THE SAILING-PUNT. 159 



enced hand attempts sailing- an ordinary rowing-punt, such as is used 

 for wild-fowling, so surely will he drown himself. Of all the forms 

 of gunning-boats, the punt is the least safe under sail, and the 

 least manageable. A boat must be built specially for the purpose of 

 carrying sail j and it may be so constructed as to be capable of being 

 used either as a sailing or rowing punt, so that a strong man, 

 with long arms, may propel it with paddles nearly as fast as an ordi- 

 nary rowing-punt. Such is precisely the description of boat I 

 recommend ; after trying several different forms, I used it many 

 years, and found it not only a most comfortable, but serviceable 

 boat for the purpose ; and it looked no larger on the water than a 

 rowing punt. 



The sailing-punt used by Colonel Hawker with his double- 

 barrelled punt-gun, was a two-handed one (i. e., constructed to 

 carry two persons) ; and was rigged with a sprit-sail a very incon- 

 venient and improper rig for a gunning-punt. For what with the 

 unwieldly proportions of the boat, the ponderous weight of the 

 Colonel's double-barrelled punt-gun, himself and boatman, the equip- 

 ment must have been far too heavy for the purpose for which it was 

 intended. According to the dimensions stated in Colonel Hawker's 

 book, this punt was twenty-two feet seven inches in length and four 

 feet nine inches in width ; the height at bow was but four inches, that 

 astern ten inches. 



But what is most extraordinary of all, this punt was flat-bottomed ; 

 consequently useless for sailing, unless running directly before the 

 wind. And any one at all accustomed to punting knows, that a boat 

 of those dimensions cannot be worked with hand-paddles. There was, 

 then, only one other available means of making-up to birds in 

 such a boat, and that by a single oar worked by the man at the stern, 

 who had to scull the boat ahead. There is no mention of either rud- 

 der, keel, or lee-boards being used with this singular craft ; nor do 

 the engravings show that such formed any part of the equipment. 



Years of experience in boat-sailing, punting, and wild-fowl shooting 

 entitle me to say with confidence, that, although Colonel Hawker 

 was probably very successful with his single-handed punt, it was 

 quite impossible he could ever have done much execution among the 

 wild-fowl with his large two-handed craft and double-barrelled punt- 

 gun. Such a boat is too wide and heavy to be moved ahead with 

 paddles ; and not being fitted with either keel or lee-boards, could 

 not have been sailed with any precision. Indeed the Colonel acknow- 



