CHAPTER 13
Jim Crow Gets Caught
AMONG all the birds that lived on the Old Homestead Jim Crow was about
the worst. Of course, there was Pesty the Magpie, who killed Baby Bunnies,
and picked Old Bent Horn until she had a sore on her side, and did many
other things; and there was Tattler the Jay, who robbed the nests of other
birds and bullied birds smaller than himself.
It was no wonder that Pesty the Magpie and Tattler the Jay were so mean,
because they were both cousins of Jim Crow's. But Jim Crow was the worst of
the three.
Jim Crow really lived by plundering. He would steal the eggs and Baby
Birds from the nests he found, kill Baby Bunnies, pull up Farmer Smith's
corn when it was small, eat large quantities of it after it was ripe, take
Fluffy Ducklets from the Duck Pond if he had a chance, rob the nests of
Hungarian the Partridge and Bobby White, and even take eggs from Old Cluck
the Hen if he could do it without getting caught. He was as black inside as
he looked outside.
There was one thing that Jim Crow liked especially well to do. That was
to pester Great Horn the Owl and Screecher the Owl and all the other owls he
could find. He had a special pick at owls, and whenever he found one asleep
in a tree, he would call all his friends together to tease it.
"Caw-caw-caw," he would call, as loud as he could; "I have
found Screecher asleep. Come over and help me to tease him."
Then Jim Crow and his friends would gather around on the tree near
Screecher the Owl, cawing and scolding and threatening. There was simply no
use for Screecher to try to sleep when they were around. And there was no
chance to fly away and hide. They would all follow with loud caws and make
an awful noise. And there was Screecher needing sleep so much after being up
all night.
It would seem that Screecher could defend himself with his needlelike
claws and sharp beak, but perhaps he cannot see well enough in the bright
light. You see, Screecher's eyes are made so he can see at night, and the
bright daylight hurts them. Hunting Cat can also see well in the dark, but
he does not mind daylight. His eyes adjust themselves to the light.
Fearful the Man knew that Jim Crow and his friends liked to tease
Screecher the Owl. And so once upon a time he decided he would get even with
Jim Crow and his family for all the mean deeds they had done. Fearful the
Man had a scheme which he thought would work if he were careful.
Jim Crow and his friends were very shrewd. They were careful not to let
Fearful the Man get close enough to them to shoot them. But Fearful thought
he had a plan that would fool Jim Crow, and so he had.
First he gathered a basketful of gray and white feathers from the yard.
Then he made a Cloth Owl and covered it with the feathers. It looked just
like Screecher the Owl when it was finished. Its wings were loose so they
would move when Fearful the Man pulled a string.
When all was ready, Fearful the Man took his gun and the Cloth Owl and
went to a field. He fastened the Cloth Owl in a tree, and then hid with his
gun in a patch of weeds near the tree. He had a long string running from the
Cloth Owl to his Hiding Place, and when he was hidden he pulled the string
and the Cloth Owl seemed to move its wings.
It was not long until the sharp eyes of Jim Crow spied the Cloth Owl. He
thought surely it was Screecher the Owl.
"Caw-caw-caw, caw-caw-caw," he yelled to his friends, "I
spy Screecher the Owl. Let's fly over and tease him awhile."
Soon Jim Crow and all his friends were in the tree by the Cloth Owl,
cawing and scolding and threatening. They were so interested in pestering
the Cloth Owl that they did not stop to look for Fearful the Man. They had
no idea that he was near until they heard a loud explosion.
"Boom, boom," went Fearful's gun, and down fell two of Jim
Crow's friends.
But even that did not teach Jim Crow a lesson. He is a born criminal, and
is always looking for some mischief to get into.
One day he spied the nest of Yellowbreast the Chat. It was not strange
that he saw it, for Yellowbreast had built it in a low bush, and had made no
attempt to hide it. In fact, it was in plain sight. Yellowbreast the Chat
belonged to the big family of Warblers, which included Pinky the Redstart
and Chirper the Ovenbird.
