i need the summary of three men in a boat 2nd term

The story begins by introducing George, Harris, Jerome and Montmorency, a fox terrier. The men are spending an evening in J.'s room, smoking and discussing illnesses they fancy they suffer from. They conclude they are all suffering from 'overwork' and need a holiday. A stay in the country and a sea trip are both considered, then rejected after J. describes the bad experiences had by his brother-in-law and a friend on sea trips. The three decide on a boating holiday up the River Thames, from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford, during which they will camp, notwithstanding Jerome's anecdotes about previous experiences with tents and camping stoves.

They embark the following Saturday. George must go to work that morning ("George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day, except Saturdays, when they wake him up and put him outside at two"), so J. and Harris make their way to Kingston by train. They are unable to find the correct train at Waterloo Station (the station's confusing layout was a well-known theme of Victorian comedy) so they bribe a train driver to take his train to Kingston, where they collect their hired boat and start the journey. They meet George up-river at Weybridge.

The remainder of the story describes their river journey and the incidents that occur. The book's original purpose as a guidebook is apparent as the narrator describes passing landmarks and villages such as Hampton Court Palace, Hampton Church, Monkey Island, Magna Carta Island and Marlow, and muses on historical associations of these places. However, he frequently digresses into humorous anecdotes that range from the unreliability of barometers for weather forecasting to the difficulties encountered when learning to play the Scottish bagpipe. The most frequent topics are river pastimes such as fishing and boating and the difficulties they present to the inexperienced and unwary.

The book includes classic comedy set-pieces, such as the story of two drunken men who slide into the same bed in the dark, the plaster of paris trout in chapter 17 and the "Irish stew" in chapter 14 - made by mixing most of the leftovers in the party's food hamper:

I forget the other ingredients, but I know nothing was wasted; and I remember that, towards the end, Montmorency, who had evinced great interest in the proceedings throughout, strolled away with an earnest and thoughtful air, reappearing, a few minutes afterwards, with a dead water-rat in his mouth, which he evidently wished to present as his contribution to the dinner; whether in a sarcastic spirit, or with a genuine desire to assist, I cannot say.

Chapter-10:

First night on the waters

Initially the three of them wish to go to Magna Charta Island but later they content themselves with “a bit of water between a coal-barge and a gas-works” and pull up to the ‘Picnic Point’.

Putting up a canvas

They realise that putting up of the canvas is not as easy as it seemed. Fitting the hoops in their socket comes out to be an immensely difficult task and when they finish fitting them, they come to know that they were the wrong hoops. Pulling them out becomes another huge task. While covering the hoops with canvas, Harris and George entangle themselves. Laboring for another half an hour, they finally succeed in fixing it up.

They go for supper, thereafter. Narrator suggests that while placing the kettle to boil, one should never wait for it anxiously. He suggests an amusing way of standing near the kettle and crying out loud that you don’t need any tea. The kettle then boils over.

A discourse on importance of food

The three men feel the ultimate satisfaction after having food. J describes how contented one feels when the stomach is satisfied. He gives a discourse on the “domination of our intellect by our digestive organs.” He considers humans to be ‘slaves of their stomach’.

A funny incident narrated by George

George narrates a funny incident that happened to his father. His father stayed at an inn with his friends while they were travelling through Wales. The two friends got into the same bed in the dark and each of them did not know that it was the other one in the bed. Both of them chucked each other out of the bed. Harris told George that a similar incident happened to his father but the inns where they stayed were not the same.

An uncomfortable night

J feels restless and disturbed during the night due to the hardness of the boat, the splashing of water and the wind. He sees a scary dream that it wakes him up. He goes on to the bank and ponders over how nights are free of sorrows. Unlike the daytime which is full of ‘evil and bitter thoughts’, nights are peaceful and wash away sorrows.

J thinks of a story associated with the chivalrous days of knights and maidens. Some goodly knights rode in the deep forest at night. One of them wandered far away and did not return to them. Later, while the other knights were making merry, the knight who was lost came in rags like a beggar. He said that when he had lost his way and was about to die, there came a ‘stately maiden’ who took him to a place where a light dawned which was glorious and wondrous. The name of the dark forest was ‘Sorrow’.

