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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 188 —<br />

round three times, and carries you up stream aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>, and always<br />

ends by try<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to smash you up aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st a college barge.<br />

Of course, as a c<strong>on</strong>sequence of this, we got <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> way of<br />

a good many o<strong>the</strong>r boats, dur<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> mile, and <strong>the</strong>y <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> ours,<br />

and, of course, as a c<strong>on</strong>sequence of that, a good deal of bad<br />

language occurred.<br />

I d<strong>on</strong>’t know why it should be, but everybody is always so<br />

excepti<strong>on</strong>ally irritable <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> river. Little mishaps, that you<br />

would hardly notice <strong>on</strong> dry land, drive you nearly frantic with<br />

rage, when <strong>the</strong>y occur <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> water. When Harris or George<br />

makes an ass of himself <strong>on</strong> dry land, I smile <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>dulgently; when<br />

<strong>the</strong>y behave <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a chuckle-head way <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> river, I use <strong>the</strong> most<br />

blood-curdl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g language to <strong>the</strong>m. When ano<strong>the</strong>r boat gets <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

my way, I feel I want to take an oar and kill all <strong>the</strong> people <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

it.<br />

The mildest tempered people, when <strong>on</strong> land, become violent<br />

and blood-thirsty when <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a boat. I did a little boat<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>on</strong>ce<br />

with a young lady. She was naturally of <strong>the</strong> sweetest and gentlest<br />

dispositi<strong>on</strong> imag<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>able, but <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> river it was quite awful<br />

to hear her.<br />

“Oh, drat <strong>the</strong> man!” she would exclaim, when some unfortunate<br />

sculler would get <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> her way; “why d<strong>on</strong>’t he look where<br />

he’s go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g?”<br />

And, “Oh, bo<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> silly old th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g!” she would say <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>dignantly,<br />

when <strong>the</strong> sail would not go up properly. And she would<br />

catch hold of it, and shake it quite brutally.<br />

Yet, as I have said, when <strong>on</strong> shore she was k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d-hearted and<br />

amiable enough.<br />

The air of <strong>the</strong> river has a demoralis<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g effect up<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong>e’s<br />

temper, and this it is, I suppose, which causes even barge men<br />

to be sometimes rude to <strong>on</strong>e ano<strong>the</strong>r, and to use language<br />

which, no doubt, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong>ir calmer moments <strong>the</strong>y regret.

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