THE STORY OF WALTON. 289 



the beautiful waters of the bay, retaining it in. its posi- 

 tion by piles driven into the " oozy bed." In the dark- 

 ness the wild fowl, as they floated with the ripple, came 

 in contact with "Walton's " engine," and entangled them- 

 selves in its meshes. 



The bay, however, was exceedingly shallow, and, near 

 the shore, was navigated with difficulty. Something ot 

 lighter draught than the clumsy French boats was needed. 

 Walton's ingenuity again came to his assistance, and he 

 succeeded in devising a flat-bottomed, square-sided craft, 



; ' 



PUXT USED BY MUSSEL-BREEDER. 



resembling our modern punts. It had a wooden frame, 

 nine feet long by three feet broad and deep, the fore-part 

 of which sloped into the water, like a prow, at a slight 

 angle. To propel the boat, the puntsman, for we cannot 

 call him the "rower," knelt on his left knee, bending 

 forward, with one hand on each side, and used his right 

 leg as a punting pole. 



In his punt-trajects Walton observed that the bay 

 abounded with mussels, and he observed also that these 

 were most plentiful on that part of the retaining posts of 