Chapter-11:

How George once woke up early in the morning accidentally

George, who is known for sleeping till late, cites an incident of waking up early one morning by chance. Once, his watch went out of order and the time it showed was quarter-past eight. Mistakenly, he woke up at three and rushed to get ready for work. Only when a policeman told him that it was just three o’clock in the morning, he realized his watch was showing the wrong time.

George, Harris and Montmorency keep off the cold water

George, Harris and Montmorency keep away from the water as it is too cold and the wind is chilly. J, however, does not give in but he isn’t very keen on getting into the water either. He thinks he would not throw the water over himself but accidentally slips in the mid-stream. J asks the other two to come in but without any success.

Harris as a cook

Harris proposes to prepare scrambled eggs for breakfast. He says it is impossible for anyone to eat anything else after having the scrambled eggs prepared by him as he is quite famous for them. Eventually, he messes up everything. He has trouble breaking the eggs, getting them into the frying-pan; he even burns himself while he is near the stove. The result is altogether a dismal and burnt mess.

Historical Contemplation 

The lovely morning make them fantasise about the centuries gone long back. Narrator mentions about King John who had slept at Duncroft Hall. He speaks of the town of Staines where barons assembled before they met King John at Runningmede in 1215. The Barons slowly grate against the bank of the little island that from that day had been named Magna Charta Island.

Chapter-12:

Annoyance at being in the same house with a pair of lovers

Near the Picnic Point is Ankerwyke House which is known to be the place where Henry VIII used to wait for Anne Boleyn. Narrator expresses the irritation and awkwardness one feels when one is in the same house with a pair of lovers. He considers that the same would have been the plight of the English nation when Henry VIII used to court Anne Boleyn.

Passing through Datchet

While passing Datchet, George asks J if he remembers their first trip up the river when they landed at Datchet. They had an awful experience because they were unable to find a decent place to stay.. Harris lost all hopes and was prepared to die. Finally, they had to stay at a place of the little boy whom they met on the road and considered him to be an angel.

Yearning for mustard

They have almost reached Monkey Island when J feels the craving for mustard. They were not carrying mustard with them. Harris, too, craves for it. They feel gloomy and “existence seemed hollow and uninteresting.”

A battle with tin

All three of them were fond of pineapple. George draws out a tin of pineapple and they brighten up. But they do not have a knife to open it. From a pair of scissors to a sharp stone, they use everything but the tin does not open. It batters into such a shape that it ultimately shows a ‘mocking grin’. Harris throws it far into the middle of the river in frustration.

Moving ahead

They reach Maidenhead and do not consider it to be pleasant as it was too snobby. It was a town of “showy hotels, patronized chiefly by dudes and ballet girls.” Then they reach Cookham, have tea and feel lucky as the wind is at their backs.

Sailing – a sensation

Narrator considers sailing a task that makes one a part of Nature. “Your spirit is at one with hers; your limbs grow light! The voices of the air are singing to you.”

They come across three fishermen who were ‘solemn-looking men’.  Somehow, the fishers do not like their presence.

Chapter-13:

Bisham Abbey

The three cross Marlow, one of the ‘pleasantest river centres’. The narrator gives a brief history of Marlow. They reach the grand old Bisham Abbey which was once the home of Anne of Cleves at the time of Queen Elizabeth. Warwick (an English statesman who fought the War of the Roses) also rested there. It was under the Bisham beeches that Shelley wrote ‘The Revolt of Islam’.

While passing through the Medmenham Abbey, the narrator talks about the famous Medmenham monks whose motto was “Do as you please”. They were followed by the Cistercian monks who wore no clothes, ate no flesh, fish or eggs.

The difference of opinion between J and Montmorency

Narrator considers that the only difference between him and Montmorency is their difference of opinion about cats. J, being very fond of cats, would caress them gently with love and care. On the other hand, Montmorency would go wild at the sight of cats and the ‘whole street would come to know about it’. J says that he does not blame Montmorency for this but the natural tendency of the fox-terrier breed. It is nearly impossible to train them to be gentler. J narrates a past incident at Haymarket Stores where a fox-terrier created a great havoc among the dogs and then went away with his master pretending to be modest.

While returning from a dip, at high Street, Montmorency saw a large cat, Tom, and ran after it. But as he reached near it, he did not act violently but surrendered to the gentleness of the cat.

