The Old Punt 19 



could scarcely move her, so much had she settled. 

 But we had determined to sail that lovely day to visit 

 the island of Calypso, and had got all our arms and 

 munitions of war aboard, besides being provisioned 

 and carrying some fruit for fear of scurvy. There 

 was of course the gun, placed so as not to get wet ; 

 for the boat leaked, and had to be frequently baled 

 out with a tin mug one that the haymakers used. 



Indeed, if we had not caulked her with some dried 

 moss and some stiff clay, it is doubtful if she would 

 have floated far. The well was full of dead leaves 

 that had been killed by the caterpillars and the 

 blight, and had fallen from the trees before their 

 time ; and there were one or two bunches of grass 

 growing at the stern part from between the decaying 

 planks. 



Besides the gun there was the Indian bow, 

 scooped out inside in a curious way, and covered with 

 strange designs or coloured hieroglyphics : it had been 

 brought home by one of our people years before. 

 There was but one man in the place who could bend 

 that bow effectually ; so that though we valued it 

 highly we could not use it. By it lay another of briar, 

 which was pliable enough and had brought down more 

 than one bird. 



Orion hit a rabbit once ; but though sore wounded 



c 2 



