Sammy shook his head. "I'm going to tell her when she comes back
here to-night," he explained. "I was afraid if I told her before
then she would fly straight to him and perhaps get them both in
trouble."

"Quite right, Sammy! Quite right!" Peter exclaimed. "I wouldn't
have thought of that. My, won't she be happy when you do tell her!
I wonder what she'll say and what she'll do. I'm going to stay right
here so as to see her when she hears the good news. Here comes your
cousin, Blacky the Crow. Does he know yet?"

"No," replied Sammy, "but I'm going to tell him as soon as he gets
here." They watched Blacky draw nearer and nearer, and as soon
as he was within hearing Sammy shouted the news. "Caw, caw, caw,"
replied Blacky, hurrying a little faster.

As soon as he reached the Big Hickory-tree, Sammy told the whole
story over again, and Blacky was quite as glad as the others. While
they waited for Mrs. Quack he told how he had hunted and hunted
along the farther bank of the Big River and how he had seen the
hunters with their terrible guns hiding and had warned Mrs. Quack
just where each one was.

Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun was getting ready to go to bed behind
the Purple Hills and the Black Shadows were beginning to creep out
over the Green Meadows before Mrs. Quack came. In fact, Sammy Jay
and Blacky were getting very uneasy. It was almost bed-time for
them, for neither of them dared stay out after dark. They had almost
made up their minds to leave Peter to tell the news when they saw