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CHAPTER VII 



WILDFOWLTNG AT SEA 



THE first morning at Great Yarmouth the rain poured down 

 incessantly, and the time was passed smoking and studying 

 the'few books that were on board. From one of them it was 

 discovered that the then present father of scientific puntsmen, 

 Mr Fielding Harmer, resided in the Borough, and as he was 

 known to one of the party it was determined to send a note 

 inviting him to an " At Home " during the afternoon, R.S.V.P. 

 en personne. 



Graciously he accepted the invitation, and as it was our 

 wish to have a debate upon the question of estuary shooting 

 both with shoulder and punt guns, he gave the names of 

 several professional gunners living near the North Quay (to 

 which we were moored), who were also invited to the "At 

 Home." These guests were most entertaining. Some were 

 rough, uncouth specimens of humanity, whose exterior appear- 

 ance would have prejudiced the minds of many, but the 

 knowledge that genuine sporting instincts lay hid beneath 

 their furrowed and weather-beaten skin cemented a kindred 

 fellowship of which there was no reason to be ashamed. 



At first the majority of these visitors were reticent and 

 uncommunicative, but after a few yarns had been spun and 

 the whisky bottle freely circulated, tongues became loosened, 



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