Three men in a boat summary of chapters 17,18,19 ......

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 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.

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• Chapter 11

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 is not 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

J. give a brief history of Marlow, which he considers one of the most attractive river towns on their trip. They wake up early, and go to the river to bathe before breakfast. On their way back, Montmorency, their rat terrier, attacks a cat. J. muses on the mischievous nature of the rat terrier breed, telling a story of a time he witnessed an innocent-looking rat terrier belonging to a young woman start an enormous dogfight.

Montmorency charges after the cat, but instead of running, the cat simply waits for the dog to get close, then sits down and stares at it. J. imagines a conversation between the self-assured cat and the puzzled and slightly frightened dog, which stops in his tracks and begins to back away slowly.

After breakfast, the men resupply their food stores. Rather than have the shops deliver their purchase to the dock later,

Chapter 14

After lunch, they boat to Sonning, a picturesque village with quaint houses and gardens. They choose an island to camp on for the night, and set about making dinner. At George 's suggestion, they make an "Irish stew" out of potatoes and peas and some of the leftovers. They begin to throw many different things in the pot and Montmorency gets into the spirit by killing and offering a water rat. They pretend to consider adding the rat to the stew, but decide against it. The stew is delicious, J. writes, and they make tea to have afterward. On the journey, Montmorency has shown some animosity toward the teakettle, standing by and growling at it as it begins to hiss and spit. On this occasion, he goes so far as to attack it, grabbing it by the spout as it begins to boil. He learns his lesson and runs off howling

• 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 considers that sailing is a thing that 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

The men come to Reading , an unattractive place, and J. provides a brief history. They meet some friends of theirs by chance in a steam launch, and ask for a tow. J. enjoys being towed, moving along at a brisk pace, but complains - with tongue in cheek - that the only problem with it is that so many smaller boats are always getting in the way. Ten miles past Reading, they cast off from the steam launch and J. claims his turn at rowing is over, since they are now past Reading . The others do not agree with his assessment and he takes the oars.

After a short time, they see something black floating in the water and approach it to see what it is. They are startled to find it is the body of a woman. Some men on the shore, who have already seen the body, take..

My friends ' launch cast us loose just below the grotto, and then Harris wanted to make out that it was my turn to pull. This seemed to me most unreasonable. It had been arranged in the morning that I should bring the boat up to three miles above Reading . Well, here we were, ten miles above Reading ! Surely it was now their turn again.

I could not get either George or Harris to see the matter in its proper light, however; so, to save argument, I took the sculls. I had not been pulling for more than a minute or so, when George noticed something black floating on the water, and we drew up to it. George leant over, as we neared it, and laid hold of it. And then he drew back with a cry, and a blanched face.

It was the dead body of a woman. It lay very lightly on the water, and the face was sweet and calm. It was not a beautiful face; it was too prematurely aged-looking, too thin and drawn, to be that; but it was a gentle, lovable face, in spite of its stamp of pinch and poverty, and upon it was that look of restful peace that comes to the faces of the sick sometimes when at last the pain has left them.

Fortunately for us — we having no desire to be kept hanging about coroners ' courts — some men on the bank had seen the body too, and now took charge of it from us.

We found out the woman 's story afterwards. Of course it was the old, old vulgar tragedy. She had loved and been deceived — or had deceived herself. Anyhow, she had sinned — some of us do now and then — and her family and friends, naturally shocked and indignant, had closed their doors against her.

Left to fight the world alone, with the millstone of her shame around her neck, she had sunk ever lower and lower. For a while she had kept both herself and the child on the twelve shillings a week that twelve hours ' drudgery a day procured her, paying six shillings out of it for the child, and keeping her own body and soul together on the remainder.

Six shillings a week does not keep body and soul together very unitedly. They want to get away from each other when there is only such a very slight bond as that between them; and one day, I suppose, the pain and the dull monotony of it all had stood before her eyes plainer than usual, and the mocking spectre had frightened her. She had made one last appeal to friends, but, against the chill wall of their respectability, the voice of the erring outcast fell unheeded; and then she had gone to see her child — had held it in her arms and kissed it, in a weary, dull sort of way, and without betraying any particular emotion of any kind, and had left it, after putting into its hand a penny box of chocolate she had bought it, and afterwards, with her last few shillings, had taken a ticket and come down to Goring.

It seemed that the bitterest thoughts of her life must have centred about the wooded reaches and the bright green meadows around Goring; but women strangely hug the knife that stabs them, and, perhaps, amidst the gall, there may have mingled also sunny memories of sweetest hours, spent upon those shadowed deeps over which the great trees bend their branches down so low.

She had wandered about the woods by the river 's brink all day, and then, when evening fell and the grey twilight spread its dusky robe upon the waters, she stretched her arms out to the silent river that had known her sorrow and her joy. And the old river had taken her into its gentle arms, and had laid her weary head upon its bosom, and had hushed away the pain.

Thus had she sinned in all things — sinned in living and in dying. God help her! and all other sinners, if any more there be.

Goring on the left bank and Streatley on the right are both or either charming places to stay at for a few days. The reaches down to Pangbourne woo one for a sunny sail or for a moonlight row, and the country round about is full of beauty. We had intended to push on to Wallingford that day, but the sweet smiling face of the river here lured us to linger for a while; and so we left our boat at the bridge, and went up into Streatley, and lunched at the "Bull," much to Montmorency 's satisfaction.

They say that the hills on each ride of the stream here once joined and formed a barrier across what is now the Thames, and that then the river ended there above Goring in one vast lake. I am not in a position either to contradict or affirm this statement. I simply offer it.

It is an ancient place, Streatley, dating back, like most river-side towns and villages, to British and Saxon times. Goring is not nearly so pretty a little spot to stop at as Streatley, if you have your choice; but it is passing fair enough in its way, and is nearer the railway in case you want to slip off without paying your hotel bill.

• 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 chimneypiece. 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

From Streatly, the men row to Culham and camp in the boat for the night. Part of the trip includes a long stretch with no locks, which is preferred by sport rowers, J, says, but not by pleasure boaters, who enjoy going through the locks. He tells the story of going through a lock one busy day a Hampton Court . A photographer has set up at the lock to take pictures of all the boats in the lock with the people dressed in their boating costumes. J. and George pose vainly as the photographer sets up. They don 't notice that the nose of their boat has become caught under part of the lock, and the rising water threatens to flip the boat. They push away just in time, and just as the photographer snaps the photo they are caught falling over, feet in the air

• 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 gets 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 is not 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 the same. George does not consider it wise to stay back in the boat and offers to board a train from Pang Bourne.

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.

Hope it helps =)

BY Jaideepjm

9th 

almuna

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