WORKING THE BOAT 241 



In forcing your boat up very strong water, at 

 every fresh thrust you must catch up the pole and 

 put it in again very quickly ; for when you are not 

 pushing the boat will recede if the rapids are heavy, 

 and thus you may lose way. This, I think, can be 

 done better by sitting than standing, as you are 

 nearer your work. In this manner you may thrust 

 your little craft where no oars could take hold of 

 the water. 



To perform this requires vast practice, and 

 accordingly it was a considerable time before I 

 mastered it completely, although I had been accus- 

 tomed to punting on the Isis in my younger days. 

 The rapids had it all their own way for months, or 

 more. As you use the canting pole, which is shod 

 with a heavy iron spike, so you must use the leister ; 

 only with more caution, lest you should injure the 

 prongs. 



As a proof of the difficulty of this operation, I 

 will mention that I once put the canting pole into 

 the hands of an English gentleman, who was a 

 good rower, and, as he asserted, a good punter 

 also. We were sunning a strong stream called the 

 Carrywheel, and I had placed Charles Purdie at 

 its gorge, to leister such fish as might attempt to 

 pass up it from the fright given by the disturbance 

 below. In a few seconds the head of the boat, not 

 being held straight up the stream, went round like 

 a shot, and so down the river. My friend was 

 perfectly confused, and did not know what on 

 earth should be done ; so, as we were losing way 

 rapidly, I took the pole and brought her head up 

 again. Still he would not give in, and was deter- 



R 



