Furthermore
in order that she may have life and buoyancy, her sides should be well flared out, and to the same intent the floor should be slightly sprung between stem and stern and rounded athwartships. Great importance is rightly attached to the question of "trim." It is therefore desirable that the punt should have sufficient length and beam to enable the weight of gun, gear, and crew to be comfortably carried, and evenly distributed fore and aft. Too much beam, however, is undesirable, as it makes the working of the punt heavy for the fowler. The colour of the punt may be of a light slate shade.
Accessories. The following accessories are of importance in a properly equipped punt :- Ammunition box or sack, to hold cartridges, powder, shot, caps, &c. This must be quite water-tight. Hand-paddles, for a single-handed punt to be made of ashthe bottom of the blade to be sheetcoppered. The large paddle (Fig. 3 in illustration E) 4 feet 3 inches in length, including handle, suitable for a double punt, and the smaller (Fig. 4) 2 feet long, including handle, for the single punt. Set poles (Fig. 5 in above illustration), 6 feet in length, used for punting on sand, or hard mud, also in water where the weeds are long and thick on the edge of the mudbanks. The blade is flat and the foot is shod with a brass fork. Fig. 6, which is 5 feet in length and has a wide wooden fork, weighted with lead or copper, is used for punting over soft mud. Oars (7 feet 6 inches in length). Cruising paddle (double-bladed) if required. Mud pattens, for walking over soft mud. Mast and sail, small sprit sail is recommended. A centreboard for sailing is sometimes useful where tides run hard, and long distances have to be covered. Gun-rest (see Fig. 2, ff in illustration E, of gunning punt).
Shoulder gun or "cripple-stopper," either a 12 or 16 bore. There should be two aboard a double punt, one for each fowler.
Loading-rod, for muzzle-loader. Marineglasses, or telescope. Small anchor. Large pocket compass. a Methods of Working Punt and Gun.- Mechanical devices in the nature of screw motors may be of assistance to the fowler in propelling a punt against a strong tide in deep water, but, inasmuch as his shooting is generally obtained in the shallows and not in deep water, the occasion for their employment seldom arises. Should any fowler be disposed to add this cumbersome machinery to his equipment, a full description of the Hélice-Gouvernail is given in Dr. Quinet's book Les Oiseaux du Bas- Escaut (1897).
When setting to fowl in a single punt, the hand-paddles are used to propel and steer her in deep water, and the set-pole for shoving the punt in over the shallows.
To conceal all movements, the fowler must work the paddles or set-pole close to the water over the sides of the punt, as he lies full-length on its floor. He can do this best through the openings in the wash streaks (Fig. 2, i, in illustration of gunning-punt), when the shutters are unshipped. Some support under the chest, such as a cork cushion, is desirable when paddling. Another, and, in the writer's Fig. I. [SHOOTING which has been previously set" at a proper elevation on the gun-rest.
When stalking fowl in a double punt, the gunner lies face downwards, clear of the gun, until within about two gun-shots of them; then, gently raising his head, he places his hand on the stock, gives the gun the necessary elevation, takes deliberate aim, and when within range fires at the fowl as they fly up, or as they sit, whichever seems best. The puntsman, or man who propels the punt, either "sculls" in deep water or stealthily pushes the punt over the shallows with the "set" pole as above described. Another method of propulsion is for the fowler to lie, face upwards, his head resting on the padded beam of the after deck, and work the long paddle over the side of the punt. When cruising in search of fowl the punt is usually rowed with oars, or paddled with the long paddle, stem or stern foremost.
Launching Punts. - Since the early days of Colonel Hawker these punts have been in use among the majority of the fowlers, who shoot over the Lymington, Calshott and Keyhaven flats in the Solent. They a Side view of Punt. fig.3. a Fig.Ⅱ. 3 View of Interior. fig. 14. d a fig. 5.
Gig. 6.
Fig. 1.-(a a) Sides of punt; (bb) wash streaks, or coamings; (c) rowing spur; (d) sculling crutch; (e) hole in stem-piece or breaching; (f) wash streak of aft deck; (g) painter.
Fig. 2. - (a 2.- (a a) Fore deck; (6) after deck; (cc) side deck; (dd) cockpit; (e) punt gun; (ff) gun rest; (gg) breeching rope; ; (hh) rowing spurs (unshipped); (2) shutter; (kk) rowing spur sockets; (ll), oars; (mm) trunnions of gun; (o) socket for sculling crutch; (p) floor boards; (qq) gunbeam.
Figs. 3 and 4.-Hand paddles.
Figs. 5 and 6.-Set poles. opinion, a less exhausting method in deep water is to lie partly on the left side, and with the right hand scull an oar in the after starboard spur.
When within shot of fowl, one of the paddles is let loose on its lashings, and whilst the fowler is able to guide the punt with the other paddle, he can fire the gun, are expressly built very light and are not decked. The method of working them is graphically described by Colonel Hawker in his Instructions to Young Sportsmen.
Clad in waterproof garments, these fowlers start from the nearest creek at low water, crawling on their knees over the mud, and pushing the punt in front of them, until SHOOTING] near enough to shoot at the birds. From a position just clear of the stern, they then pull the trigger by means of a long string.
Most of the launching is done at night, but on rough, cold days Colonel Hawker states that they occasionally made some heavy shots. 66 دو Setting, Aiming, and Firing Punt