eat flock pushed on unbroken, it generally went
directly over, and very near, the nest where Frank and Mustagan had
their quarters. Then there was some fine shooting, as each had two
double-barrelled guns and Frank had become quite famous as a shot. Many
of the geese dropped at once to the ground when shot. Others, although
mortally wounded, only fell when quite a distance beyond, as the
momentum of their rapid flight seemed to carry them on. Some fell when
they were only shot through one wing. During the lull after the firing,
when the boys went out from the nests to bring in the spoils, there were
some additional battles to be fought ere some of the geese were
conquered. Especially was this the case with those that were injured in
only one wing. When these were approached they instantly stood on the
defensive and struck out most viciously with the unwounded wing. Some
of the boys had had some experience in this line, and so were now on
their guard, and thus escaped feeling the tremendous power of a goose's
wing. Others viciously used their bills and made lively work for the
boys ere they were conquered. Others, unwounded in their legs, made off
as rapidly as possible, and then there was great fun in the work of
running them down. Those that could use even their wounded wing, or
wings, to help them in their movements made capital time, and while most
of then were captured, others succeeded in getting away altogether.
Doubtless they would be picked up by alert Indian hunters, who were, or
would be in a day or so, literally swarming over every place where a
goose was likely to be obtained.

When noon arrived they nearly all returned to the camp, where dinner
already awaited them. Twenty-seven geese were the results of the
shooting in the four nests. Other Indians came in with their bags.
Some had done on the average better than this, and some not so well. As
the wind remained steady in the one direction the flocks of geese were
very numerous. There was hardly a period of ten minutes' time when some
were not visible. Of course, the great majority of the flocks were high
up in the air. On and on they flew, their eyes fixed on a point further
north, perhaps a thousand miles beyond. No call from the hunters
reached them, no ball even from a rifle pierced the thin air of that
exalted region in which, at perhaps a rate of a hundred miles an hour,
on they flew. The Indians say that the same geese come back, wh