Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
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<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>fr<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> law a sec<strong>on</strong>d time. The man saw this for himself,<br />
and suggested that to get over <strong>the</strong> difficulty Harris should go<br />
back <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to <strong>the</strong> garden by <strong>the</strong> proper entrance, which was round<br />
<strong>the</strong> corner, and afterwards immediately come out aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> by <strong>the</strong><br />
same gate. Then it was that Harris called <strong>the</strong> man a silly ass.<br />
That delayed us a day, and cost Harris forty marks.<br />
I followed suit at Carlsruhe, by steal<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a bicycle. I did not<br />
mean to steal <strong>the</strong> bicycle; I was merely try<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to be useful. The<br />
tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> was <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> po<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>t of start<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g when I noticed, as I thought,<br />
Harris’s bicycle still <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> goods van. No <strong>on</strong>e was about to help<br />
me. I jumped <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to <strong>the</strong> van and hauled it out, <strong>on</strong>ly just <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> time.<br />
Wheel<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g it down <strong>the</strong> platform <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> triumph, I came across Harris’s<br />
bicycle, stand<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st a wall beh<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d some milk-cans.<br />
The bicycle I had secured was not Harris’s, but some o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
man’s.<br />
It was an awkward situati<strong>on</strong>. In England, I should have g<strong>on</strong>e<br />
to <strong>the</strong> stati<strong>on</strong>master and expla<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed my mistake. But <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Germany<br />
<strong>the</strong>y are not c<strong>on</strong>tent with your expla<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a little matter<br />
of this sort to <strong>on</strong>e man: <strong>the</strong>y take you round and get you<br />
to expla<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> it to about half a dozen; and if any <strong>on</strong>e of <strong>the</strong> half<br />
dozen happens not to be handy, or not to have time just <strong>the</strong>n<br />
to listen to you, <strong>the</strong>y have a habit of leav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g you over for <strong>the</strong><br />
night to f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ish your explanati<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> next morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g. I thought I<br />
would just put <strong>the</strong> th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g out of sight, and <strong>the</strong>n, without mak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
any fuss or show, take a short walk. I found a wood shed,<br />
which seemed just <strong>the</strong> very place, and was wheel<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> bicycle<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to it when, unfortunately, a red-hatted railway official, with<br />
<strong>the</strong> airs of a retired field-marshal, caught sight of me and came<br />
up. He said:<br />
“What are you do<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g with that bicycle?”<br />
I said: “I am go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to put it <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> this wood shed out of <strong>the</strong><br />
way.” I tried to c<strong>on</strong>vey by my t<strong>on</strong>e that I was perform<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d<br />
and thoughtful acti<strong>on</strong>, for which <strong>the</strong> railway officials ought to<br />
thank me; but he was unresp<strong>on</strong>sive.<br />
“Is it your bicycle?” he said.<br />
“Well, not exactly,” I replied.