bushes.

"That is because I am so ugly," thought the duckling.

He flew on until he came to a moor where some wild ducks lived. They
laughed at him and swam away from him.

Some wild geese came by, and they laughed at the duckling, too. Just
then some guns went bang! bang! The hunters were all around. The hunting
dogs came splash! into the swamp, and one dashed close to the duckling.
The dog looked at him and went on.

"Well, I can be thankful for that," sighed he. "I am so ugly that even
the dog will not bite me."

When all was quiet, the duckling started out again. A storm was raging,
and he found shelter in a poor hut. Here lived an old woman with her cat
and her hen. The old woman could not see well, and she thought he was a
fat duck. She kept him three weeks, hoping that she would get some duck
eggs, but the duckling did not lay.

After a while the fresh air and sunshine streamed in at the open door,
and the duckling longed to be out on the water. The cat and the hen
laughed when he told them of his wish.

"You must be crazy," said the hen. "I do not wish to swim. The cat does
not; and I am sure our mistress does not."

"You do not understand me," said the duckling. "I will go out into the
wide world."

"Yes, do go," said the hen.

And the duckling went away. He swam on the water and dived, but still
all the animals passed him by because he was so ugly; and the poor
duckling was lonesome.

III

Now the winter came, and soon it was very cold. Snow and sleet fell, and
the ugly duckling had a very unhappy time.

One evening a whole flock of handsome white birds rose out of the
bushes. They were swans. They gave a strange cry, and spreading their
great wings, flew away to warmer lands and open lakes.

The ugly duckling felt quite strange, and he gave such a loud cry that
he frightened himself. He could not forget those beautiful happy birds.
He knew not where they had gone, but he wished he could have gone with
them.

The winter grew cold--very cold. The duckling swam about in the water to
keep from freezing, but every night the hole in which he swam became
smaller and smaller. At last he was frozen fast in the ice.

Early the next morning a farmer found the duckling and took him to the
farmhouse. There in a warm room the duckling came to himself again. The
children wished to play with him, but he was afraid of them.

In his terror he fluttered into the milk pan and splashed the milk about
th