Zbyshko wondered at this; for at that season birds had already departed.
"This is a swamp that never freezes," said Yagenka; "ducks winter here, but even in the lake water freezes only at the shore in time of great frost. See how it steams!"
Zbyshko looked through the willows and saw before him, as it were, a cloud of mist; that was Odstayani Lake.
Yagenka put her finger to her lips again, and after a while they arrived. First the girl climbed in silence a large old weeping-willow bent over the water completely. Zbyshko climbed another, and for a long time they lay in silence without seeing anything in front of them because of the mist, hearing only the complaining call of mews above their heads. At last the wind shook the willows with their yellow leaves, and disclosed the sunken surface of the lake, wrinkled somewhat by the breeze, and unoccupied.
"Is there nothing to be seen?" whispered Zbyshko.
"Nothing to be seen. Be quiet!"
After a while the breeze fell and perfect silence followed. On the surface of the water appeared a dark head, then a second; but at last, and much nearer, a bulky beaver let himself down from the bank to the water, with a freshly cut limb in his mouth, and began to swim through the duckweed and cane, keeping his jaws in the air, and pushing the limb before him. Zbyshko, lying on a tree somewhat lower than Yagenka, saw all at once how her elbow moved silently, and how her head bent forward; evidently she was aiming at the animal, which suspected no danger, and was swimming not farther than half a shot distant, toward the open surface of the lake.
At last the string of the crossbow groaned, and at the same moment Yagenka cried,—
"Struck! struck!"
Zbyshko climbed higher in a twinkle of an eye, and looked through the branches at the water. The beaver was diving, and coming to the surface, plunging, and showing at moments his belly more than his back.
"He has got it well! He will be quiet soon!" said Yagenka.
She had told the truth, for the movements of the animal grew fainter and fainter, and at the end of one Hail Mary he came to the surface belly upward,
"I will go to bring him," said Zbyshko.