When Jim Crow found Yellowbreast's nest with five Baby Chats in it, he
hopped right down by it and was all ready to make a meal of the Baby Chats.
Jim Crow knew that Yellowbreast was not much of a fighter, and he was not
afraid of Yellowbreast.
But there was one bird watching that Jim Crow had not seen. That was
Scrapper the Kingbird. He was sitting on his Lookout Stub guarding the nests
of all his Feathered Friends around there. Scrapper was one bird that was
not afraid of Jim Crow even though he was not half so large; and Jim Crow
knew it. He also knew that Scrapper did not like him, for he could remember
the sharp jabs of Scrapper's bill that he had felt several times. He always
tried not to go near Scrapper.
Scrapper saw that Jim Crow had found Yellowbreast's nest, and he knew
that the Baby Chats would not last long unless something was done. The first
thing Jim Crow knew, Scrapper was right on top of him and was making his
black feathers fly. That was the last time Jim came to that part of the Old
Homestead in a good long time.
Whenever the Feathered Friends saw Scrapper the Kingbird on his Lookout
Stub, they knew they were safe from Jim Crow and Sharpshin the Hawk and
other enemies, for Scrapper was a good policeman man of the air.
The Muskrats Have a Visitor
JIMMY the Swamp Rabbit lived in the Tumbled Bulrushes and Jungle Thickets
by the Duck Pond. He was a first cousin of Molly Cottontail's and Peter's,
who lived in a Friendly Burrow in the Little Jungle Thicket at the foot of
High Cliff Sometimes Molly came down to the Duck Pond for a visit with
Jimmy. She liked to run through the Tumbled Bulrushes and Jungle Thickets
almost as well as Jimmy did.
Jimmy did not live in a Friendly Burrow such as Molly lived in. He had
built a Covered Nest out of Swamp Grass and Dancing Little Leaflets, and had
lined it with some of his own fur. It was right in the middle of a large
clump of Fuzzy Cat-tails, and had a doorway -on one side.
When Jimmy first built his home, the clump of Fuzzy Cat-tails was
completely surrounded with water. Jimmy thought that would be a good
protection from Snoop the Weasel, Reddy Fox, and other of his enemies who
did not like water.
You see, Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit was not like Molly and Peter when it came
to water. They would not have thought of going into water unless they were
forced to do so. But Jimmy liked to swim as much as Trailer the Mink. And so
he had built his Covered Nest where it was entirely surrounded with water,
for he did not mind swimming when he left it to go into the Jungle Thickets.
And it really was quite a protection from Snoop the Weasel.
Some time after Jimmy built his Covered Nest, the water in the Duck Pond
began to get lower. It always was lower during the summer. After a while
Jimmy's Covered Nest did not have any water around it at all. Then Snoop the
Weasel had no trouble tracking Jimmy right to his home.
Always when Snoop was tracking Jimmy and Jimmy's trail came to the edge
of the water, Snoop could go no farther, because the Playful Air Whiffs did
not tell Snoop which way Jimmy had gone. Then Snoop would have to go hunting
some other place.
Snoop the Weasel was a cousin of Lutra the Otter, Trailer the Mink,
Killer the Marten, and Fisher the Bold. He was also related to Mephitis the
Skunk, Carcajou the Glutton, and Digger the Badger. Snoop was the smallest
of his family, but he was very ferocious. That is, he was bloodthirsty. He
would kill much more than he could eat.
Once Snoop the Weasel got into Farmer Smith's henhouse. It was not
because he was hungry, for he had had plenty to eat. All he wanted to do was
to kill some chickens just for the fun of it. He did not eat any of them,
but he did drink some of the blood. If Farmer Smith could have found Snoop
right then, it would have been the last of Snoop.
