e poor little thing scarcely knew
what to do. He was quite distressed, because he was so ugly, and
because he was the jest of the poultry-yard.

So passed the first day, and afterwards matters grew worse and
worse--the poor Duckling was scorned by all. Even his brothers and
sisters behaved unkindly, and were constantly saying, "May the Cat take
you, you nasty creature!" The mother said, "Ah, if you were only far
away!" The Ducks bit him, the Hens pecked him, and the girl who fed the
poultry kicked him.

He ran through the hedge, and the little birds in the bushes were
terrified. "That is because I am so ugly," thought the Duckling,
shutting his eyes, but he ran on. At last he came to a wide moor,
where lived some Wild Ducks; here he lay the whole night, very tired
and comfortless. In the morning the Wild Ducks flew up, and saw their
new companion. "Pray who are you?" asked they; and our little Duckling
turned himself in all directions, and greeted them as politely as
possible.

"You are really uncommonly ugly!" said the Wild Ducks. "However, that
does not matter to us, provided you do not marry into our families."
Poor thing! he had never thought of marrying; he only begged permission
to lie among the reeds, and drink the water of the moor.

[Illustration]

There he lay for two whole days. On the third day there came two Wild
Geese, or rather Ganders, who had not been long out of their egg-shells,
which accounts for their impertinence.

"Hark ye," said they; "you are so ugly that we like you very well. Will
you come with us and be a bird of passage? On another moor, not far
from this, are some dear, sweet Wild Geese, as lovely creatures as have
ever said 'Hiss, hiss.' You are truly in the way to make your fortune,
ugly as you are."

Bang! a gun went off all at once, and both Wild Geese were stretched
dead among the reeds; the water became red with blood. Bang! a gun went
off again. Whole flocks of Wild Geese flew up from among the reeds, and
another report followed.

There was a grand hunting party. The hunters lay in ambush all around;
some were even sitting in the trees, whose huge branches stretched far
over the moor. The blue smoke rose through the thick trees like a mist,
and was dispersed as it fell over the water. The hounds splashed about
in the mud, the reeds and rushes bent in all directions.

How frightened the poor little Duck was! He turned his head, thinking
to hide it under his wings, and in a