we put an end to his goings on, before he 

 half kills somebody. " 



" Boys, I beg of you not to shoot! It will 

 distress Mrs. B - far more than anything 

 the goose will be likely to do to annoy us. " 



One of the brothers had raised his gun to 

 take aim at the defiant bird, who was sailing 

 along on the water and giving vent to his 

 ill-temper in harsh, conking cries, but at 

 this plea of papa's he lowered, the gun again, 

 looking abashed and puzzled at the awk- 

 ward predicament he was getting himself 

 and good neighbors into by his attempt to 

 tame this wild fowl of the air, since they 

 would not consent to his death. Just then, 

 as the boat was rolling around in the strong, 

 swift eddies, an oar slipped from the row- 

 lock; the young man made a sudden move 

 to save it, but in so doing dragged his 

 weapon across the gunwale Bang! Splash ! 

 A shower of shot ploughed up the water 

 around old Billy Honks, glancing dan- 

 gerously near the bluff where papa was 

 standing. 



Now Billy Honks knew, well enough, 

 what a gun was, and when he saw his best 

 friends handling one so carelessly as to 



193 