Yes, sir, Snoop was an out-and-out villain, and Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit
had good reason to be afraid of him. But there was one who could make Snoop
the Weasel hunt a hole, and that was Reddy Fox. Whenever Reddy Fox came
along, Snoop knew it was time to hide.
One day Snoop was out hunting as usual. He liked to hunt during the day
as well as at night. And he liked to hunt in the winter as well as in the
summer. During the winter Snoop wore a white coat, and in summer he wore a
brown one. That was so he could sneak through the snow in winter or through
grass and brush in summer and not be easily seen.
On this day he wore his brown coat, and it would have taken a sharp eye
to see him as he trailed around through the brush and grass and over rocks.
He had been looking for Tiny the Meadow Mouse and Tawny Chipmunk and Miner
the Mole.
Then he crossed through the Green Meadow, hoping that he would find
Ringneck the Pheasant and his family or Burlingame the Meadow Lark. After
that he started for the Duck Pond. You see, Snoop the Weasel was quite a
traveler, and he thought he might catch one of the Mallards or Spoonbills or
Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit at the Duck Pond.
Almost the first thing, Snoop found the trail of Jimmy. Jimmy had been
eating some of the Tender Grass Shoots that grew in the Jungle Thicket by
the Duck Pond. When he was no longer hungry, he had gone to his Covered Nest
for a rest.
Snoop the Weasel had no trouble following Jimmy's trail. Snoop's nose was
as keen-scented as Nero the Hound's. He trailed Jimmy here and there through
the Swamp Grass, and right down to where the edge of the Duck Pond had been.
That was where Snoop had always lost Jimmy's trail before. But this time
there was no water, and Snoop went along sniffing until he came right to
Jimmy's Covered Nest.
Jimmy was not so foolish as he might have been. Instead of going to
sleep, he sat there with his eyes looking out his doorway watching his
trail. Before Snoop could get close enough to grab him, Jimmy bounded out of
his Covered Nest and down to the Duck Pond. Then he jumped into the water,
and started to swim as fast as he could.
Out among the Fuzzy Cat-tails Jimmy could see the Grassy House of Danny
Muskrat. In a little while he reached it, and climbed up on top, quite out
of breath, but so happy that he was still alive.
"Oh, such a narrow escape! " gasped Jimmy.
"Why are you so out of breath?" asked Danny Muskrat.
And Jimmy told him the whole story of how he disappointed Snoop the
Weasel, who could not swim so fast as he could.
"Why do you not build your Covered Nest away out in the water?"
asked Danny Muskrat.
"I did," answered Jimmy, "but the water went down, and
soon it was all dry ground around my house. But I am going to build myself a
new Covered Nest where I am sure the water will stay around it."
And so Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit started out to find a clump of Tumbled
Bulrushes that was entirely surrounded with water, where he could make
another Covered Nest.
Danny Muskrat Finds Something Good
THE Grassy House of Danny Muskrat was one place where few enemies came.
It was built of Tumbled Bulrushes, Fuzzy Cat-tails, Oozy Mud, and Swamp
Grass. One reason why it was quite safe was that it was too far from land
for most enemies like Reddy Fox and Ranger the Coyote to venture. But the
main reason was that Danny's doorway was completely under water, and no one
knew where it was but him and Mrs. Muskrat.
When Danny built his Grassy House, he first made a big pile of Tumbled
Bulrushes and Oozy Mud that rested on the bottom of the Duck Pond and with
the top above water, which was to be his floor. He left a hole in the middle
of this pile, and under the pile he dug a trench for a doorway that led to
the hole in the center. Then he could dive to the trench, follow through it
to the hole in the middle, and come right up into his home. He carried more
Tumbled Bulrushes and Swamp Grass and Oozy Mud and Moss and built a large
round house on top of the pile. In it was a bedroom. When Danny was tired
swimming around in the Duck Pond and digging up Juicy Water Bulbs to eat, he
could go home and sleep.
No, there was no one who dared to venture into Danny Muskrat's home.
