emperor, puffed
himself up like a vessel in full sail, made for him, and gobbled and
gobbled till he became quite red in the face. The poor duckling was at
his wit's end, and did not know which way to turn; he was in despair
because he was so ugly and the butt of the whole duckyard.

So the first day passed, and afterwards matters grew worse and worse.
The poor duckling was chased and hustled by all of them; even his
brothers and sisters ill-used him, and they were always saying, "If
only the cat would get hold of you, you hideous object!" Even his
mother said, "I wish to goodness you were miles away." The ducks bit
him, the hens pecked him, and the girl who fed them kicked him aside.

Then he ran off and flew right over the hedge, where the little birds
flew up into the air in a fright.

"That is because I am so ugly," thought the poor duckling, shutting
his eyes, but he ran on all the same. Then he came to a great marsh
where the wild ducks lived; he was so tired and miserable that he
stayed there the whole night.

In the morning the wild ducks flew up to inspect their new comrade.

"What sort of a creature are you?" they inquired, as the duckling
turned from side to side and greeted them as well as he could. "You
are frightfully ugly," said the wild ducks; "but that does not matter
to us, so long as you do not marry into our family!" Poor fellow! he
had no thought of marriage; all he wanted was permission to lie among
the rushes, and to drink a little of the marsh water.

He stayed there two whole days; then two wild geese came, or, rather,
two wild ganders; they were not long out of the shell, and therefore
rather pert.

"I say, comrade," they said, "you are so ugly that we have taken quite
a fancy to you; will you join us and be a bird of passage? There is
another marsh close by, and there are some charming wild geese there;
all sweet young ladies, who can say quack! You are ugly enough to make
your fortune among them." Just at that moment, bang! bang! was heard
up above, and both the wild geese fell dead among the reeds, and the
water turned blood red. Bang! bang! went the guns, and whole flocks of
wild geese flew up from the rushes and the shot peppered among them
again.

There was a grand shooting-party, and the sportsmen lay hidden round
the marsh; some even sat on the branches of the trees which overhung
the water; the blue smoke rose like clouds among the dark trees and
swept over the pool.

The