JOHN THOMAS, PUNT-GUN NEB. 
341 
immediately fired, (his gun carrying about a pound of shot), and 
with those killed outright and the wounded, which lie and his dog 
caught before they could make their escape, he secured no less 
than thirty couple of Wild-fowl, consisting principally of Widgeon 
and Teal.” 
And John’s immediate progenitor is still remembered by the 
older and worn-out gunners as a man whose exploits are worthy of 
mention. He was the subject of many adventures, and a fondness 
of rum led him into several mishaps. It was not unusual for him 
to spend a merry, unwise night, and instead of returning home, 
tumble into his gun-punt, and by some means propel her up Breydon, 
where, making her fast to a stake, he would fall asleep, to wake up 
more or less sobered. On one occasion waking up under similar 
circumstances to those just related of his father, he found himself 
surrounded with ice, a “wake” opening up before and behind him 
being filled with Wild-fowl. The sight immediately brought 
together his remaining senses, and he “blazed away at the fowl,” 
to use the words of my informant, securing quite a heap, “ which 
he piled on the ice,” as successive shots added to the number of his 
victims. John’s father lived to be an old man, and like the subject 
of our sketch retireil to rest in the Fisherman’s Hospital, where, 
however, he was not destined to pass quietly away, for one fatal 
night, on going up Breydon with a companion, having already made 
too free with spirituous liquors, they made the sheet fast while 
still imbibing, and the boat upset, Thomas sinking almost imme- 
diately. The other man was rescued, but it is notorious as being 
characteristic of the men of the period, his first expression of regret 
was that “a bottle of beer had gone down in the boat.” One 
adventure of his is worth recording. He had left his punt and gun 
moored by the river-side, when some urchin rammed a stone down 
the barrel. On firing the gun the barrel burst, a large hole being 
made in the bottom of the punt by a piece of iron, but he managed 
to keep afloat and brought the boat home. 
The subject of the present sketch was also the sport of many 
mishaps despite his nickname, for he was “ Lucky ” more by 
accident than by any successes achieved through superior sportsman- 
ship, or the faculty of self-preservation. On one occasion he lent 
his boat and gun, the latter being returned to him loaded. With 
characteristic carelessness he placed a second charge over the first 
VOL. VII. 
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