70 Idle Days tn Patagonia. 
sounds strange, but never shall I forget those 
delicious early Patagonian breakfasts. 
Now the geese, although abundant at that season, 
were excessively wary, and hard to kill; and as no 
other person went after them, although all grumbled 
loudly when there was no goose for breakfast, I was 
always very glad to get a shot at them when out 
with the 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 
without disturbing them. Fortunately they were 
in a great state of excitement, keeping up a loud 
incessant clamour, as if something very important 
to the upland geese was being discussed, and in the 
general agitation they neglected their safety. More 
geese in small flocks were continually arriving from 
various directions, increasing the noise and excite- 
ment; and by dint of much going on hands and 
knees and crawling over rough ground, I managed 
to get within seventy yards of them and fired into 
the middle of the flock. The birds rose up with a 
great rush of wings and noise of screams, leaving 
five of their number floundering about in the 
shallow water. Major was quickly after them, but 
two of the five were not badly wounded, and soon 
swam away beyond his reach ; to the others he was 
guided by the tremendous flapping they made in 
the water 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 
