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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 53 —<br />

should all know when we got <strong>the</strong>re. We slipped half-a-crown<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to his hand, and begged him to be <strong>the</strong> 11.5 for K<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gst<strong>on</strong>.<br />

“Nobody will ever know, <strong>on</strong> this l<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e,” we said, “what you<br />

are, or where you’re go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g. You know <strong>the</strong> way, you slip off quietly<br />

and go to K<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gst<strong>on</strong>.”<br />

“Well, I d<strong>on</strong>’t know, gents,” replied <strong>the</strong> noble fellow, “but<br />

I suppose some tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>’s got to go to K<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gst<strong>on</strong>; and I’ll do it.<br />

Gimme <strong>the</strong> half-crown.”<br />

Thus we got to K<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gst<strong>on</strong> by <strong>the</strong> L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong> and South-Western<br />

Railway.<br />

We learnt, afterwards, that <strong>the</strong> tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> we had come by was really<br />

<strong>the</strong> Exeter mail, and that <strong>the</strong>y had spent hours at Waterloo,<br />

look<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g for it, and nobody knew what had become of it.<br />

Our boat was wait<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g for us at K<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gst<strong>on</strong> just below bridge,<br />

and to it we wended our way, and round it we stored our luggage,<br />

and <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to it we stepped.<br />

“Are you all right, sir?” said <strong>the</strong> man.<br />

“Right it is,” we answered; and with Harris at <strong>the</strong> sculls and<br />

I at <strong>the</strong> tiller-l<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>es, and M<strong>on</strong>tmorency, unhappy and deeply<br />

suspicious, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> prow, out we shot <strong>on</strong> to <strong>the</strong> waters which, for<br />

a fortnight, were to be our home.

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