the young ones, for they are afraid of the
water. Must I say it to you? I could not make them go in. I quacked, and
I clacked, but it was no use. Let me see the egg. Yes, that's a turkey's
egg. Let it lie there, and do you teach the other children to swim."

"I think I will sit on it a little longer," said the Duck. "I've sat so
long now that I can sit a few days more."

"Just as you please," said the old Duck; and she went away.

At last the great egg burst. "Pip! pip!" said the little one, and crept
forth. He was so big and ugly. The Duck looked at him.

"It's a very large Duckling," said she. "None of the others looks like
that: it really must be a turkey chick! Well, we shall soon find out.
Into the water shall he go, even if I have to push him in."

II--HOW THE DUCKLING WAS TREATED AT HOME

The next day it was bright, beautiful weather; the sun shone on all the
green burdocks. The Mother-Duck, with all her family, went down to the
canal. Splash! she jumped into the water. "Quack! quack!" she said, and
one duckling after another plumped in. The water closed over their
heads, but they came up in an instant, and swam off finely; their legs
went of themselves, and they were all in the water; even the ugly gray
Duckling swam with them.

"No, it's not a turkey," said she: "look how well he uses his legs, how
straight he holds himself. It is my own child! On the whole he's quite
pretty, when one looks at him rightly. Quack! quack! come now with me,
and I'll lead you out into the world, and present you in the duck-yard;
but keep close to me all the time, so that no one may tread on you, and
look out for the cats."

And so they came into the duck-yard. There was a terrible row going on
in there, for two families were fighting about an eel's head, and so the
cat got it.

"See, that's the way it goes in the world!" said the Mother-Duck; and
she whetted her beak, for she too wanted the eel's head. "Only use your
legs," she said. "See that you can bustle about, and bend your necks
before the old Duck yonder. She's the grandest of all here; she's of
Spanish blood--that's why she's so fat; and do you see? she has a red
rag around her leg; that's something very, very fine, and the greatest
mark of honor a duck can have: it means that one does not want to lose
her, and that she's known by the animals and by men too. Hurry!
hurry!--don't turn in your toes, a well brought-up duck turns it's toes
quite out, just like fat