STANCHION, OR PUNT-GUN. 337 



as to taking aim, fired the gun in his way with about 

 ten ounces of shot, not quite fancying the pound to 

 my shoulder. I levelled at, instead of over, the mark, 

 and the shot were delivered with the greatest ac- 

 curacy. The gun, with this charge, went under my 

 arm precisely five inches, as I afterwards measured. 

 If a gun, when fired this way, was to swerve in going 

 back, it would be dangerous ; and therefore the under 

 part of the stock, in order to lie firm on the bench, 

 ought either to be made flat, or fixed in a piece of 

 wood, that was fiat at bottom. It then occurred to 

 me, that if this gun (of eighty-five pounds weight) 

 was fired with ten ounces from the swivel, it might go 

 so easy as not to interrupt the shooting. I accord- 

 ingly tried it, and so little appeared to be the recoil, 

 that it could not be felt ; notwithstanding which, by 

 aiming at the mark, the charge was, as usual, from 

 the swivel, entirely under it. On the other extreme, 

 I saw a gun fired by the owner of it, one Samuel 

 Singer, at Poole (which weighs 141 Ibs.) This was 

 on a swivel, and mounted very light forward, and 

 he told me, that he was always obliged to present 

 very far under the object, or his whole charge went 

 over every thing ; and that he should "douse" the 

 swivel for a rope breeching. The latter, however, is 

 apt to break, and has often proved dangerous. The 

 gun, with a breeching, goes nearly as far back as 

 the rope will stretch (say an inch or two), and then 

 springs forward again for about afoot. The ques- 

 tionthe grand object therefore is, how to take off 



