again a seal raised its head and looked curiously at the travellers
and then hastily dived. Gulls and terns soared and circled overhead,
occasionally dipping to the water to capture a choice morsel of food.
A flock of wild geese, honking in flight, turned into a bight and
alighted where a brook coursed down through a marsh to join the sea.

"There's some geese," remarked David, breaking the silence. "They're
comin' up south now. We'll have a hunt when we gets home. They always
feeds in that mesh when they're bidin' about the Bay."

Presently Andy exclaimed:

"I can tie un all! I can tie every knot in the book!"

"I can tie un too!" said Jamie.

"Yes! Yes! There are the scout tests!" broke in Doctor Joe. "Suppose
we all tie the knots and pass the tests."

Andy and Jamie tied them easily enough, and then Doctor Joe tied them
himself to keep pace with the boys, and Andy relieved David at the
tiller that he might try his hand at them; David not only tied all the
knots illustrated in the handbook, but for good measure added a
bowline on a bight, a double carrick bend, a marlin hitch and a
halliard hitch.

"That's wonderful easy to do," David declared as he laid the rope
down. "'Tis strange they calls that a test, 'tis so easy done."

"Easy for us," admitted Doctor Joe, "but for boys who have never had