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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moderati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> all th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs. Pretty little place, that Titisee, accord<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
to <strong>the</strong> map; looks as if <strong>the</strong>re would be good air <strong>the</strong>re.”<br />
“All right, I’m agreeable. It was you fellows who suggested<br />
our mak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g for St. Blasien.”<br />
“Oh, I’m not so keen <strong>on</strong> St. Blasien! poky little place, down<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a valley. This Titisee, I should say, was ever so much nicer.”<br />
“Quite near, isn’t it?”<br />
“Five miles.”<br />
General chorus: “We’ll stop at Titisee.”<br />
George made discovery of this difference between <strong>the</strong>ory<br />
and practice <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> very first day of our ride.<br />
“I thought,” said George — he was rid<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> s<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gle, Harris<br />
and I be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a little ahead <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> tandem — “that <strong>the</strong> idea was to<br />
tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> up <strong>the</strong> hills and ride down <strong>the</strong>m.”<br />
“So it is,” answered Harris, “as a general rule. But <strong>the</strong> tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>s<br />
d<strong>on</strong>’t go up every hill <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> Black Forest.”<br />
“Somehow, I felt a suspici<strong>on</strong> that <strong>the</strong>y wouldn’t,” growled<br />
George; and for a while silence reigned.<br />
“Besides,” remarked Harris, who had evidently been rum<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>at<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
<strong>the</strong> subject, “you would not wish to have noth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g but<br />
downhill, surely. It would not be play<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> game. One must<br />
take a little rough with <strong>on</strong>e’s smooth.”<br />
Aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong>re returned silence, broken after a while by<br />
George, this time.<br />
“D<strong>on</strong>’t you two fellows over-exert yourselves merely <strong>on</strong> my<br />
account,” said George.<br />
“How do you mean?” asked Harris.<br />
“I mean,” answered George, “that where a tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> does happen<br />
to be go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g up <strong>the</strong>se hills, d<strong>on</strong>’t you put aside <strong>the</strong> idea of tak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
it for fear of outrag<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g my f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>er feel<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs. Pers<strong>on</strong>ally, I am<br />
prepared to go up all <strong>the</strong>se hills <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a railway tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>, even if it’s<br />
not play<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> game. I’ll square <strong>the</strong> th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g with my c<strong>on</strong>science;<br />
I’ve been up at seven every day for a week now, and I calculate<br />
it owes me a bit. D<strong>on</strong>’t you c<strong>on</strong>sider me <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> matter at all.”<br />
We promised to bear this <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> m<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d, and aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> ride