three men in a boat-第30部分

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CHAPTER　XV。





HOUSEHOLD　DUTIES。　…　LOVE　OF　WORK。　…　THE　OLD　RIVER　HAND；　WHAT　HE　DOES　AND　

WHAT　HE　TELLS　YOU　HE　HAS　DONE。　…　SCEPTICISM　OF　THE　NEW　GENERATION。　…　

EARLY　BOATING　RECOLLECTIONS。　…　RAFTING。　…　GEORGE　DOES　THE　THING　IN　STYLE。　

…　THE　OLD　BOATMAN；　HIS　METHOD。　…　SO　CALM；　SO　FULL　OF　PEACE。　…　THE　

BEGINNER。　…　PUNTING。　…　A　SAD　ACCIDENT。　…　PLEASURES　OF　FRIENDSHIP。　…　

SAILING；　MY　FIRST　EXPERIENCE。　…　POSSIBLE　REASON　WHY　WE　WERE　NOT　DROWNED。



WE　woke　late　the　next　morning；　and；　at　Harris's　earnest　desire；　partook　

of　a　plain　breakfast；　with　〃non　dainties。〃　　Then　we　cleaned　up；　and　put　

everything　straight　（a　continual　labour；　which　was　beginning　to　afford　me　

a　pretty　clear　insight　into　a　question　that　had　often　posed　me　…　namely；　

how　a　woman　with　the　work　of　only　one　house　on　her　hands　manages　to　pass　

away　her　time）；　and；　at　about　ten；　set　out　on　what　we　had　determined　

should　be　a　good　day's　journey。



We　agreed　that　we　would　pull　this　morning；　as　a　change　from　towing；　and　

Harris　thought　the　best　arrangement　would　be　that　George　and　I　should　

scull；　and　he　steer。　　I　did　not　chime　in　with　this　idea　at　all；　I　said　I　

thought　Harris　would　have　been　showing　a　more　proper　spirit　if　he　had　

suggested　that　he　and　George　should　work；　and　let　me　rest　a　bit。　　It　

seemed　to　me　that　I　was　doing　more　than　my　fair　share　of　the　work　on　this　

trip；　and　I　was　beginning　to　feel　strongly　on　the　subject。



It　always　does　seem　to　me　that　I　am　doing　more　work　than　I　should　do。　　It　

is　not　that　I　object　to　the　work；　mind　you；　I　like　work：　it　fascinates　

me。　　I　can　sit　and　look　at　it　for　hours。　　I　love　to　keep　it　by　me：　the　

idea　of　getting　rid　of　it　nearly　breaks　my　heart。



You　cannot　give　me　too　much　work；　to　accumulate　work　has　almost　become　a　

passion　with　me：　my　study　is　so　full　of　it　now；　that　there　is　hardly　an　

inch　of　room　for　any　more。　　I　shall　have　to　throw　out　a　wing　soon。



And　I　am　careful　of　my　work；　too。　　Why；　some　of　the　work　that　I　have　by　

me　now　has　been　in　my　possession　for　years　and　years；　and　there　isn't　a　

finger…mark　on　it。　　I　take　a　great　pride　in　my　work；　I　take　it　down　now　

and　then　and　dust　it。　　No　man　keeps　his　work　in　a　better　state　of　

preservation　than　I　do。



But；　though　I　crave　for　work；　I　still　like　to　be　fair。　　I　do　not　ask　for　

more　than　my　proper　share。



But　I　get　it　without　asking　for　it　…　at　least；　so　it　appears　to　me　…　and　

this　worries　me。



George　says　he　does　not　think　I　need　trouble　myself　on　the　subject。　　He　

thinks　it　is　only　my　over…scrupulous　nature　that　makes　me　fear　I　am　

having　more　than　my　due；　and　that；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　I　don't　have　half　