Danny had very long, sharp teeth, and he was a fierce fighter when he had to
be. But if Danny was let alone, he was peaceful, except that he found Fluffy
Ducklets a temptation sometimes if they came too near.
Danny's favorite food was Juicy Water Bulbs and Sweet Cat-tail Stalks
that grew all around his home. Whenever he wanted something to eat, down he
would dive, and in a minute or two he would come up with his dinner.
Sometimes he sat on top of his house while he ate it, and sometimes he went
inside. If Danny Muskrat wanted to, he could stay under water a long, long
time while he was digging.
One day Danny went for a swim around the Duck Pond. In and out among the
Sheltered Water Lanes that ran through the Fuzzy Cat-tails he swam. At last
he became very hungry, and he began to look for a Sweet Cat-tail Stalk to
cut down and eat.
"I believe this one will be good," he said to himself, as he
took a nibble to see how it tasted.
"Oh, pl-ease; oh, pl-ease," sang some one overhead.
Danny Muskrat looked up to see who was there, and saw Redwing the
Blackbird sitting on a Fuzzy Cat-tail.
"Oh, pl-ease do not cut down that Sweet Cat-tail Stalk," said
Redwing; "it is holding up my nest."
Danny Muskrat and Redwing were very good friends. Danny liked to hear
Redwing sing. Sometimes when enemies came near, Redwing stopped singing and
said "Chack-chack." Then Danny knew it was time to dive out of
sight.
"I did not know that that was your Sweet Cattail Stalk," said
Danny. "I am sure I do not need it, for there are many more."
"O-thank-you," said Redwing,
And so Danny went to look for a Juicy Water Bulb, while Redwing the
Blackbird sang happily, "Oak-a-lee, oak-a-lee."
Danny Muskrat did not always stay in the water. Sometimes he went
exploring in the Fresh Earth Fields near the Duck Pond. In fact, he had
sometimes gone over to Little River to visit some friends. Danny's friends
that lived along Little River did not live in a Grassy House. They lived in
a Hidden Den in the bank. Their doorway was deep under water, like the
doorway to Danny's Grassy House. Anyone passing by would never have dreamed
there was a Hidden Den in the bank.
It was strange that Danny liked to live at the Duck Pond in a Grassy
House while his friends preferred to live in a Hidden Den in the bank of
Little River. Perhaps it was for the same reason that some people live in
the city and others in the country; and some live in brick houses, while
others own wood ones. Then again, some folks like one state, while others
want to live in a different one.
Danny Muskrat was just like most people; he liked to go visiting. And so
one evening, just as the Smiling Moon was peeping over the Black Tree Tops,
Danny thought it would be a good time to go to visit his friends on Little
River.
Danny dived off his Grassy House and swam toward shore. He made Little
Golden Ripples on the water wherever the Smiling Moon touched them. When he
reached the shore, he climbed up the muddy bank and started right through
the Jungle Thicket that was between him and the Fresh Earth Field that he
was to cross on his way to Little River.
It was a foolish thing for Danny Muskrat to do, leaving the water that
way. He did not know what minute Great Horn the Owl might swoop down upon
him, or Ranger the Coyote come running across the field.
When Danny reached the edge of the Jungle Thicket, he stopped and looked
across the Fresh Earth Field. Everything looked safe enough, and he started
across. Danny had not gone far when he smelled something good. It did not
smell like the Juicy Water Bulbs or the Sweet Cat-tail Stalks that he found
in the Duck Pond. But it was something good to eat; Danny was sure of that.
Danny digged down into the Soft Warm Ground. It was no time at all until
he had pulled out one of the Sweet Smelling Rootlets, and had taken a nibble
off one end.
"Yum, yum," said Danny Muskrat; "Golden Yellow Carrots!
"
Danny ate that Golden Yellow Carrot and another. Then he dug up a fine
large one, and started back with it for Mrs. Muskrat. He forgot entirely
about going over to Little River to visit his friends.
