Suddenly a little splash out in the Big River caught Mr. Quack’s quick ear.  As Mrs. Quack brought her head up out of the water, Mr. Quack warned her to keep quiet.  Noiselessly they swam among the brown stalks until they could see out across the Big River.  There was another little splash out there in the middle.  It wasn’t the splash made by a fish; it was a splash made by something much bigger than any fish.  Presently they made out a silver line moving towards them from the Black Shadows.  They knew exactly what it meant.  It meant that some one was out there in the Big River moving towards them.  Could it be a boat containing a hunter?

With their necks stretched high, Mr. and Mrs. Quack watched.  They were ready to take to their strong wings the instant they discovered danger.  But they did not want to fly until they were sure that it was danger approaching.  They were startled, very much startled.

Presently they made out what looked like the branch of a tree moving over the water towards them.  That was queer, very queer.  Mr. Quack said so.  Mrs. Quack said so.  Both were growing more and more suspicious.  They couldn’t understand it at all, and it is always best to be suspicious of things you cannot understand.  Mr. and Mrs. Quack half lifted their wings to fly.

CHAPTER XXX:  The Mystery Is Solved

It was very mysterious.  Yes, Sir, it was very mysterious.  Mr. Quack thought so.  Mrs. Quack thought so.  There, out in the Big River, in the midst of the Black Shadows, was something which looked like the branch of a tree.  But instead of moving down the river, as the branch of a tree would if it were floating, this was coming straight across the river as if it were swimming.  But how could the branch of a tree swim?  That was too much for Mr. Quack.  It was too much for Mrs. Quack.

So they sat perfectly still among the brown stalks of the wild rice along the edge of the Big River, and not for a second did they take their eyes from that strange thing moving towards them.  They were ready to spring into the air and trust to their swift wings the instant they should detect danger.  But they did not want to fly unless they had to.  Besides, they were curious.  They were very curious indeed.  They wanted to find out what that mysterious thing moving through the water towards them was.

So Mr. and Mrs. Quack watched that thing that looked like a swimming branch draw nearer and nearer, and the nearer it drew the more they were puzzled, and the more curious they felt.  If it had been the pond of Paddy the Beaver instead of the Big River, they would have thought it was Paddy swimming with a branch for his winter food pile.  But Paddy the Beaver was way back in his own pond, deep in the Green Forest, and they knew it.  So this thing became more and more of a mystery.  The nearer it came, the more nervous and anxious they grew, and at the same time the greater became their curiosity.