THE GOOSING 223 



solid mass of geese, the sides a constant stream of 

 parties, large or small, running away like lamplighters 

 for all that the sleighs might do to stop them. 



The very earth seemed geese, and for that matter 

 the sky too. For there never was an interval when 

 geese were not rising, and instead of going right away 

 at once, as one would have looked for geese to do, they 

 hung about the spot, circling round and rising higher 

 and higher till they lost themselves in the mist. I could 

 never have believed it possible that so many geese could 

 be had on one small island. 



And now I became aware that there were geese with 

 us. Invisibly somehow they had arrived ; but there 

 they were, slipping along in the old way, heads out and 

 low, and squatting in the stuff. 



Exactly at nine o'clock — five hours from the begin- 

 ning — the advance guard f t ne swimming" geese came 

 round the corner of the creek. It was one solid phalanx 

 of brent. They seemed to be by far the fastest swim- 

 mers. For behind them at a considerable distance 

 followed a smaller lot of grey geese, some swimming, 

 some running along the edge. 



Then with one accord nearly all these grey geese 

 rose — five hundred perhaps there were. 



Uano and I were lying low in the grass about fifty 

 yards from the water-side ; but for all that I contrived by 

 looking over a little mound to keep an eye on the scene. 



For some little while the geese delayed as though 