The next day Bud and Mary Smith were walking across the Fresh Earth
Field. Bud noticed where Danny Muskrat had dug up the Golden Yellow Carrots.
"Oh, see here," said Bud, "Danny Muskrat has found the
Golden Yellow Carrots I planted for him. I am so glad."
The Fluffy Ducklets Appear
ALL the Little Wild Creatures on the Old Homestead were wondering what
had become of Mrs. Mallard. No one had seen her for quite a long time. You
see, when Mrs. Mallard was sitting on her eggs in her nest, and she wanted a
drink, she was very careful to sneak down to the Duck Pond and back to her
Nesting Place when no one could see her. She was afraid some one might steal
her eggs. And so all the Little Wild Creatures were beginning to think that
something had happened to her.
"I wonder what has become of Mrs. Mallard," said Redwing the
Blackbird to Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit when they met one day; "I haven't
seen her for a long, long time."
"Perhaps Snoop the Weasel caught her," said Jimmy the Swamp
Rabbit; "he tried to catch me, and almost scared me to death."
"I wonder what has happened to Mrs. Mallard," said Longlegs the
Heron to Diver the Grebe. "Perhaps Terror the Hunter shot her,"
said Diver the Grebe; "he tried to shoot me."
"I wonder where Mrs. Mallard is," said Jack Snipe to Midget the
Teal. "Perhaps Trailer the Mink caught her," said Midget the Teal;
"he almost got me."
"Where do you suppose Mrs. Mallard has gone?" asked Boomer the
Bittern of Great Diver the Loon. "It has been a long time since I have
seen her."
"Perhaps Sharptoes the Duck Hawk killed her," said Great Diver;
"he tried to get Mr. Mallard when he was visiting with me."
And so all the Little Wild Creatures were wondering.
"I believe I'll ask Mr. Mallard when I see him," said Redwing
the Blackbird to Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit.
"I guess I will find Mr. Mallard and ask him," said Longlegs
the Heron to Diver the Grebe.
"Have you asked Mr. Mallard?" said Midget the Teal to Jack
Snipe.
"Suppose we see what Mr. Mallard says," suggested Great Diver
the Loon to Boomer the Bittern. So away they all went to find Mr. Mallard.
But Mr. Mallard only went about his business of hunting something to eat,
and said nothing.
Bud and Mary Smith were also wondering about Mrs. Mallard. But neither
said anything to the other.
"I wonder when Mrs. Mallard's eggs will hatch," is what Bud was
thinking to himself. "I believe I'll sneak down to the Duck Pond and
see if there are any Fluffy Ducklets in sight yet. Won't that be fun to tell
Mary about them?" And away went Bud toward the Duck Pond when Mary was
not watching.
"I wonder if Mrs. Mallard really is on her nest all this time,"
said Mary to herself. "I am afraid that something has happened to her.
I think I will run down to the Duck Pond while Bud is not here, and see if
there are any Fluffy Ducklets. It would be so much fun to see them first and
then tell Bud." And away slipped Mary through the Apple Orchard so she
would be sure Bud would not see her.
Bud ran swiftly until he came to the jungle Thicket along the Duck Pond.
Then he began to crawl very slowly through the bushes and vines and tall
grass toward an open place where he could look out across the water.
In a short time Bud thought he heard a noise in the Jungle Thicket, and
he stopped to listen. Sure enough, something was snapping twigs and rubbing
against the brush. It sounded as if the noise was coming his way. Bud
stretched out on the ground out of sight in the Jungle Thicket. Nearer and
nearer came the noise.
At last Bud sat up carefully and looked through a large bush that was in
front of him, and what do you suppose he saw? Why, Mary's red hat.
"Now, isn't that just like a girl?" thought Bud. "Trying
to sneak through the Jungle Thicket, with a hat on one could see a
mile." But Mary's sharp eyes had spied Bud's sweaty face shining
through the bush, and it was useless for him to try to hide longer.
