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Three Men in a Boat 10 (last chapter)

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Chapter Ten (10) Three Men Out of a Boat           We reached Reading at about II o’clock. The river here is very dirty, so we moved on to Streatley. We stayed at Streatley for two days. We took our clothes to a laundry woman. We had tried to wash them in the river, as George told us. The river was so dirty that our clothes collected all the dirt from the water. The river became cleaner, but our clothes became dirtier.           The laundry woman was very surprised to see such dirty clothes. She looked at them and said, ‘This will cost you three times the usual price.’           We agreed and paid her.           The river near Streatley and Goring is excellent for fishing. It is full of different types of fish. Some people sit and fish there all day. However, they never catch any fish. The local fisherman’s gu...
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Three Men in a Boat 09

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  CHAPTER NINE Fighting Swans           After lunch, a gentle wind pushed us up the river past Wargrave and Shiplake.We got out of the boat at Sonning and walked around the village. Sonning is a lovely village. Everything is clean and beautiful. Each house is covered with roses. We decided to return to one of the Shiplake islands to spend the night.           George said, ‘Let’s have a special supper tonight. Let’s make an Irish stew. We can put everything into one big pan.’           ‘What a wonderful idea!’ Harris and I said.           ‘I’ll get the wood and make a fire,’ George said. ‘You two can peel the potatoes.’           This was a very big job. We were happy and excited. But when we peeled our first potato, we understood that this was not exciting — it...
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Three Men in a Boat 08

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CHAPTER EIGHT Montmorency Meets a Cat             At Marlow, we left our boat by the bridge. We spent the night at the Crown Hotel. The next morning we went swimming before breakfast.           On the way back, Montmorency met a cat. Montmorency and I don’t agree on cats. I like cats. Montmorency doesn’t. When I meet a cat, I stop and say hello. I pet I it gently. The cat is happy, and I am too. When Montmorency meets a cat, the whole street knows about it. A lot of bad words fly through the air.           As soon as Montmorency saw the cat, he barked with happiness. The cat was walking slowly across the street. Montmorency ran after the cat. But the cat didn’t run. He didn’t understand that his life was in danger.           This cat was big and black. It had half a tail, half a nose and only one ear. It ...
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Three Men in a Boat 07

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CHAPTER SEVEN The Laughing Tin             When we finished breakfast, the sun was up and it was a warm morning. I sat on the river bank near Runnymede. I thought about King John, who signed the Magna Carta at Runnymede, in II5. What a great moment in English history! I imagined the scene!           George came over and said, ‘When you finish resting and dreaming, please help me wash the dishes and other things.’           I cleaned the frying pan with some grass and with George’s wet shirt.           Later on, we went to Magna Carta Island. We saw the stone where the Magna Carta was signed. In this area, King Henry VIII met with his sweetheart, I Anne Boleyn. I am certain that King Henry VIII met Anne Boleyn in several other places, too.           We continued...
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Three Men in a Boat 06

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CHAPTER SIX Harris Makes Scrambled Eggs           As soon as the cover was in place, we started to prepare supper. We wanted some hot water to make tea.We put the teakettle on the stove. We pretended that we were not interested in the water. We wanted the water to think that we did not care about it. We began to prepare supper.           This was the only way to make the water boil on a boat. If the water knows you are waiting for it, it will never get hot. You must not look at it. It’s a good idea to shout, ‘I don’t want any tea. Do you, George?’           George shouts back, ‘Oh, no. I don’t like tea. I’ll have milk.’           ‘And you, Harris?’           ‘Tea is terrible. I never drink it. I’ll have lemonade.’         ...
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