/O Idle /hrys ni Pa/ai^nnia. 



sounds strange, Init never shall I forg'et tliose 

 delicious carh^ Patagoniau breakfasts. 



Now the geese, altliougli abnndant at that season, 

 were excessively war}', nnd hard to kill; and as no 

 other j^erson went after them, althongh all grumbled 

 loudly when there was no goose for breakfast, I was 

 always very glad to get a shot at them when out 

 ^vith tlie gun. 



One day I saw a great flock congregated on a low 

 mud bank in one of the lagoons, and immediately 

 began to manceuvre to get within shooting distance 

 witliont disturlhng tliem. Fortunately they were 

 in a great state of excitement, keeping up a loud 

 incessant clamour, as if something \evj important 

 to the upland geese was Ix'ing discussed, and in the 

 general agitation they neglected their safety. More 

 geese in small flocks -were continually arriving from 

 various directio:is, increasing the noise and excite- 

 ment ; and l)y dint of much going on hands and 

 knees and crawling over rougli gronnd, I managed 

 to get within seventy yards of them and tired into 

 the middle of the flock. The Ijirds I'OSe np with a 

 areat rush of wiiuj'S and noise of sci'eams, leavina; 

 five of their number floundering abont in the 

 shallow water. Major was f[uickly after them, but 

 two of the five were not badly wounded, and soon 

 swam away beyond his reach ; to the others lie was 

 guided l.)y the tremendous flapping they made in 

 the ^vater in their death struggles ; and one by one 

 he conveyed them, not to his expectant master, but 

 to a small island about a hundred and twenty yards 



