As he spoke he took a quick aim at the nearest of the flock, and pulled the trigger.  The cap snapped.

“Plague on the gun!” he exclaimed.  “Shall I throw it in the lake!”

“No, no,” answered Frank; “try the other barrel; and you had better be quick about it—­they’re going to fly.”

Archie again raised his gun to his shoulder.  This time there was no mistake.  The nearest of the geese received the entire charge, and lay dead on the water.

Frank now waited for his turn; but the geese, after skimming along the surface of the water until they were out of gun-shot, rose in the air, and flew rapidly across the lake.

As the boys stood watching their flight, they saw a cloud of smoke issue from a clump of bushes on the opposite shore, followed by the report of a gun, and one of the flock fell to the water, and another, evidently badly wounded, rose high in the air, and flew wildly about.  Another puff of smoke rose from the bushes, a second report was heard, and the wounded bird came tumbling into the lake.

The geese, surprised at this sudden repulse, quickly wheeled, and flew back toward the place where our hunters were stationed.

Frank raised his gun to his shoulder, and, as soon as they came within range, he pulled the trigger, and brought down two geese—­one stone-dead, and the other with a broken wing.  Hardly waiting to see the effect of the shot, he fired his second barrel at the flock, just as they were disappearing over the tops of the trees.  They had flown so high, that he hardly expected the shot would prove effective.  To his surprise, one of the flock gradually fell behind, and, after trying in vain to support itself, fell slowly through the air, until it almost reached the water; then it seemed to regain the power of using its wings, and began to fly more regularly.

“Try your gun again, Archie,” said Frank; “I’m afraid we are going to lose him.”

Archie accordingly drew a bead on the goose, but with no better success, and the bird speedily disappeared over the trees.

“Confound my luck!” exclaimed Archie, impatiently.  “I’ll try and keep my powder dry after this.”

“He can’t fly far,” said Frank.  “Let’s be lively, and we will have him yet.  Here, Brave!” he continued, pointing to the geese in the lake, “fetch ’em out!”

Brave plunged into the water, and made toward the nearest of the geese, which happened to be the one Frank had wounded.  As soon as the bird saw him approaching, instead of trying to save himself by flight, he raised himself in the water, elevated his uninjured wing, and set up a loud hiss.  But these hostile demonstrations, instead of intimidating the Newfoundlander, served rather to enrage him, and he kept on, with open mouth, ready to seize the game.  The moment he came within reach, the goose thrust out his long neck, and, catching Brave by the ear, dealt him a hard blow over the head with his wing.  But he did not have time to repeat it, for the dog gave a loud, angry yelp, and, springing forward in the water, seized the goose, and killed it with a single bite; then, turning round, he swam back to the shore, deposited the game at his master’s feet, and again plunged in to bring out the others.