

  Sammy sat perfectly still, for he learned long ago that only bykeeping perfectly still may one see all that is to be seen. Thatgreen spot had moved. He was sure of that. And if it moved, itmust be something alive. If it were alive, it must be somebody,and Sammy wanted to know who it was. Try as he would he couldn'tremember any one who wore such glossy green as that. So he satperfectly still, for he knew that if whoever was hiding under thatbrush should even guess that he was being watched, he would notcome out.

  So, his eyes sparkling with excitement, Sammy watched. He wasimpatiently patient. Did you know that it is possible to be impatientlypatient? Well, it is. Sammy was just boiling with impatience inside,but he didn't let that impatience spoil the patience of his waiting.He sat there just as still as still, with his eyes fixed on thatgreen spot, and you would never have guessed that he was fairlybursting with impatience to know who it was he was watching. Thatis what is called self-control. It means the power to make yourselfdo a certain thing, no matter how much you may want to do somethingelse. It is a splendid thing to have, is self-control.

  After what seemed to Sammy a very long time, the green spot movedagain. Little by little something reached out from under the pileof brush. It was a head, a very beautiful green head, and it wasexactly like Mrs. Quack's head, only hers was a sober brown insteadof green. Sammy choked back a little gasp of surprise as a suddenthought popped into his head. Could this be the lost Mr. Quack?He had forgotten that probably Mr. Quack dressed differently fromMrs. Quack, and so of course he had been looking for some one allin brown. There was the bang of a gun somewhere over on the BigRiver, and the green head was hastily withdrawn under the bush, butnot before Sammy had seen a look of terrible fear in his eyes. "Ibelieve it IS Mr. Quack!" thought Sammy. "If it is, I'll have thebest news ever to tell Mrs. Quack. Just trust Sammy Jay to findanything he goes looking for."

  This was just plain boasting, and Sammy knew it. But Sammy alwaysdoes have a good opinion of himself. It is one of his faults. Hequite lost sight of the fact that it was entirely by accident thathe had come over to this swamp. Now that he had guessed who thismight be, he was less impatient. He waited as still as you please,and at last the green head was slowly stretched out again, andSammy could see that the neck was green, too, and that around theneck was a white collar. Sammy could keep still no longer.

  [Illustration with caption: "Yes," said he in a low voice, "I amMr. Quack."]

  "Are you Mr. Quack?" he asked eagerly.

  The beautiful head disappeared like a flash. Sammy waited a minuteor two, before he repeated his question, adding: "You needn't beafraid. There isn't anybody here but me, and I'm your friend. Ijust want to know if you are Mr. Quack because I've been lookingfor you for Mrs. Quack. Are you?"

  Slowly, looking this way and that way with fear and suspicion inhis eyes, a handsome Duck came out from under the pile of brush."Yes," said he in a low voice, "I am Mr. Quack. Where is Mrs.Quack?"

  "Safe and sound over on the Big River," replied Sammy joyfully."Oh, I'm so glad I've found you!"

  XVIII

  SAMMY JAY SENDS MRS. QUACK TO THE SWAMP

  When Sammy Jay left Mr. Quack in the swamp over by the bank of theBig River, he flew straight back to the Smiling Pool. At first hethought of flying out over the Big River and screaming the news toMrs. Quack, who, you know, was swimming about out there. But heknew that if he did, she would very likely fly right over where Mr.Quack was, and that wouldn't do at all. No, indeed, that wouldn'tdo at all. One of the hunters would be sure to see her. So Sammywisely flew back to the Smiling Pool to wait until Mrs. Quack shouldcome back there for the night.

  Of course he told Peter Rabbit all about Mr. Quack, and Peter wasso delighted at the thought that Mr. Quack was alive that he caperedabout in quite the craziest way. "Does Mrs. Quack know yet?" askedPeter.

  Sammy shook his head. "I'm going to tell her when she comes backhere to-night," he explained. "I was afraid if I told her beforethen she would fly straight to him and perhaps get them both introuble."

  "Quite right, Sammy! Quite right!" Peter exclaimed. "I wouldn'thave thought of that. My, won't she be happy when you do tell her!I wonder what she'll say and what she'll do. I'm going to stay righthere so as to see her when she hears the good news. Here comes yourcousin, Blacky the Crow. Does he know yet?"

  "No," replied Sammy, "but I'm
going to tell him as soon as he getshere." They watched Blacky draw nearer and nearer, and as soonas he was within hearing Sammy shouted the news. "Caw, caw, caw,"replied Blacky, hurrying a little faster.

  As soon as he reached the Big Hickory-tree, Sammy told the wholestory over again, and Blacky was quite as glad as the others. Whilethey waited for Mrs. Quack he told how he had hunted and huntedalong the farther bank of the Big River and how he had seen thehunters with their terrible guns hiding and had warned Mrs. Quackjust where each one was.

  Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun was getting ready to go to bed behindthe Purple Hills and the Black Shadows were beginning to creep outover the Green Meadows before Mrs. Quack came. In fact, Sammy Jayand Blacky were getting very uneasy. It was almost bed-time forthem, for neither of them dared stay out after dark. They had almostmade up their minds to leave Peter to tell the news when they sawMrs. Quack coming swiftly from the direction of the Big River. Shelooked so sad and discouraged that even Blacky the Crow was sorryfor her, and you know Blacky isn't much given to such feelings.

  "What's the news, Mrs. Quack?" asked Peter, his eyes dancing.

  "There isn't any," replied Mrs. Quack.

  "Oh, yes, there is!" cried Sammy Jay, who couldn't possibly keepstill any longer.

  "What is it?" demanded Mrs. Quack eagerly, and it seemed to Peterthat there was a wee bit of hope in her voice.

  "Did you happen to notice that just before the Laughing Brook joinsthe Big River it flows through a little swamp?" asked Sammy.