72 ' Idle Days in Pata(^onia. 



he reached me. Fortunately he liad a long distance 

 to swim, and before he reached land I Ijegan to 

 reflect that if i received him roughly, with blows, 

 I would never get the geese — those t'hree magnifi- 

 cent white and maroon-coloured geese that had 

 cost me so much laljour to kill. Yes, I thought, it 

 ■will be betti r to dissemble and bi' diplomatic and 

 receive him graciously, and tliiui perhaps he "will be 

 persuaded to go again and fetch the geese. In the 

 midst of these plans Majijr airived, and sat down 

 facing me witliout shaking himself, evidi'utly Ise- 

 ginning to exp:.'rience some qualms of conscience. 



"Major," said 1, addressing him in a mild gentle 

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

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

 you — I am going to give yon another chance, old 

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

 fetch me the geese.'' With that I pushed liim 

 gently towards the water. ]\[ajor understood me, 

 and went iu, although in a somewhat perfunctory 

 manner, aud swam back to the island. On reaching 

 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. \W{\\ what intense 

 anxiety I waited his decision ! 



At last he appeared to have made up his mind ; 

 he stood up, shook liimself liriskly and — will it be 

 believed ? — began to woi'ry the geese again ! He 

 was not merely playing with them now, and did not 

 scatter the feathers abont and bark, but bit aud tore 

 them in a truculent mood. When he had torn them 



