OVER THE OOZES. 313 



As a proof of my former argument against the safety 

 of the Hampshire punts, I need only observe, that, since my 

 second edition, three men (Vincent, Jones, and Tanner) 

 were drowned, and another (Harnet) was killed, by his 

 gun. These regular western channel gunners are now, 

 therefore, become very shy of shooting afloat, for which, 

 by having punts that are so crank, and draw so much 

 water, and guns proportionally so short in the barrel, 

 they have always been the worst equipped of any " big 

 gunners " (as they call themselves) on the British coast. 



They have, of late years, therefore, adopted an en- 

 tirely new mode of getting at the birds, for which that 

 vast track of ooze near Lymington is better calculated 

 than perhaps any other rnud in the world. 



They start off, generally in the afternoon (provided 

 the tide serves, so as to be low enough at the proper 

 time), keeping as close as possible to the shore, and 

 going before the wind, till they arrive at the leeward 

 end of their beat ; the whole track of which, for one 

 night's work, may be about five or six miles. They 

 then go ashore, and either get into a pot-house, if they 

 have a sixpence to spend (which is not always the case), 

 or lounge about the shore till day-light disappears, and 

 the birds begin to fly; having first put all " in order; 99 

 that is, to draw out their mould shot, which they gene- 

 rally have in, for the chance of geese "going down along;" 

 put in smaller shot ; and regulate their gun so that it 

 will bear about eighty yards, when the punt is on the 

 dry mud. No sooner are the wigeon pitched than off 

 they set, in tarpaulin dresses ; and looking more like 

 chimney-sweepers than gunners, crawling on their knees, 

 and shoving this punt before them on the mud. No 

 matter whether light or dark, few birds or many, bang! 



