& & :& is^is^ii 



The Mother Teal and the Overland Route 



It was just as impossible to hurry up the 

 hatching as it was to bring rain, and the last 

 few days of the mother's task were, as she had 

 feared, in view of a wide mud-flat where once 

 had been the pond. 



They all came out at last. The little china 

 tombs were broken one by one, disclosing each 

 a little Teal: ten little balls of mottled down, 

 ten little cushions of yellow plush, ten little 

 golden caskets with jewel eyes, enshrining each 

 a priceless spark of life. 



But fate had been so harsh. It was now a mat- 

 ter of life and death to reach a pond. Oh, why 

 did not Old Sol give the downlings three days of 

 paddling to strengthen on before enforcing this 

 dreadful journey overland? The mother must 

 face the problem and face it now, or lose them all. 



The Ducklings do not need to eat for several 

 hours after they are hatched. Their bodies are 

 yet sustained by the provender of their last 

 abode. But once that is used they must eat. 

 The nearest pond was half a mile away. And 

 the great questions were : Can these baby 

 Ducks hold out that long? Can they escape 

 the countless dangers of the road? For not a 



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