In spite of her hopelessness in regard to Mr. Quack, there is no doubt
that Mrs. Quack felt better that night after she had eaten the corn
left among the rushes of the Smiling Pool by Farmer Brown's boy. Now
she had that very comfortable feeling that goes with a full stomach,
she could think better. As the Black Shadows crept across the Smiling
Pool, she turned over in her mind Sammy Jay's plan for helping her the
next day. The more she thought about it, the better it seemed, and she
began to feel a little ashamed that she had not appeared more grateful
to Sammy when he told her. At the time she had been tired and hungry
and discouraged. Now she was beginning to feel rested, and she was no
longer hungry. These things made all the difference in the world. As
she thought over Sammy's plan, she began to feel a little hope, and
when at last she put her head under her wing to go to sleep, she had
made up her mind that the plan was worth trying, and that she would do
her part.
Bright and early the next morning, Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow were
in the Big Hickory-tree near the Smiling Pool ready to start for the
Big River to hunt for Mr. Quack. Peter Rabbit had been so afraid that
he would miss something that he had stayed near the Smiling 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 on the
Big River and then swim up as far as she thought it would be of any
use. She was to stay in the middle of the river, where she would be
quite safe from hunters with terrible guns, and where also these same
hunters would be sure to see her and so not be tempted to shoot at
Blacky the Crow if he happened to fly over them. You see, they would
hope that Mrs. Quack would swim in near enough to be shot and so would
not risk frightening her by shooting at Blacky.
When Mrs. Quack had finished her breakfast, she started for the Big
River, and her stout wings moved so swiftly that they made a whistling
sound. Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow followed her, but though they flew
as fast as they could, Mrs. Quack had reached the Big River before they
had gone half the way. When they did get there, they saw Mrs. Quack out
in the middle, swimming about and watching for them. Blacky flew across
the river and pretended to be hunting for food along the farther bank,
just as every hunter knows he often does. Sammy Jay did the same thing
on the other bank.
Mrs. Quack swam slowly up the Big River, keeping in the middle, and
Blacky and Sammy followed along up the two banks, all the time using
their sharp eyes for all they were worth to find Mr. Quack hiding among
the broken-down rushes or under the bushes in the water, for the Big
River had overflowed its banks, and in some places bushes and trees
were in the water.
Now Sammy Jay dearly loves to hunt for things. Whenever he knows that
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 has been hidden, as
it is that he wants to feel he is smart enough to find it. When he does
find it, he usually steals it, I'm sorry to say. But it is the fun of
hunting that Sammy enjoys most. So now Sammy thoroughly enjoyed hunting
for Mr. Quack. He peered into every likely hiding-place and became so
interested that he quite forgot about the hunters who might be waiting
along the bank.
So it happened that he didn't see a boat drawn in among the bushes
until he was right over it. Sitting in it was a man with a terrible
gun, very intently watching Mrs. Quack out in the middle of the Big
River. Sammy was so startled that before he thought he opened his mouth
and screamed “Thief! thief! thief!” at the top of his lungs, and flew
away with all his might. Mrs. Quack heard his scream and understood
just what it meant.
A little later Blacky the Crow discovered another hunter hiding behind
the bushes on his side. “Caw! caw! caw!” shouted Blacky, flying out
over the water far enough to be safe from that terrible gun 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.