on 6/29/05 10:29 PM, Andreas Ramos at andreas@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote: >> What's a duck punt gun? A nine foot long cannon-like barrel that you attach >> to a punt--flat-bottomed boat. You fill the barrel with metal detrius and a >> charge. You then paddle up to ducks and let fly. Boom! You go scooting >> backwards, somewhat deaf. There is a chance that the released mayhem could >> have hit a duck in such a way that one could take it home and eat it. > > this could be extremely funny to watch with a beer in hand, esp. when ducks > fly one way and > the boat flies the other way. Maybe I should have said that this is a nineteenth century device and that setting it off now might cause considerable injury to he-who-owns-the-thing-and-runs-with-whomsoever-has beer. > >> I should have mentioned that the American sailors in the Royal Navy, like >> many sailors in the Royal Navy, were probably not there by choice; they were >> likely pressed men. Pressing American sailors was one of the practices that >> led to the war of 1812. > > oh, dang, i was going to point that out. > Sorry. David Ritchie Portland, Oregon ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html