70 IDLE DAYS IN PATAGONIA 



me without shaking himself, evidently beginning 

 to experience some qualms of conscience. 



11 Major," said I, addressing him in a mild gen- 

 tle voice, and patting his wet black head, "you 

 have treated me very badly, but I am not going to 

 punish you I 'm going to give you another chance, 

 old dog. Now, Major, good and obedient dog, go 

 and fetch me the geese. ' ' With that I pushed him 

 gently towards the water. Major understood me, 

 and went in, although in a somewhat perfunctory 

 manner, and swam back to the island. On reach- 

 ing it he went up to the geese, examined them 

 briefly with his nose and sat down to deliberate. 

 I called him, but he paid no attention. With 

 what intense anxiety I waited his decision. 



At last he appeared to have made up his mind ; 

 he stood up, shook himself briskly and will it be 

 believed? began to worry the geese again! He 

 was not merely playing with them now, and did 

 not scatter the feathers about and bark, but bit 

 and tore them in a truculent mood. When he had 

 torn them pretty well to pieces he swam back once 

 more, but this time he came to land at a long dis- 

 tance from me, knowing, I suppose, that I was now 

 past speaking mildly to him; and, skulking 

 through the reeds, he sneaked home by himself. 

 Later, when I arrived at the house, he carefully 

 kept out of my way. 



I believe that when he went after the geese the 

 second time he really did mean to bring them out, 

 but finding them so much mutilated he thought 



