UNCLE SAM 



No; Uncle Sam knew nothing about such matters, and 

 so he busied his mind with the things he did know, and 

 was not sad. 



He knew where the swamp was, and in the swamp the 

 ducks were thick. They were good-tasting ducks, and 

 there were so many of them that hunters with guns and 

 dogs gathered there from all the country round. And 

 the hunters wounded some birds that the dogs did not 

 get, and these could not fly off at migrating time. 



Now, Uncle Sam and his family found the wounded 

 ducks easy to catch, and they were nearly as well 

 pleased with them for food as with fish. Of course their 

 feathers had to be picked off first. No eagle would eat a 

 duck with his feathers on, any more than you would. 

 And Uncle Sam knew how to strip off the feathers as 

 well as anyone. 



So it was interesting in the swamp, and Uncle Sam 

 and Aunt Samantha and the twins were satisfied with 

 hunting there when they were not fishing in the lake. 



One day, when Uncle Sam went hunting, he flew near 

 a field where there was a little lamb ; and being a strong 

 and powerful eagle, he was able to carry it away. Per- 

 haps he felt very proud as he flew off with so much food 

 at one time. Such strength is something to be pleased 

 with when it is put to the right use, and getting food 

 is as important for an eagle's life as it is for a man's. 



95 



