Chapter I

"Quack, quack, quack!" said Mrs. Duck, as she walked along the little path through the meadow.

"Quack, quack, quack! Follow me, little ducks."

One, two, three, four, five, six little yellow ducks waddled after their mother along the little path through the meadow.

Bunny Rabbit was sitting under a tree, fast asleep, and he did not hear them coming.

He was dreaming of flying away with the little birds.

He could fly high up over the trees and over the houses.

Oh, it was great fun! All the other rabbits were sitting on the ground watching him.

"Good-by," he called to Billy.

Then he waked up, and he was not under the oak tree.

"Quack, quack, quack!" said Mrs. Duck. "What are you talking about, Bunny? I cannot see Billy anywhere."

"I was dreaming of flying," said Bunny. "I said good-by to Billy because I was going far away."

"Quack, quack!" said Mrs. Duck. "I should like to see you fly. You can't even swim."

"Perhaps I could," said Bunny, "if you would teach me."

"Come with me," said Mrs. Duck "I am going to teach my little ones to swim, and I will teach you, too."

"Quack, quack!" said all the little ducks, as they waddled after their mother.

"Come and see how soon we will learn to swim."

Bunny did not like to think that these little ducks could do something that he could not do.

"I have four feet," he said to himself, "and they have only two. I am sure I can do what they can do."

So Bunny jumped up and followed the ducks along the path through the meadow.

In a few minutes they came to the brook.

The water looked cool to the little ducks.

But the water looked very wet to Bunny.

Mrs. Duck stood on the bank for one minute to talk to her ducklings.

"Follow me," she said, "and do what I do. Swimming is the easiest thing in the world.

"When I count three we will all go into the water together."

"I think I will wait and see how you do it," said Bunny. "That will be the best way for me to learn."

So Bunny sat down on the bank, and the little ducks stood in a row behind their mother.

"Now," said Mrs. Duck, "one, two, three,--go!"

At the word "go" they all waddled into the water.

Paddle, paddle, paddle! Mrs. Duck made her feet go so fast that she was soon in the middle of the brook.

Paddle, paddle, paddle, went all the little ducks, and they were swimming after their mother.

"Oh, what fun this is!" said the littlest duck.

"How cool the water is," said the biggest duck.

"Come in, Bunny," called all the ducks. "Swimming is the easiest thing in the world."

"Why don't you try it, Bunny?" asked Mr. Green Frog, who was sitting on a rock close by.

"The water is cool, and swimming is the easiest thing in the world."