Far, far out on a great prairie there is a wide river which flows lazily between its banks, apparently¹ going nowhere at all, but in reality bearing steadily² toward the rising sun and the deep valley where another river rolls mightily³ to the southward and the ocean. The prairie is not level like a floor, but rises and falls in ridges⁴ that are sometimes miles apart, and between these rolling heights of the grassy⁵ land are unnumbered little lakes: bodies of sparkling water hidden in the folds of the land.
 
It was over this vast stretch of plains that the great birds of the Arctic were winging their way one early morning in the late summer, for they had started to their winter quarters in good season.
 
"Honk⁶, honk!" the leader of the birds kept calling; and as he trumpeted⁷, those in the rear would answer him, for even as they flew they had much to talk of, and just now the whole flock of them were discussing the subject of breakfast.
 
For they had been flying ever since the peep of dawn, and had come through mists and the cold upper air, covering a hundred miles of their journey before the sun really bathed the plains in light, and they were looking for the spot which was familiar to them as a good one for breakfast.
 
Lower and lower they flew as the leader kept signaling to them, until at last the wedge-shaped formation in which they traveled came like a pointed⁸ kite in long, sliding descents to within a few hundred feet of the earth.
 
They could see, of course, all the lay of the land for many miles around; but they were particular geese, a trifle fussy¹⁰ as you might say, and by no means would any one of the many little lakes suit their fancy. They were flying toward one spot out of all others which could afford just what they wanted for a meal.
 
At last they apparently settled down to a definite direction for they ceased to describe the slanting¹¹ circles, and in one long slide through the air, their wings stretched perfectly¹² motionless, they coasted to the ground.
 
The deep grasses almost hid them from view, but the little people who lived there saw them, and it was with great surprise that their friends turned from their feeding and pluming¹³ and bathing to exclaim over this sudden arrival.
 
There were Mr. and Mrs. Wild Duck, and their beautiful brood of little ones, and there were many of Mrs. Prairie Chicken's family, as well as crowds and crowds of little Redbirds and many of the handsome Kingfishers, all chattering¹⁴ at once over an ample breakfast table. For there was a solid growth of wild celery around this lake, a bed of plants so dense¹⁵ that it was for all the world like the heaviest moss¹⁶. And of all things beloved by the wild fowl¹⁷, this juicy and spicy¹⁸ celery is the favorite.
 
The leader of the newcomers looked about him. That was the first thing for him to do, under all circumstances; for he was the oldest and the wisest of the flock and as a watchman he was sagacious beyond all others in his family. While his mate and all the others fell to tearing at the tender shoots of celery, scarcely paying attention to anything but their voracious¹⁹ appetites, he was standing²⁰ with head erect²¹ and eyes turning in all directions to be sure of no untoward²² sign. He could see and even scent⁹ danger a long way off.
 
Apparently he was satisfied for the moment, for he fell to and nibbled²³ as the rest were doing, with his head almost buried in the rich tangle²⁴ of celery. And as he progressed in his feasting, he came closer and closer to the edge of the lake, until suddenly he was just above a nest that lay almost entirely²⁵ hidden from view.
 
It was the home of little Mrs. Grebe, the very handsomest and the shyest of the people dwelling²⁶ here. She was right there by her nest of sticks, which literally²⁷ floated on the water, and her shining neck of velvety²⁸ feathers and her brown and silvery body were strikingly beautiful in contrast to the deep green of the rushes and reeds.
 
"Why, my dear friend!" the noble Wild Goose exclaimed. "How you surprised me! Though of course I knew you lived here. This is not the first year we have visited this place, by any means, and yet, when we flew North last spring and stopped here I do not remember seeing you."
 
"Oh, Mr. Goose," came in quick reply, "you can't imagine the misfortunes that have overtaken me; and it was on their account that I was not here in the early summer when you passed over."
 
With that Mrs. Grebe hung her dainty head, which was beautifully tufted about the ears, giving her the look of wearing a jaunty²⁹ cap.

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