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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— 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