CARE OF GUNS AND GEAR 231 
pour down it a large kettleful of boiling water. After the 
barrel has absorbed the heat, run out the water quickly. The 
heat retained in the barrel will rapidly evaporate what little 
water stands on the metal. Finish by oiling or greasing the 
inside with soaked flannel. If guns are to be laid by for some 
time, their barrels may be half filled with oil, plugged, and 
shaken, to lay the oil evenly inside. Muzzle-loading guns are 
a lot of trouble to clean inside compared with breech-loading 
guns. Few get proper attention, though it pays to look well 
after them if one would seek to be on the safe side. 
A wooden plug made to fit the swivel gun-muzzle is a good 
thing to keep out sea-water. It should be fitted with a large 
leather collar or washer, which can be easily seen, and the 
chance of firing the gun with the plug in is made hardly 
possible. Saw down the part of the plug which fits inside 
the barrel. This causes the plug to ‘‘spring fit.” If left 
solid, it may swell and stick. Do not plug with oakum. It 
is a dangerous practice. 
To keep guns clean when punt-shooting, necessitates great 
labour. If neglected, fowling guns soon get beyond cleaning 
and become dangerously rusty in a very short space of time ; 
in fact, one has plenty of work to keep them anything like in 
good order, as they require careful attention both before and 
after each time out. 
The care of the punt is also an item of importance. 
She should be kept, when not in use, out of the sun, especially 
the summer sun. A boat-house is a useful adjunct to the wel- 
fare of the punt, yet a good roofed barn is not a spot to be 
despised. Whatever place is used to store her in, should 
be free of draughts. Draughts will dry her up too quickly and 
warp her timbers. Do not sling her up, but place her about 
six inches from the ground, on three cross-pieces of timber, 
one fore, one amidships, and one aft. These will raise 
her sufficiently to permit a current of air all round. The 
