The punk here mentioned is a fungus, which grows on the birch tree.

So Punk became captain of the crew, and found himself at the old post of stroke-oar.

History hoped to be a great writer some day, and Punk would be a professor of something staid and quiet, Latin most probably.

Punk was the only Lakerimmer on the team that attempted to win glory on the flying-rings, but he and his brother Kingstonians suffered a like humiliation with the standing high-jumpers.