Instantly Dusky turned and began to climb up , up , up , the other Ducks following him until , as they passed over the hidden hunter , they were so high it was useless for him to shoot . He did put up his gun and aim at them , but he did n't shoot . You see , he did n't want to frighten them so that they would not return . Then the flock turned and started off in the direction from which they had come , and in a few minutes they were merely a black line disappearing far down the Big River . Blacky headed straight for the Green Forest , chuckling as he flew . He knew that those Ducks would not return until after dark . He had saved them this time , and he was so happy he did n't even notice the Black Shadows . And the hunter stood up and shook his fist at Blacky the Crow . CHAPTER XXIII : Blacky Calls Farmer Brown 's Boy Blacky awoke in the best of spirits . Late the afternoon before he had saved Dusky the Black Duck and his flock from a hunter with a terrible gun . He was n't quite sure whether he was most happy in having saved those Ducks by warning them just in time , or in having spoiled the plans of that hunter . He hates a hunter with a terrible gun , does Blacky . For that matter , so do all the little people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows . So Blacky started out for his breakfast in high spirits . After breakfast , he flew over to the Big River to see if Dusky the Black Duck was feeding in the rushes along the shore . Dusky was n't , and Blacky guessed that he and his flock had been so frightened by that warning that they had kept away from there the night before . `` But they 'll come back after a night or so , '' muttered Blacky , as he alighted in the top of a tree , the same tree from which he had watched the hunter the afternoon before . `` They 'll come back , and so will that hunter . If he sees me around again , he 'll try to shoot me . I 've done all I can do .
Anyway , XXXXX ought to have sense enough to be suspicious of this place after that warning .
Blacky Brown Dusky Forest Green Meadows XXIII before minutes night