high enough to be safe," said she, "but when I reached the Big
River there was a bang from the bushes on the bank, and something
cut that feather out of my wing, and I felt a sharp pain in my side.
It made me feel quite ill for a while, and the place is very sore
now, but I guess I'm lucky that it was no worse. It is very hard
work to know just how far those terrible guns can throw things at
you. Next time I will fly higher."

"Where have you been since you left us?" asked Peter.

"Eight in the middle of the Big River," replied Mrs. Quack. "It
was the only safe place. I didn't dare go near either shore, and
I'm nearly starved. I haven't had a mouthful to eat to-day."

Peter opened his mouth to tell her of the wheat and corn left by
Farmer Brown's boy and then closed it again. He would let her find
it for herself. If he told her about it, she might suspect a trick
and refuse to go near the place. He never had seen any one so
suspicious, not even Old Man Coyote. But he couldn't blame her,
after all she had been through. So he kept still and waited. He
was learning, was Peter Rabbit. He was learning a great deal about
Mrs. Quack.




VIII

MRS. QUACK HAS A GOOD MEAL AND A REST