are they not the
prettiest ducks one could possibly see? They are all like their father;
the bad fellow never comes to see me."

"Let me see the egg which will not burst," said the old visitor.
"Believe me, it is a turkey's egg. I was once cheated in that way, and
had much anxiety and trouble with the young ones, for they are afraid of
the water. I could not get them to venture in. I quacked and clucked,
but it was no use. Let me see the egg. Yes, that's a turkey egg! Let it
lie there, and come and 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. "Piep! piep!" said the little one, and
crept forth. It was very large and very ugly. The Duck looked at it.

"It's a very large duckling," said she; "none of the others look like
that: can it really be a turkey chick? Now we shall soon find it out. It
must go into the water, even if I have to thrust it in myself."

The next day the weather was splendidly bright, and the sun shone on all
the green trees. The Mother-Duck went down to the water with all her
little ones. Splash she jumped into the water. "Quack! quack!" she said,
and one duckling after another plunged in. The water closed over their
heads, but they came up in an instant, and swam capitally; their legs
went of themselves, and there they were all in the water. The ugly gray
Duckling swam with them.

"No, it's not a turkey," said she; "look how well it can use its legs,
and how upright it holds itself. It is my own child! On the whole it's
quite pretty, if one looks at it rightly. Quack! quack! come with me,
and I'll lead you out into the great world, and present you in the
poultry-yard; but keep close to me, so that no one may tread on you, and
take care of the cats!"

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

"See, that's how 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 bow your heads
before the old Duck yonder. She's the grandest of her tribe; 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 parti