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