OVER THE OOZES. 317 



after him, any thing I could attempt would fall very 

 short of doing justice to the subject. I must therefore 

 endeavour to recollect what he said to me, one day, on 

 landing at Keyhaven. (After heaving a sigh from the 

 very waistband of his tarpaulin unmentionables ; re- 

 lieving his gorge by the ebullition of some originals, 

 that any boy would have remembered better than his 

 lesson ; and then composing himself, by a smooth-down 

 of the hair;) he commenced, with action suitable to 

 every word, the following oration. 



" MR. HAWKER, SIR, It 's all up with gunning now ! The poor 

 gunners '11 be starved ! The birds '11 be all banished off the coast! 

 I come all the way from Southampton here, and never shot a gun ! ! 

 What with them Itchen Ferry lubbers, in their washing-tubs and 

 the poppers along shore and them young monkeys of boys rowing 

 about to look for cripples and the gentlemen jokers knocking about, 

 at all tacks, in every kind of craft, from Royal yachts down to launch- 

 ing-punts they won't allow the poor birds one minute to pitch ! 

 There they were ! some firing a pound of mould-shot, at every 

 little trip that passed by, half a mile off! Some of 'em had got 

 cannons o' board, to heave boluses after the geese ! and another lot 

 had got half a ship-load of muskets and rifles! But I can't larn as 

 e'er a one among 'em got a bird, except two of my cripples, as got 

 away last night. I should have had a noble shot at them large curres 

 just abreast of Calshot: I suppose there was three hundred of 'em, 

 as thick as ever they could stow; and, just as I let go my starboard 

 paddle, to give it 'em home, some dandy chap pops off at one of them 

 little gulls ! so I rows up, and axes him, if 'twas to be as he was a 

 poor man, how would he like to have the bread took out of his mouth 

 in that there manner ? Well, thinks I, this '11 never do ! so I gets 

 my punt o'board my craft, and sails down to Leap. This was worse 

 and worse here they were on all day, and all night too ! and fellows, 

 from all parts, had come here, to quarter, on purpose for gunning. 

 Well ! the next day, I drops down here, as you see, sir ; and I never 

 could have believed any thing could be so bad as this! I brought up, 

 off Lymington, about low water ; and I'm burnt if there wasn't some 

 chap or other stowed away in every spreader, besides them bird- 



