NIGHT-PUNTING. 173 



ang-el, wliicli enabled me instantly to distinguish that the ohject at 

 which we had been punting-, and at which my companions had been so 

 eager to shoot, was not a company of widg-eon, but a man in a punt ! 

 The moment the discovery was made, one of the men rose to his knees 

 and warned us not to fire, at the same time calling- out, " Good 

 heavens ! man, who are you i* Had the moon remained behind those 

 clouds but another instant, you would have been blown to atoms !" 



We then pulled along-side the strang-e punt, and found it contained 

 no other than a young- clerg-yman from a neig-hbouring- villag-e, who 

 having- been disappointed of success in his daylight excursions, had 

 chosen a moonlight night for his diversion, in the hope of meeting 

 with better success. The reverend sportsman was unacquainted with 

 the ordinary regulations of night-punting, consecpiently was pursuing 

 the sound of the birds in a wrong direction, by which he exposed 

 himself to great danger, without the chance of obtaining a shot ; 

 and, in consequence, was probably nearer being blown suddenly 

 into eternity than ever before in his life. It was, truly, a most 

 providential escape ; and though we were all heartily thankfid for 

 having reserved our fire, we severely and unsparingly reprimanded him 

 for venturing on midnight punting before being instructed in the art. 

 On hearing of the imminent peril fi'om which he had just emerged, he 

 appeared to feel sincerely grateful for his providential escape, which 

 probably formed a subject of deep reflection for him on returning 

 home, if it did not also give him a useful hint in preparing his sermon 

 for the approaching Sunday. The danger he actually escaped may be 

 somewhat imagined by the reader, when informed that three punt-guns, 

 each carrying half a pound and upwards of shot, primed, capped, 

 and cocked, had been bearing fully upon him for several minutes, 

 and latterly at no greater distance than fifty or sixty yards ; and 

 which, but for the favoured light of the moon at that perilous instant, 

 would all have been discharged point blank at him, the consequences 

 of which are fearful to imagine. We ourselves were exposed to 

 the risk of his fire — had we not discovered him as we did — punt- 

 ing as he was directly in-shore, instead of out-shore ; it would, on 

 such a night, have been impossible to have seen a punt under the shade 

 of the land. As a proof of this, here were three experienced pimters 

 working out-shore, with the moon " full on," as it is termed, and 

 yet mistaking a man and punt for a company of widgeon ; but who 

 would think of finding anyone so rash as to proceed in a way directly 

 contrary to the rules of night-punting r' This was probably what 



