I feel such extraordinary fits come over me at times that I don’t know what I am

doing.

I have fits of giddiness too, and then I hardly know what I am doing.

There were four of us – George, Harris, myself, and Montmorency.

My liver is out of order. I just read

a liver-pill circular, which details all the symptoms.

I seem to have them all.

I once read a book on diseases in the British museum.

It seemed the only disease I did not have was Housemaid’s knee!

I felt rather hurt. Not having only that disease seemed to

be an insult somehow...

It is most extraordinary, but whenever I read a medicine advertisement, I feel I am suffering from that disease in its most severe form.

Worried, I went to see my doctor.

I thought what an interesting case I must be from the medical point of view. I was a hospital in myself!

www.campfire.co.inCAMPFIRETM

They did not know, then, that it was my liver.

I followed the directions, and my life is still going on.

Well, to come back to the liver-pill circular, I do feel I have all the symptoms – the chief one being

‘a general reluctance to do work of any kind’.

I took the doctor’s prescription to a chemist. He read it, and

then handed it back.

Even as a boy I suffered from this disease. Since medical science was not too

advanced, they put it down to laziness.

Instead of pills, they gave me clumps on my head.

You know, often, simple old-fashioned remedies are more

effective than the dispensary stuff!

Why you skulking little devil,

get up and do something!

If I were a co-operative store or a family hotel, I

could have helped you. Being just a chemist

prevents me.

You don’t have any of

these?

www.campfire.co.inCAMPFIRETM

The motion was passed three to one. It was decided that we would start the next Saturday

from Kingston. Harris and I would take the boat up to Weybridge, and George would join us there.

George has a cousin who is a medical student, so he often speaks in this complicated way.

‘It would be so wild... and free...’

But how about...

We should camp out!

HA! You like it, but I don’t. Scenery is not my line, and I don’t

smoke. The whole thing is darn foolish!

The river would suit

me.

Should we camp out or sleep in inns?

Well, it is a good idea!

What we want is

rest.

Let’s go up the river. We shall have fresh air, exercise, and

quiet.Rest and

complete change. Change of scene. That will restore the mental

equilibrium.

www.campfire.co.inCAMPFIRETM

Harris is so practical, there is no poetry about him – no wild longing for the unattainable. If his eyes fill with tears, you can bet he’s been eating raw onions.

This time, however, his practical view came as a very timely hint.

Don’t pull it. You’ve got it all

wrong.

No dumbhead. Let go of your side. WHAA-

ATT?

Rainwater becomes the chief ingredient of supper. The bread is two-thirds rainwater, the beef-steak pie

is rich in it, and the jam, butter, salt, and coffee, all combine with it to make soup. Only a bottle of whisky

cheers you up and encourages you to go to bed. We therefore decided that we would camp out on fine nights, and stay at inns or pubs when it rained.

And in the morning, you are all quarrelsome because of the cold caught at night.

Camping out in rainy weather is not very pleasant.

...when it rains?

www.campfire.co.inCAMPFIRETM

George can be really sensible at times.

The first list we made was very long...

That’s Harris for you – so ready to take the burden of everything himself, and put it on the backs of other people.

I call that downright wisdom – not just regarding this trip, but our trip up the river of life, generally.

...so we tore it, and decided to make another.

We discussed our plans the next evening.

You know, we are on the wrong track altogether. We must

not think of the things we can do with, but of the things we

cannot do without.

Somebody, give me a pencil,

and I’ll make a list.

No, you get the paper and

pencil; George, you write, and I’ll make

the list.

First, let’s settle all that we will take with us. You get some paper

and write, Jerome. And you George, get the grocery

catalogue.

www.campfire.co.inCAMPFIRETM

www.campfi re.co.in

One of the best-loved classics of all time, Three Men in a Boat is

a hilarious account of three friends and their dog on a holiday

trip down the Thames in England. Harris, George, Jerome (the

narrator), and Montmorency (the dog) decide to take a break

from their tedious routine to restore their ‘mental equilibrium’.

So they take a boating trip, making stops at interesting places,

camping out, and inadvertently landing up in comical muddles

and misadventures.

Originally planned as a travelogue, this book turned into a

literary classic, thanks to the narrator’s humorous digressions

and musings as the threesome and their dog cross Hampton

Court Palace, Monkey Island, Magna Carta Island, Marlow, little

villages, and other known landmarks on the way.

Initially received in England with scepticism and severe criticism,

this book has survived through the years and remains to this day

a favourite classic for many.

Follow us on