"What are you doing here?" asked Bud, as Mary came up.
"What are you doing here?" said Mary.
"Oh, I just thought I'd come over to see - well - I was wondering
about Mrs. Mallard," replied Bud.
"Thought you would be the first to see the Fluffy Ducklets, if there
were any, didn't you?" said Mary. "But you're not, because I am
going right along."
"Well, I suppose it is all right," said Bud; "but if you
are going with me, you will have to take off that red hat. A fine scout
you'd be!"
Mary removed her hat and crept along behind Bud. The sticks hurt her
knees sometimes, but she did not mind that. She was a little worried,
though, when one caught in her stocking and tore a big hole in it.
"Now, just see what I've done!" said Mary.
"Psst, not so loud," whispered Bud. "Let's take a peep and
see if there is anything in sight."
Bud and Mary rose up slowly and looked through the Fuzzy Cat-tails and
Tumbled Bulrushes.
"Oh!" they both exclaimed at once, for right there in front of
them, and not half as far as Bud could have thrown a stone, were Mr. and
Mrs. Mallard and ten Fluffy Ducklets. Mr. Mallard was swimming around as
proud of his family as anything, and Mrs. Mallard was having a time to keep
her babies together on their first swim.
"Let's run home and tell Dad and Mother," said Mary.
Billy Coon Makes Some Plans
BILLY COON lived in a Hollow Den Tree near the end of the bridge that
crossed Little River. He lived a rather peaceful life, for he had few
enemies. Of course, if Nero the Hound or Ranger the Coyote or Shaggy the
Wolf got on his trail, his life was not so peaceful for a while. But Billy
Coon usually stayed near trees, and if an enemy came near, up a tree he
would go; and there he would stay until the enemy left. Nero the
Hound and Ranger the Coyote and Shaggy the Wolf could not climb a tree, so
Billy Coon was quite safe.
Billy Coon had a special reason for living near Little River. He could
have found any number of Hollow Den Trees in the Black Forest. He liked to
swim; but the main reason why Billy Coon lived near Little River was that he
liked to catch small fish and hunt Pinkshell the Clam and Pinchtoe the
Crawfish. He also liked to eat corn sometimes that grew in the Fresh Earth
Field not far away. He did not care whether it was green or ripe. Most of
the Furry Friends ate either all meat as Lutra the Otter did, or all
vegetable food as Danny Muskrat did; but Billy Coon ate both. Of course,
Danny Muskrat sometimes ate clams and such things, but he really preferred
Juicy Water Bulbs.
Another reason why Billy Coon liked to live near Little River was that he
preferred to wash his food before he ate it. If he found something good to
eat, he took it in his front feet, which he used like hands, and soused it
in the water. Yes, sir, Billy Coon was clean about his eating.
Billy Coon was like some people in one way he was curious. If he saw
something shining in the water, he just had to find out what it was. He
would pounce upon it with his front feet, and then take it up to examine it.
Perhaps he thought that most bright objects in the water were clams or fish,
and he jumped on them to catch them. But that habit was once almost the
death of Billy Coon.
You see, it happened like this: Trapper Jim knew that Billy Coon was
curious. He knew that if Billy Coon saw something shining in the water he
would jump on it. And so Trapper Jim fastened a Shiny Tin Fish on the pan of
a trap, and set the trap under water where Billy Coon would see it. He
thought Billy Coon would pounce on the Shiny Tin Fish and be caught.
Sure enough, when Billy Coon came along that night, he jumped with both
front feet on the Shiny Tin Fish. Snap went the trap, and Billy Coon would
have been a prisoner if a Round Little Pebble had not held the jaws of the
trap apart. But even that did not make Billy Coon stop poking his feet into
holes to see what he could find.
