water so noiselessly,
you would have said it was a shadow sinking. Then he rushed forward
like a swordfish, down there in the brown glow, and darted up right
into the game of tag.

"He had aimed his cruel thrust at the Water Baby who, at that
particular moment, was IT. But, in that same second, as luck would
have it, IT caught the one he was pursuing, nipped his tail, and
doubled back like lightning to escape getting nipped in return. So,
you see, Dagger Bill missed his aim. That javelin of his beak just
grazed the brown tip of IT'S nose, scaring him to death, but nothing
more."

"Ah-h!' breathed the Babe, relieved in his feelings.

"In a wink, of course," went on Uncle Andy, "all the Water Babies, with
a wild slapping of tails on the water to warn each other, were
scurrying desperately for the nest. Some dived as deep as possible;
but others lost their wits and swam on the surface. A moment more, and
Dagger Bill, who had sunk at once, darted up again, and this time his
terrible beak pierced right through a little swimmer's body, severing
the backbone."

"Oh-h-h!" murmured the Babe, drawing in his breath sharply.

"I can't help it," said Uncle Andy. "But that's the way things go.
Well, now, Dagger Bill rose right out on top of the water, as a bird
should, and swam toward shore with the victim hanging limply from his
beak. But every old muskrat, along the bank or around the waterhouse,
had seen and had understood. Those folks that think muskrats and other
wild creatures have sense, would have said it was all planned out
ahead--it happened so quick. Every muskrat dived like a flash into the
water and disappeared.

"Dagger Bill was coolly making for shore, not dreaming that anybody
would dare interfere with him, when suddenly his black head went up in
the air, his great beak opened with a hoarse squawk, and he dropped the
dead Water Baby. His dark wings flopped, and his tail was drawn under
so violently that he nearly turned over backward. It seemed to him
that nothing less than the Great Sturgeon, which lived far down the
river, must have grabbed him by the feet."

"Wish it had been!" said the Babe.

"Just you wait!" said Uncle Andy. "Well, the next minute he looked
down, and, lo and behold! all the water underneath him was alive with
swimming muskrats, darting up and closing in upon him. Three or four
already had their sharp teeth in his feet. He was mad and frightened,
I can tell you.

"He s