Departure from Marlow

J considers their departure from Marlow to be dignified and impressive. They purchased a lot of things and had boys to carry the things along with them. Montmorency, ‘carrying a stick’, headed the procession with ‘two disreputable looking curs’ following him.

J’s disgust over steam launches

J, being the man rowing the boat, expresses his disgust over steam launches. The three of them make every possible effort to irritate the people in steam launches when they get in the way of any steam launch.

They deny drinking the river

Falling short of drinking water, they go up to the lock-keeper to ask for some. The lock-keeper recommends them to fetch some from the river. They, finally, get some from a cottage nearby. 

He recalls an incident when they got some water from the river, boiled it, prepared tea and started drinking it. It was during the course of drinking tea that they saw a dog swimming in the river. The three felt disgusted and discontinued drinking the tea.

Harris disappears

While carving a beefsteak pie, Harris disappears. This comes as a shock to George and J, as well as Harris. He thinks that George and J played a prank and made him sit there and falls into a gully that was hid under the long grass.

Chapter-14:

Wargrave, Shiplake and Sonning

They go past Wargrave and Shiplake. Shiplake is a pretty village where Tennyson (the famous poet) was married.

They go out at Sonning and take a walk round the village. Then they decide to go back to one of the Shiplake islands and put there that night.

Preparing the Irish stew

Harris and J peel the potatoes which seem to be an undertaking job to both of them. Montmorency’s contribution to the Irish stew is a dead water rat to which Harris agrees but George does not.

Montmorency’s fight with the kettle

Throughout the trip, Montmorency has been curious about the kettle. He rushes at the kettle and seizes it by its spout. He burns his nose and never tries to get close to the kettle again, especially while it is on the stove.

Playing a musical instrument

George wants to play the banjo so that some music may cure Harris’ headache. Harris chooses to rather have a headache.

Narrator describes that George could never learn to play a banjo till date. He was discouraged by his landlady, his neighbourhood and was barred from playing it for six months. Narrator also mentions about one of his friends who learned to play bagpipes going against the wishes of his family members. J is of the opinion that one has to be in good health to play the bagpipes.

A stroll round Henley

George and J leave Harris in the boat and go out for a stroll round Henley. As the night falls, it gets cold and scary. The two find themselves lost in the woods and cannot figure out which island they are at. They are not sure whether they are walking towards the river or away from it. Finally, they catch hold of the boat and shout out to Harris and Montmorency. Harris is quite sleepy and behaves in a weird manner throughout the night searching for clothes and umbrella. The next day he has no clue about any incident of such sort.

Chapter-15:

J’s workaholism 

Harris’ idea of J and George rowing the boat and he himself steering does  not seem justified to J. J is of the idea that he has been doing more than his ‘fair share of work’ on this trip. It seems to him that he has done more than what he should have. It is his passion to accumulate work. George and Harris think that they have been doing more than what J has been doing.

They finally decide that George and Harris would scull past Reading and J would tow the boat from there.

The old river hand

The old sailors, who are now retiring, tell anecdotes to the new generation sailors about how they sailed bravely in the past.

Early boating experiences 

J developed a fondness for water when he went for boating on the Regent Park’s lake. After devoting three months to rafting, he went for rowing.

George went to the water to Kew when he was sixteen with eight other gentlemen. They selected the boat that they thought they would look best in. While they were under the Kew Bridge they lost control over the boat. George dipped his oar into the water and it disappeared under the boat.

Harris is more inclined towards sea rowing. He likes to watch an old boatman rowing. He considers an old boatman to be free from haste, which is contrary to the nineteenth century boatmen. It is amusing to see two beginners to try to time with one another. Keeping the bow and stroke in pace is the most difficult task.

Punting

J reflects upon his past experiences of punting. According to him, it is not as easy as it seems to be. He mentions of an incident when a young man fell into the water while he was enjoying the scenery around and was left clinging to the punt (a square boat) and went into the water with the pole.

An amusing incident occurred with J when he went punting with three other fellows. They could not get a punt. Meanwhile, he was sitting and watching the river. There was another man on the river who looked exactly like J. He did not know punting well and did funny things while punting. J’s friends made fun of the man considering him to be J and felt embarrassed after knowing that it was not their friend.

Same sort of an experience once happened with Harris when he was bathing at Boulogne. He was seized by the neck and was forcibly drowned in the water. When he regained his feet, the person behind him stood laughing. The moment he caught the sight of Harris’s face, he apologized for mistakenly considering him to be his friend.