One evening about dusk Billy Coon started out on his regular nightly
stroll. He had been sleeping all day in his Hollow Den Tree and felt hungry.
He thought a Creamy Roasting Ear would taste good, and so when he came down
from his Hollow Den Tree, he started toward the Rustling Cornfield over near
the Duck Pond.
Billy Coon liked to ramble through the jungle Thicket and Tumbled
Bulrushes along the Duck Pond sometimes. He would hunt for wild berries
awhile in the Jungle Thicket, and then he would look for Croaker the Frog,
Pinchtoe the Crawfish, and Pinkshell the Clam along the banks of the Duck
Pond. He thought it was great fun wading along in the Oozy Mud.
Billy Coon made a queer track. Bud Smith could always tell Billy's track
from Virginia Opossum's and others'. It looked almost as if a barefooted
baby had walked along. That was because Billy used part of his leg as well
as his foot to walk on behind. Growler the Bear also walked like that.
After Billy Coon had eaten his fill of green corn, he started for the
Duck Pond. It had been quite a while since he had visited the Duck Pond, and
he thought he would find something good to finish his meal. The Smiling Moon
was shining, and Croaker the Frog was making a loud noise among the Lily
Pads.
"I shall have no trouble finding Croaker," thought Billy Coon,
"and then I will pounce on him before he sees me."
At the edge of the Rustling Cornfield Billy Coon saw Digger the Badger.
Digger was busy trying to dig out Satchelface the Pocket Gopher, but
Satchelface always managed to find a Secret Little Tunnel through which to
escape. Satchelface had a pocket on each side of his face in which he put
corn and grass and other food that he wanted to carry to his Secret
Storehouse. Then he could eat it whenever he was hungry. Sometimes he
carried dirt out of his Friendly Burrow in his pockets when he was making a
new Secret Tunnel.
"Have you heard the news?" asked Digger the Badger, as he made
the dirt fly.
"No, what is it?" said Billy Coon.
"Mephitis the Skunk told me that Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit told him
that the Mallards have ten Fluffy Ducklets, and he thinks Trailer the Mink
is just waiting for a chance to catch them and make a meal of them."
When Billy Coon heard that, he did not wait to visit any more. No, sir.
He hopped out of the Rustling Cornfield and right into the Jungle Thicket.
He did not even stop to see if he could find some Tempting Berries.
"I think I shall try to catch those Fluffy Ducklets myself," he
said, as he left the Jungle Thicket and started into the Tumbled Bulrushes
along the Duck Pond. "I wonder where those Fluffy Ducklets are."
Of course Digger the Badger was too busy looking for Satchelface the
Gopher to notice where Billy Coon went. He was trying to find which Secret
Little Tunnel Satchelface was hiding in.
The Ducklets Take a Swim
THE Fluffy Ducklets were already, five days old when Billy Coon heard
about them. They had swum around their Sheltered Little Cove many times with
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, and were beginning to feel quite grown up. They could
find their own Wiggly Water Worms and Wild Rice and could stand on their
heads in the water almost as well as could Mrs. Mallard.
Of course, the Fluffy Ducklets could not reach the Oozy Mud in the bottom
of the Duck Pond in as deep water as their mother could. Their necks were
not long enough. And so they had to stay near shore when they were playing
the game of Tip-up. They liked to play Tip-up with Mother Mallard, because
sometimes she reached away down in the water and pulled up a large bunch of
Green Water Moss for them to pick at.
One night when the Fluffy Ducklets were playing around in the Sheltered
Little Cove, Ducky Waddles spied a Sheltered Water Lane. He had not noticed
it before, and it looked interesting.
"Oh, Mother, where does that Sheltered Water Lane go?" he
asked.
"You come right back here," quacked Mother Mallard.
"But, Mother, I want to see what is at the end of the Sheltered
Water Lane." And so Mrs. Mallard decided she would take the Fluffy
Ducklets out to see the Duck Pond.
