eating some grass which Ted had pulled and placed there for him.

"It's a sort of bait, like a piece of cheese in a mouse trap," remarked
Ted, as he saw the goat nibbling. "Isn't he good, Grandpa?"

"He's good now, Teddy; but whether he'll be good all the way over is
something I can't say. I hope so."

George put in the boat as much as could safely be carried, with the goat
as a passenger, and then he and Grandpa Martin began rowing toward Star
Island. At first everything went very well. Nicknack seemed a little
frightened when the boat tipped and rocked, but Ted patted him and fed
him more grass, which Nicknack liked very much.

"I knew he'd be good!" Teddy said, when they were almost at the island,
and could see Jan waving to them. "I knew he'd like the boat ride,
Grandpa."

"Yes, he seems to like it. Now if we----"

But just then something happened.

The wind suddenly blew rather hard, roughening the water and causing the
boat to tip. Nicknack was jostled over against the wagon, and some water
splashed on him.

"Baa-a-a-a-a!" bleated the goat.

Then, before anyone could stop him, he gave a leap over Teddy's head,
and into the water splashed Nicknack.

The goat had leaped overboard into the deepest part of Clover Lake!

CHAPTER V

THE BAG OF SALT

"Oh! Oh!" cried Teddy. "Oh, there goes my nice goat! Catch him, Grandpa!
Stop him!"

Grandpa Martin stopped rowing and looked in surprise at the goat. So did
the hired man.

"Well, just look!" exclaimed George.

"Oh, he'll be drowned! He'll be drowned!" wailed Teddy, tears coming
into his eyes, for he loved Nicknack. "He'll be drowned!"

Grandpa Martin rested his hands on the oars and looked into the water.
Then he smiled.

"I guess you'd have hard work drowning that goat," he said. "He's
swimming like a fish!"

"And right straight for Star Island!" added the hired man. "That's a
smart goat all right! He knows where he wants to go, and the shortest
way to get there!"

Surely enough Nicknack was swimming toward the island. When he jumped
out of the boat he floundered a little in the water, and splashed some
on Teddy. Then he struck out, paddling as a dog does with his front
feet. Nicknack turned himself about until he was headed toward the
island, and then he swam straight toward it.

"Oh, won't he drown, Grandpa?" asked Teddy.

"I don't believe so, my boy! I guess Nicknack knows more than we thought
he did. Maybe he didn't like the way