he matter with him; just cook
_his_ goose too, Benjy."

The boy aimed again, fired, and missed.

"Again!" cried the Captain, "look sharp!"

Again the boy fired, and this time wounded the bird as it was rising on
the wing.

Although wounded, the goose was quite able to swim, and made rapidly
towards the reeds on the other side.

"What! am I to lose that goose?" cried the Captain indignantly.

Leo seized the rifle. Almost without taking time to aim, he fired and
shot the bird dead.

"There," said he, laughing, "but I suspect it is a lost goose after all.
It will be hard work to get either of these birds, uncle. However,
I'll try."

Leo was proceeding to strip when the Captain forbade him.

"Don't trouble yourself, lad," he said, "I'll go for them myself."

"You, uncle?"

"Ay, me. D'ye suppose that nobody can swim but you and Benjy? Here,
help me to open this box."

In silent wonder and expectation Leo and Benjy did as they were bid.
When the mysterious packing-case was opened, there was displayed to view
a mass of waterproof material. Tumbling this out and unrolling it, the
Captain displayed a pair of trousers and boots in one piece attached to
something like an oval life-buoy. Thrusting his legs down into the
trousers and boots, he drew the buoy--which was covered with
india-rubber cloth--up to his waist and fixed it there. Then, putting
the end of an india-rubber tube to his mouth, he began to blow, and the
buoy round his waist began to extend until it took the form of an oval.

"Now, boys," said the Captain, with profound gravity, "I'm about ready
to go to sea. Here, you observe, is a pair o' pants that won't let in
water. At the feet you'll notice two flaps which expand when driven
backward, and collapse when moved forward. These are propellers--human
web-feet--to enable me to walk ahead, d'ye see? and here are two small
paddles with a joint which I can fix together--so--and thus make one
double-bladed paddle of 'em, about four feet long. It will help the
feet, you understand, but I'm not dependent on it, for I can walk
without the paddles at the rate of two or three miles an hour."

As he spoke Captain Vane walked quietly into the water, to the wild
delight of Benjy, and the amazement of his nephew.

When he was about waist-deep the buoy floated him. Continuing to walk,
though his feet no longer touched ground, he was enabled by the
propellers to move on. When he had got out a hundred