Sailing experience

J believes that sailing needs knowledge and practice. He once went for a trip to Yarmouth. Hector pulled the sail and J unrolled it. It was a tiring experience for them as the boat travelled upstream at a very low pace. Half the sail was under water. They eventually landed up in a mud-bank which saved them. They were rescued by an old fisherman with immense difficulty.

Chapter-16:

Arrival at Reading

They reach Reading at about eleven. The river is dirty there. The town became famous since the time of King Ethelred. In past years, when matters became difficult in London, Reading was a ‘handy place to run down to’. Henry I. lies buried at Reading, in Benedictine Abbey. At the same place, John of Gaunt was married to Lady Blanche.

Towed by a steam launch

At Reading lock they are towed up to Streatley by a steam launch. He expresses his annoyance over the rowing boats that come in the way of one’s launch up. It is irritating to whistle and the boats do not pay heed to it.

A commonplace story

J takes the skulls and after a minute George notices a dead body floating on the water. It was a hackneyed story that one gets to hear often. She was a beloved who was deceived and therefore committed suicide. 

Streatley and Goring

 Both Streatley and Goring are described as charming places. Steatley is an ancient place and is prettier than Goring. The three of them leave their boat at the bridge and go for a lunch at the ‘Bull’.

Chapter-17:

Washing the clothes 

Directed by George, they try washing their clothes in the river on their way between Reading and Henley. It seems that the river becomes cleaner after that as all the dirt is absorbed by their clothes. So, during their stay at Streatley, they get their clothes washed by a washerwoman. She charges them three times the usual price.

Fishing and exaggeration

The area near to Streatley and Goring is known to be a good fishing centre. J does not consider himself to be a good fisherman. People have told him that he could be a poet, a journalist, a shilling shocker but he could never be a fisherman as he lacked imagination.

A fishy story

George, J and the dog go for a walk to Wallingford. They go into a parlour and sit down. There, they see a trout in an old glass case fixed up very high above the chimney-piece. An old man sitting there tells them that it is now sixteen years since he caught it. After he leaves, another man comes and tells them that he caught it five years ago. Five minutes later, a third man describes how he caught it one fine morning. The fourth man claims it to be caught by him. They finally ask the landlord about the fish and he tells them that it was he who caught the fish when he was young. It was by luck that he caught hold of it.

At the end, when George wants to see it closely, he falls down clinging to the fish and the fish shatters into fragments. It is then that they come to know that it was made of plaster-of-paris.

Chapter-18:

This Chapter's summary is in the page: http://cbse.meritnation.com/study-online/study-material/qQeqkKkgh3H$QdBh878FFA!!/T0dP8dAN6vFeLLBHYGR77g!!

Chapter-19:

Stay at Oxford

They have a pleasant stay of two days at Oxford. Montmorency has eleven fights on the first day and fourteen on the second. He thinks he has got to heaven.

The hired-up boats and ‘The Pride of the Thames’

The boats that one get at Oxford are complete with necessary arrangements and are devoid of any ornamentation. The man in the hired-up boat is modest. He likes to keep under the trees and do the sailing early morning or during the nights.

The boat that they had written for was a double skulling skiff. They are offered ‘The Pride of the Thames’ which did not even look like a boat. They pay thirty five shillings on a loan of six days.

The change in the weather

It starts raining heavily on the third day. The river which was formerly beautiful under the sunlight now grew chilly and weary. Everything in the boat is damp. Even dinner eludes them. They play cards after the supper but that too isn’t a very enjoyable activity. George plays his instrument and starts with “two Lovely Black Eyes.” The three get mournful and the dog howls.

The second day too is exactly the same. George does  not consider it to be wise to stay back in the boat and offers  to board a train from Pangbourne.

The last supper

They enjoy the supper at the restaurant as it is different from having cold meat, cake, and bread and jam that they were having for the last ten days. They sit back, stretch their legs and feel good and relaxed. Harris exclaims, stretching his hand out for his glass, “we have had a pleasant trip, and my hearty thanks to old Father Thames – but I think we did well to chuck it when we did. Here’s to Three Men well out of a Boat!” To this, Montmorency gives a ‘concurrence to the toast’ by giving a short bark.