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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 193 —<br />

George took <strong>the</strong> fun more soberly, and stuck to <strong>the</strong> umbrella.<br />

We hoisted <strong>the</strong> cover before we had lunch, and kept it up<br />

all <strong>the</strong> afterno<strong>on</strong>, just leav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a little space <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> bow, from<br />

which <strong>on</strong>e of us could paddle and keep a look-out. In this way<br />

we made n<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e miles, and pulled up for <strong>the</strong> night a little below<br />

Day’s Lock.<br />

I cannot h<strong>on</strong>estly say that we had a merry even<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g. The ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

poured down with quiet persistency. Everyth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> boat<br />

was damp and clammy. Supper was not a success. Cold veal pie,<br />

when you d<strong>on</strong>’t feel hungry, is apt to cloy. I felt I wanted whitebait<br />

and a cutlet; Harris babbled of soles and white-sauce, and<br />

passed <strong>the</strong> rema<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>s of his pie to M<strong>on</strong>tmorency, who decl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed<br />

it, and, apparently <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>sulted by <strong>the</strong> offer, went and sat over at <strong>the</strong><br />

o<strong>the</strong>r end of <strong>the</strong> boat by himself.<br />

George requested that we would not talk about <strong>the</strong>se th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs,<br />

at all events until he had f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ished his cold boiled beef without<br />

mustard.<br />

We played penny nap after supper. We played for about an<br />

hour and a half, by <strong>the</strong> end of which time George had w<strong>on</strong><br />

fourpence — George always is lucky at cards — and Harris and<br />

I had lost exactly twopence each.<br />

We thought we would give up gambl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong>n. As Harris<br />

said, it breeds an unhealthy excitement when carried too far.<br />

George offered to go <strong>on</strong> and give us our revenge; but Harris<br />

and I decided not to battle any fur<strong>the</strong>r aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st Fate.<br />

After that, we mixed ourselves some toddy, and sat round<br />

and talked. George told us about a man he had known, who<br />

had come up <strong>the</strong> river two years ago and who had slept out <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

a damp boat <strong>on</strong> just such ano<strong>the</strong>r night as that was, and it had<br />

given him rheumatic fever, and noth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g was able to save him,<br />

and he had died <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> great ag<strong>on</strong>y ten days afterwards. George<br />

said he was quite a young man, and was engaged to be married.<br />

He said it was <strong>on</strong>e of <strong>the</strong> saddest th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs he had ever known.<br />

And that put Harris <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> m<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d of a friend of his, who had been<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> Volunteers, and who had slept out under canvas <strong>on</strong>e wet

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