There was n't a thing to show that anything so dreadful had happened . Perhaps Farmer Brown 's boy had missed when he shot at those Ducks . Blacky shook his head and decided to say nothing to anybody about Farmer Brown 's boy and that terrible gun . You may be sure that early in the afternoon he was perched in the top of his favorite tree over by the Big River . His heart sank , just as on the afternoon before , when he saw Farmer Brown 's boy with his terrible gun trudging across the Green Meadows to the Big River . Instead of going to the same hiding place he made a new one farther down . Then came the hunter a little earlier than usual . Instead of stopping at his blind , he walked straight to the blind Farmer Brown 's boy had first made . Of course , there was no one there . The hunter looked both glad and disappointed . He went back to his own blind and sat down , and while he watched for the coming of the Ducks , he also watched that other blind to see if the unknown hunter of the night before would appear . Of course he did n't , and when at last the hunter saw the Ducks coming , he was sure that this time he would get some of them . But the same thing happened as on the night before . Just as those Ducks were almost near enough , a gun went `` bang , bang , '' and away went the Ducks . They did n't come back again , and once more a disappointed hunter went home without any . The next afternoon he was on hand very early . He was there before Farmer Brown 's boy arrived , and when he did come , of course the hunter saw him . He walked down to where Farmer Brown 's boy was hiding in the rushes . `` Hello ! '' said he .
`` Are you the one who was shooting here last night and the night XXXXX ? ''
Blacky Brown Ducks Meadows River afternoon before first heart tree