GUNNING-PUNT. 367 



ing in a little stem, or second row, that " ships and un- 

 ships." So that, when wanting to go through a sea, 

 you have only to " douse" the moveable back- stock of 

 the gun, and ship this stem-piece, which elevates it 

 well clear of the spray, and keeps the sea from corning 

 into your punt. You must also trig up your gun, in 

 the same way, when rowing stern foremost with two 

 " hands ;" or, otherwise, the man who pulls what then 

 becomes the stroke oar, would have the gun too much 

 in his w r ay to be able to row. He pulls merely by little 

 copper thowls that ship into the bulwarks, and are 

 carried in one small bag, next to the other which holds 

 the spy-glass. See plate. 



The mast ships, on either side the gun, in little cy- 

 linders that should be bored out of a solid piece of elm, 

 and fixed so as to be water-proof. When under sail, 

 both " hands" should get as much " aft" as possible, in 

 order to prevent the punt from " griping ;" and, as she 

 will then be rather " by the stern," the gun will point 

 too high, unless you lower the muzzle. For this pur- 

 pose I have invented a moveable support, on which you 

 may let down the gun ; and then go forward enough to 

 fire it, when running before the wind. 



Where the birds are much used to gunning-punts, 

 firing under sail, from this kind of craft, is a murdering 

 recipe ; because my punt, when under sail, at a fair shot 

 from birds, appears like a large boat some hundred yards 

 off*. When others " set," I sail ; when others sail, I 

 " set." (The only way to take a lead in any thing is 

 not to copy other people, by which you are sure of doing 

 nothing beyond mediocrity!) 



While the stem-piece is on, so much of this punt is 

 shut up as to be well defended from shipping a sea ; 



