But the sixth was a weakUng. He had been 

 hurt, — by a hawk perhaps, or a big trout, or 

 a mink ; or he had swallowed a bone ; or 

 maybe he was just a weak little fellow with 

 no accounting for it. Whenever the brood 

 were startled, he struggled bravely a little 

 while to keep up ; then he always fell behind. 

 The mother would come back, and urge and 

 help him ; but it was of little use; He was 

 not strong enough ; and the last glimpse I 

 always had of them was a foamy wake dis- 

 appearing round a distant point, while far 

 astern was a ripple, where the little fellow 

 still paddled away, doing his best patheti- 

 cally. 



One afternoon the canoe glided round a 

 point and ran almost up to the brood before 

 they saw it, giving them a terrible fright. 

 Away they went on the instant, putter^ putter, 

 putter, lifting themselves almost out of water 

 with the swift-moving feet and tiny wings. 

 The mother bird took wing, returned and 

 crossed the bow of the canoe, back and forth, 

 with loud quackings. The weakling was 

 behind as usual ; and in a sudden spirit of 



209 



'^uaseekho 



