250 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING. 



In this manner you may thrust your little craft where 

 no oars could take hold of the water. 



To perform this requires vast practice, and accord- 

 ingly it was a considerable time before I mastered it 

 completely, although I had been accustomed to punting 

 on the Isis in my younger days. The rapids had it all 

 their own way for months, or more. As you use the 

 canting pole, which is shod with a heavy iron spike, 

 so you must use the leister ; only with more caution, 

 lest you should injure the prongs. 



As a proof of the difficulty of this operation, I will 

 mention that I once put the canting pole into the hands 

 of an English gentleman, who was a good rower, and, 

 as he asserted, a good punter also. We were sunning a 

 strong stream called the Carrywheel, and I had placed 

 Charles Purdie at its gorge, to leister such fish as might 

 attempt to pass up it from the fright given by the dis- 

 turbance below. In a few seconds the head of the 

 boat, not being held straight up the stream, went round 

 like a shot, and so down the river. My friend was 

 perfectly confused, and did not know what on earth 

 should be done ; so, as we were losing way rapidly, I 

 took the pole and brought her head up again. Still 

 he would not give in, and was determined to have 

 another trial. Well, he pushed here, and he pushed 

 there, and with these strenuous efforts succeeded in 

 describing pretty accurately in his course what in 

 Gothic architecture is called the zigzag moulding, losing 

 way, however, at every angle. 



Not having taken any notice of the objects on the 

 banks, he did not precisely know whereabouts he was ; 



