for just there it was shallow far out from the shore. Blacky looked
sharply for a terrible gun. But the man had none with him and
therefore was not to be feared. Blacky boldly drew near until he was
able to see what the man was doing.

Then Blacky's eyes stretched their widest and he almost cawed right
out with surprise. The man was taking yellow corn from a bag, a
handful at a time, and throwing it out in the water. Yes, Sir, that
is what he was doing, scattering nice yellow corn among the rushes
and wild rice in the water!

"That's a queer performance," muttered Blacky, as he watched. "What
is he throwing perfectly good corn out in the water for? He isn't
planting it, for this isn't the planting season. Besides, it
wouldn't grow in the water, anyway. It is a shame to waste nice corn
like that. What is he doing it for?"

Blacky flew over to a tree some distance away and alighted in the
top of it to watch the queer performance. You know Blacky has very
keen eyes and he can see a long distance. For a while the man
continued to scatter corn and Blacky continued to wonder what he was
doing it for. At last the man went away in a boat. Blacky watched
him until he was out of sight. Then he spread his wings and slowly
flew back and forth just above the rushes and wild rice, at the
place where the man had been scattering the corn. He could see some
of the yellow grains on the bottom. Presently he saw something
else. "Ha!" exclaimed Blacky.