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 . At last Mr. Quack felt that not even to gratify his curiosity would it be safe to wait longer . He prepared to spring into the air , knowing that Mrs. Quack would follow him . It was just then that a funny little sound reached him . It was half snort , half cough , as if some one had sniffed some water up his nose . There was something familiar about that sound . Mr. Quack decided to wait a few minutes longer . `` I 'll wait , '' thought Mr. Quack , `` until that thing , whatever it is , comes out of those Black Shadows into the moonlight . Somehow I have a feeling that we are in no danger . ''
So Mr. and Mrs. XXXXX waited and watched .
Beaver Forest Paddy Quack River minutes pond second stalks trust