156 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 
rope (five-inch) passes through a hole in the punt’s stem, and 
is fastened to trunnions on the gun. The gun has a plug in its 
muzzle. Under the gun and over the ropes may be noted the 
movable gun-rest. Immediately below the gun-breech is the 
punter’s magazine as in the sketch previously figured.’ To 
the left, under the fore-deck, is stowed mast and sail, setting- 
pole, boat-hook, and leather breech-cap. This latter, when in 
use, covers the gun-breech and keeps spray from the action. 
Fixed to the gun-beam is the mast-ring (step in punt-floor), to 
the left of the gun-crutch. Under the gun may be seen the 
back recoil check-rope, which is fastened to a ring in the punt- 
floor. Another of these ring-bolts is fitted aft of the cockpit. 
Just in front of the gunner’s cripple-stopper is the pulley carry- 
ing the elevating rope. The cripple-stoppers, which should 
be single guns, are suspended in their hangers from the cockpit 
coaming. On the left side of the cockpit is lying a small four- 
prong punter’s grapnel, with line and snap-hook. To the 
right is a pair of wood mud-pattens. The small flat-boards are 
the punters’ seats. On the starboard side aft, the coaming is 
removed. Oars are out in their crutches, which latter are 
screwed into sockets on the side-decks. A scull is resting in 
the sculling or setting spur. On the same side, a little further 
forward, is the sailing-spur or crutch. To the stern chock is 
fixed the towing tackle. 
In our sketch herewith we figure simple sail for single- 
handed punt. Although the drawing is to scale, sizes are 
appended, so that error may not easily occur. The measure- 
ments are for a sail to suit a full-size single-handed punt of °° 
about eighteen feet in length. For smaller craft the sail should 
be less accordingly. This sail, and modifications of it, is of 
fairly general use with single-handed punters. The mast foot 
and step should be round, to allow the sail a free movement. 
The halyard is rove over two pulleys in the mast, the fall 
end extending aft of the cockpit, where in the hand of the 
