21.03.2013 Views

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

— 32 —<br />

posture, as hard as ever it can, down <strong>on</strong> to a rock which has<br />

been put <strong>the</strong>re for me. And, before I’ve said “Oh! Ugh!” and<br />

found out what has g<strong>on</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> wave comes back and carries me<br />

out to mid-ocean. I beg<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> to strike out frantically for <strong>the</strong> shore,<br />

and w<strong>on</strong>der if I shall ever see home and friends aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>, and<br />

wish I’d been k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>der to my little sister when a boy (when I was<br />

a boy, I mean). Just when I have given up all hope, a wave retires<br />

and leaves me sprawl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g like a star-fish <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> sand, and I<br />

get up and look back and f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d that I’ve been swimm<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g for my<br />

life <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> two feet of water. I hop back and dress, and crawl home,<br />

where I have to pretend I liked it.<br />

In <strong>the</strong> present <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>stance, we all talked as if we were go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to<br />

have a l<strong>on</strong>g swim every morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g.<br />

George said it was so pleasant to wake up <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> boat <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong><br />

fresh morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, and plunge <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to <strong>the</strong> limpid river. Harris said<br />

<strong>the</strong>re was noth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g like a swim before breakfast to give you<br />

an appetite. He said it always gave him an appetite. George<br />

said that if it was go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to make Harris eat more than Harris<br />

ord<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>arily ate, <strong>the</strong>n he should protest aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st Harris hav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a<br />

bath at all.<br />

He said <strong>the</strong>re would be quite enough hard work <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> tow<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

sufficient food for Harris up aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st stream, as it was.<br />

I urged up<strong>on</strong> George, however, how much pleasanter it<br />

would be to have Harris clean and fresh about <strong>the</strong> boat, even if<br />

we did have to take a few more hundredweight of provisi<strong>on</strong>s;<br />

and he got to see it <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> my light, and withdrew his oppositi<strong>on</strong><br />

to Harris’s bath.<br />

Agreed, f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ally, that we should take three bath towels, so as<br />

not to keep each o<strong>the</strong>r wait<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g.<br />

For clo<strong>the</strong>s, George said two suits of flannel would be sufficient,<br />

as we could wash <strong>the</strong>m ourselves, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> river, when <strong>the</strong>y<br />

got dirty. We asked him if he had ever tried wash<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g flannels<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> river, and he replied: “No, not exactly himself like; but<br />

he knew some fellows who had, and it was easy enough;” and<br />

Harris and I were weak enough to fancy he knew what he was<br />

talk<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g about, and that three respectable young men, without

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!