Down the Sheltered Water Lane swam Mrs. Mallard, with all the Fluffy
Ducklets following behind. First there was Ducky Waddles and then Ducky
Doodles and behind them were Ducky Diver and the other Fluffy Ducklets.
"Now, Ducklets, don't get lost," said Mrs. Mallard as they
neared the end of the Sheltered Water Lane. It was the first long swim the
Fluffy Ducklets had taken, and Mrs. Mallard was afraid they could not find
their way back to the Sheltered Little Cove without her.
"No, no," said the Fluffy Ducklets; "we will stay near
you, Mother."
At last they came to the end of the Sheltered Water Lane and looked out.
The Duck Pond looked almost as large as an ocean to the Fluffy Ducklets.
"Oh, oh!" they all exclaimed, as they tried to flap their tiny
wings. "Let's swim around it, and see what we can find."
"Not to-night," said Mrs. Mallard; "the Smiling Moon is
shining brightly, and Great Horn the Owl or Sharptoes the Duck Hawk might
get you. You must stay out of sight among the Fuzzy Cat-tails."
Ducky Doodles thought he was quite grown-up. He thought he would swim
just a little way by himself, and see what he could find among the Fuzzy
Cat-tails. He was like some little boys and girls who think they know better
than their parents what is good for them.
So while the other Fluffy Ducklets played Tipup near the Sheltered Water
Lane, Ducky Doodles started along the edge of the Duck Pond when Mr. and
Mrs. Mallard did not see him.
About this time Billy Coon arrived at the Duck Pond. "I wonder where
those Fluffy Ducklets are," thought Billy Coon. "I believe I will
just start around the Duck Pond and find their Landing Place."
You see, Billy Coon knew that the Fluffy Ducklets could not stay on the
water all the time. He knew that sometimes they would have to come to shore
for a rest and sleep. Of course, after they were a little larger, they could
tuck their bills under their wings and sleep right on the water. But they
did not yet have wings, and so they cuddled near their mother to keep warm
while they slept.
Billy Coon knew that as soon as they were tired out they would come back
to the bank. He thought if he could find their Landing Place, he would wait
until they came back to shore and then pounce on them. And so he started
walking slowly around the Duck Pond.
Billy Coon was not in a hurry. He was hunting for good things to eat
along the Marshy Banks as he walked along. But then, he was never in a hurry
except when Nero the Hound was after him. He was not afraid as long as he
was near the Duck Pond. If an enemy came by, he would run into the water.
Then if he had to, he could fight. Billy Coon could fight much better in
water than on land.
There was not much chance of meeting Nero the Hound after dark, for Nero
stayed by the Rambling Old Barn at night to keep away prowlers. Shaggy the
Wolf was probably in the Black Forest looking for Snowshoe the Hare, and
Ranger the Coyote was no doubt hunting Snowshoe's big cousin Jack the Jumper
in the Wide-Wide Pasture.
And so Billy Coon felt quite safe. He really played along the Marshy Bank
longer than he should have done, for it was getting daylight before he was
halfway around. It was almost time for the Laughing Yellow Sun to peep over
the eastern hills just as the Smiling Moon was nodding behind the treetops
in the Black Forest.
"I believe I'd better find a Hiding Place and go to sleep,"
said Billy Coon to himself; "then I can finish looking for the Fluffy
Ducklets to-morrow night."
It did not take him long to find a Hiding Place. He had explored the Old
Homestead so much he knew where every one was located. In the Woodlot, not
far from the home of Virginia Opossum, he found a Warm Hollow Log. No one
was living in it, except that sometimes Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit ran into it
to hide.
In a little while Billy Coon was sound asleep, and dreaming about chasing
Fluffy Ducklets through Tumbled Bulrushes at the Duck Pond.
No doubt Trailer the Mink was dreaming about the same thing in his Hidden
Den near the bank of Little River. Do you suppose either of their dreams
really happened?
WHAT'S
NEW? 
