PUNT SHOOTING. 115 



muscovies, of huge dimensions, and some common 

 tame ducks. Having got back to the yacht, and 

 having been duly congratulated by my crew, I said 

 to my man, "And now I should like to know what 

 I am to do with these ? " " Man," said he, " why, of 

 course you will be sending them to your freends." 

 " No," I said, " these fellows must never go on 

 shore ; but if you and the men like to have them, 

 and will pluck them at once, and put their feathers 

 into the stoke-hole fire, you may have them and do 

 what you like with them." Nobody could swear to 

 them with their coats off, but they might if they had 

 them on. Accordingly, they were divested of their 

 jackets, and the crew divided them, and, I suppose, 

 ate them, for I never asked any more questions 

 about them. 



About two years after this unfortunate accident to 

 the tame ducks, when at the hotel at Lairg, for fish- 

 ing in Loch Shin, which, by the way, was one of 

 the most comfortable fishing quarters I know of, I 

 met a very pleasant gentleman on the same errand 

 as myself. We were talking over fishing, comparing 

 notes, examining flies, and so forth, when the con- 

 versation turned to Cromarty Bay, and shooting 

 Brent geese with a punt gun. He said he'd a little 



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