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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 154 —<br />

<strong>the</strong> boat aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st a part of <strong>the</strong> bank from which it was quite impossible<br />

for us to get <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to it, and immediately went to sleep. It<br />

took us an immense amount of scream<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g and roar<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to wake<br />

him up aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> and put some sense <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to him; but we succeeded<br />

at last, and got safely <strong>on</strong> board.<br />

Harris had a sad expressi<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> him, so we noticed, when we<br />

got <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to <strong>the</strong> boat. He gave you <strong>the</strong> idea of a man who had been<br />

through trouble. We asked him if anyth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g had happened, and<br />

he said —<br />

“Swans!”<br />

It seemed we had moored close to a swan’s nest, and, so<strong>on</strong><br />

after George and I had g<strong>on</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> female swan came back, and<br />

kicked up a row about it. Harris had chivied her off, and she<br />

had g<strong>on</strong>e away, and fetched up her old man. Harris said he had<br />

had quite a fight with <strong>the</strong>se two swans; but courage and skill<br />

had prevailed <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> end, and he had defeated <strong>the</strong>m.<br />

Half-an-hour afterwards <strong>the</strong>y returned with eighteen o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

swans! It must have been a fearful battle, so far as we could<br />

understand Harris’s account of it. The swans had tried to drag<br />

him and M<strong>on</strong>tmorency out of <strong>the</strong> boat and drown <strong>the</strong>m; and<br />

he had defended himself like a hero for four hours, and had<br />

killed <strong>the</strong> lot, and <strong>the</strong>y had all paddled away to die.<br />

“How many swans did you say <strong>the</strong>re were?” asked George.<br />

“Thirty-two,” replied Harris, sleepily.<br />

“You said eighteen just now,” said George.<br />

“No, I didn’t,” grunted Harris; “I said twelve. Th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k I can’t<br />

count?”<br />

What were <strong>the</strong> real facts about <strong>the</strong>se swans we never found<br />

out. We questi<strong>on</strong>ed Harris <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> subject <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, and<br />

he said, “What swans?” and seemed to th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k that George and<br />

I had been dream<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g.<br />

Oh, how delightful it was to be safe <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> boat, after our<br />

trials and fears! We ate a hearty supper, George and I, and we<br />

should have had some toddy after it, if we could have found <strong>the</strong><br />

whisky, but we could not. We exam<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed Harris as to what he<br />

had d<strong>on</strong>e with it; but he did not seem to know what we meant

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