as　much　as　I　ought。　　But　I　expect　he　only　says　this　to　comfort　me。



In　a　boat；　I　have　always　noticed　that　it　is　the　fixed　idea　of　each　member　

of　the　crew　that　he　is　doing　everything。　　Harris's　notion　was；　that　it　

was　he　alone　who　had　been　working；　and　that　both　George　and　I　had　been　

imposing　upon　him。　　George；　on　the　other　hand；　ridiculed　the　idea　of　

Harris's　having　done　anything　more　than　eat　and　sleep；　and　had　a　cast…

iron　opinion　that　it　was　he　…　George　himself　…　who　had　done　all　the　

labour　worth　speaking　of。



He　said　he　had　never　been　out　with　such　a　couple　of　lazily　skulks　as　

Harris　and　I。



That　amused　Harris。



〃Fancy　old　George　talking　about　work！〃　he　laughed；　〃why；　about　half…an…

hour　of　it　would　kill　him。　　Have　you　ever　seen　George　work？〃　he　added；　

turning　to　me。



I　agreed　with　Harris　that　I　never　had　…　most　certainly　not　since　we　had　

started　on　this　trip。



〃Well；　I　don't　see　how　YOU　can　know　much　about　it；　one　way　or　the　other；〃　

George　retorted　on　Harris；　〃for　I'm　blest　if　you　haven't　been　asleep　half　

the　time。　　Have　you　ever　seen　Harris　fully　awake；　except　at　meal…time？〃　

asked　George；　addressing　me。



Truth　compelled　me　to　support　George。　　Harris　had　been　very　little　good　

in　the　boat；　so　far　as　helping　was　concerned；　from　the　beginning。



〃Well；　hang　it　all；　I've　done　more　than　old　J。；　anyhow；〃　rejoined　Harris。



〃Well；　you　couldn't　very　well　have　done　less；〃　added　George。



〃I　suppose　J。　thinks　he　is　the　passenger；〃　continued　Harris。



And　that　was　their　gratitude　to　me　for　having　brought　them　and　their　

wretched　old　boat　all　the　way　up　from　Kingston；　and　for　having　

superintended　and　managed　everything　for　them；　and　taken　care　of　them；　

and　slaved　for　them。　　It　is　the　way　of　the　world。



We　settled　the　present　difficulty　by　arranging　that　Harris　and　George　

should　scull　up　past　Reading；　and　that　I　should　tow　the　boat　on　from　

there。　　Pulling　a　heavy　boat　against　a　strong　stream　has　few　attractions　

for　me　now。　　There　was　a　time；　long　ago；　when　I　used　to　clamour　for　the　

hard　work：　now　I　like　to　give　the　youngsters　a　chance。



I　notice　that　most　of　the　old　river　hands　are　similarly　retiring；　

whenever　there　is　any　stiff　pulling　to　be　done。　　You　can　always　tell　the　

old　river　hand　by　the　way　in　which　he　stretches　himself　out　upon　the　

cushions　at　the　bottom　of　the　boat；　and　encourages　the　rowers　by　telling　

them　anecdotes　about　the　marvellous　feats　he　performed　last　season。



〃Call　what　you're　doing　hard　work！〃　he　drawls；　between　his　contented　

whiffs；　addressing　the　two　perspiring　novices；　who　have　been　grinding　

away　steadily　up　stream　for　the　last　hour　and　a　half；　〃why；　Jim　Biffles　

and　Jack　and　I；　last　season；　pulled　up　from　Marlow　to　Goring　in　one　

afternoon　…　never　stopped　once。　　Do　you　remember　that；　Jack？〃



Jack；　who　has　made　himself　a　bed　up　in　the　prow　of　all　the　rugs　and　coats　

he　can　collect；　and　who　has　been　lying　there　asleep　for　the　last　two　

hours；　partially　wakes　up　on　being　thus　appealed　to；　and　recollects　all　

about　the　matter；　and　also　remembers　that　there　was　an　unusually　strong　

stream　against　them　all　the　way　…　likewise　a　stiff　wind。



〃About　thirty…four　miles；　I　suppose；　it　must　have　been；〃　adds　the　first　

speaker；　reaching　down　another　cushion　to　put　under　his　head。



〃　No　…　no；　don't　exaggerate；　Tom；〃　murmurs　Jack；　reprovingly；　〃thirty…

three　at　the　outside。〃



And　Jack　and　Tom；　quite　exhausted　by　this　conversational　effort；　drop　off　

to　sleep　once　more。　　And　the　two　simple…minded　youngsters　at　the　sculls　

feel　quite　proud　of　being　allowed　to　row　such　wonderful　oarsmen　as　Jack　

