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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 147 —<br />

which he evidently wished to present as his c<strong>on</strong>tributi<strong>on</strong> to <strong>the</strong><br />

d<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ner; whe<strong>the</strong>r <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a sarcastic spirit, or with a genu<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e desire<br />

to assist, I cannot say.<br />

We had a discussi<strong>on</strong> as to whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> rat should go <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> or<br />

not. Harris said that he thought it would be all right, mixed up<br />

with <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs, and that every little helped; but George<br />

stood up for precedent. He said he had never heard of waterrats<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Irish stew, and he would ra<strong>the</strong>r be <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> safe side, and<br />

not try experiments.<br />

Harris said:<br />

“If you never try a new th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, how can you tell what it’s like?<br />

It’s men such as you that hamper <strong>the</strong> world’s progress. Th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k of<br />

<strong>the</strong> man who first tried German sausage!”<br />

It was a great success, that Irish stew. I d<strong>on</strong>’t th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k I ever enjoyed<br />

a meal more. There was someth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g so fresh and piquant<br />

about it. One’s palate gets so tired of <strong>the</strong> old hackneyed th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs:<br />

here was a dish with a new flavour, with a taste like noth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

else <strong>on</strong> earth.<br />

And it was nourish<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, too. As George said, <strong>the</strong>re was good<br />

stuff <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> it. The peas and potatoes might have been a bit softer,<br />

but we all had good teeth, so that did not matter much: and as<br />

for <strong>the</strong> gravy, it was a poem — a little too rich, perhaps, for a<br />

weak stomach, but nutritious.<br />

We f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ished up with tea and cherry tart. M<strong>on</strong>tmorency had<br />

a fight with <strong>the</strong> kettle dur<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g tea-time, and came off a poor<br />

sec<strong>on</strong>d.<br />

Throughout <strong>the</strong> trip, he had manifested great curiosity c<strong>on</strong>cern<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> kettle. He would sit and watch it, as it boiled, with a<br />

puzzled expressi<strong>on</strong>, and would try and rouse it every now and<br />

<strong>the</strong>n by growl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g at it. When it began to splutter and steam, he<br />

regarded it as a challenge, and would want to fight it, <strong>on</strong>ly, at<br />

that precise moment, some <strong>on</strong>e would always dash up and bear<br />

off his prey before he could get at it.<br />

To-day he determ<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed he would be beforehand. At <strong>the</strong> first<br />

sound <strong>the</strong> kettle made, he rose, growl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, and advanced to-

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