and　Tom；　and　strain　away　harder　than　ever。



When　I　was　a　young　man；　I　used　to　listen　to　these　tales　from　my　elders；　

and　take　them　in；　and　swallow　them；　and　digest　every　word　of　them；　and　

then　come　up　for　more；　but　the　new　generation　do　not　seem　to　have　the　

simple　faith　of　the　old　times。　　We　…　George；　Harris；　and　myself　…　took　a　

〃raw'un〃　up　with　us　once　last　season；　and　we　plied　him　with　the　customary　

stretchers　about　the　wonderful　things　we　had　done　all　the　way　up。



We　gave　him　all　the　regular　ones　…　the　time…honoured　lies　that　have　done　

duty　up　the　river　with　every　boating…man　for　years　past　…　and　added　seven　

entirely　original　ones　that　we　had　invented　for　ourselves；　including　a　

really　quite　likely　story；　founded；　to　a　certain　extent；　on　an　all　but　

true　episode；　which　had　actually　happened　in　a　modified　degree　some　years　

ago　to　friends　of　ours　…　a　story　that　a　mere　child　could　have　believed　

without　injuring　itself；　much。



And　that　young　man　mocked　at　them　all；　and　wanted　us　to　repeat　the　feats　

then　and　there；　and　to　bet　us　ten　to　one　that　we　didn't。



We　got　to　chatting　about　our　rowing　experiences　this　morning；　and　to　

recounting　stories　of　our　first　efforts　in　the　art　of　oarsmanship。　　My　

own　earliest　boating　recollection　is　of　five　of　us　contributing　

threepence　each　and　taking　out　a　curiously　constructed　craft　on　the　

Regent's　Park　lake；　drying　ourselves　subsequently；　in　the　park…keeper's　

lodge。



After　that；　having　acquired　a　taste　for　the　water；　I　did　a　good　deal　of　

rafting　in　various　suburban　brickfields　…　an　exercise　providing　more　

interest　and　excitement　than　might　be　imagined；　especially　when　you　are　

in　the　middle　of　the　pond　and　the　proprietor　of　the　materials　of　which　

the　raft　is　constructed　suddenly　appears　on　the　bank；　with　a　big　stick　in　

his　hand。



Your　first　sensation　on　seeing　this　gentleman　is　that；　somehow　or　other；　

you　don't　feel　equal　to　company　and　conversation；　and　that；　if　you　could　

do　so　without　appearing　rude；　you　would　rather　avoid　meeting　him；　and　

your　object　is；　therefore；　to　get　off　on　the　opposite　side　of　the　pond　to　

which　he　is；　and　to　go　home　quietly　and　quickly；　pretending　not　to　see　

him。　　He；　on　the　contrary　is　yearning　to　take　you　by　the　hand；　and　talk　

to　you。



It　appears　that　he　knows　your　father；　and　is　intimately　acquainted　with　

yourself；　but　this　does　not　draw　you　towards　him。　　He　says　he'll　teach　

you　to　take　his　boards　and　make　a　raft　of　them；　but；　seeing　that　you　know　

how　to　do　this　pretty　well　already；　the　offer；　though　doubtless　kindly　

meant；　seems　a　superfluous　one　on　his　part；　and　you　are　reluctant　to　put　

him　to　any　trouble　by　accepting　it。



His　anxiety　to　meet　you；　however；　is　proof　against　all　your　coolness；　and　

the　energetic　manner　in　which　he　dodges　up　and　down　the　pond　so　as　to　be　

on　the　spot　to　greet　you　when　you　land　is　really　quite　flattering。



If　he　be　of　a　stout　and　short…winded　build；　you　can　easily　avoid　his　

advances；　but；　when　he　is　of　the　youthful　and　long…legged　type；　a　meeting　

is　inevitable。　　The　interview　is；　however；　extremely　brief；　most　of　the　

conversation　being　on　his　part；　your　remarks　being　mostly　of　an　

exclamatory　and　mono…syllabic　order；　and　as　soon　as　you　can　tear　yourself　

away　you　do　so。



I　devoted　some　three　months　to　rafting；　and；　being　then　as　proficient　as　

there　was　any　need　to　be　at　that　branch　of　the　art；　I　determined　to　go　in　

for　rowing　proper；　and　joined　one　of　the　Lea　boating　clubs。



Being　out　in　a　boat　on　the　river　Lea；　especially　on　Saturday　afternoons；　

soon　makes　you　smart