three men in a boat-第43章

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full　forty　minutes　in　pipeclaying　his　shoes；　we　had　not　seen　him　since　…　

George　and　I；　therefore；　and　the　dog；　left　to　ourselves；　went　for　a　walk　

to　Wallingford　on　the　second　evening；　and；　coming　home；　we　called　in　at　a　

little　river…side　inn；　for　a　rest；　and　other　things。



We　went　into　the　parlour　and　sat　down。　　There　was　an　old　fellow　there；　

smoking　a　long　clay　pipe；　and　we　naturally　began　chatting。



He　told　us　that　it　had　been　a　fine　day　to…day；　and　we　told　him　that　it　

had　been　a　fine　day　yesterday；　and　then　we　all　told　each　other　that　we　

thought　it　would　be　a　fine　day　to…morrow；　and　George　said　the　crops　

seemed　to　be　coming　up　nicely。



After　that　it　came　out；　somehow　or　other；　that　we　were　strangers　in　the　

neighbourhood；　and　that　we　were　going　away　the　next　morning。



Then　a　pause　ensued　in　the　conversation；　during　which　our　eyes　wandered　

round　the　room。　　They　finally　rested　upon　a　dusty　old　glass…case；　fixed　

very　high　up　above　the　chimney…piece；　and　containing　a　trout。　　It　rather　

fascinated　me；　that　trout；　it　was　such　a　monstrous　fish。　　In　fact；　at　

first　glance；　I　thought　it　was　a　cod。



〃Ah！〃　said　the　old　gentleman；　following　the　direction　of　my　gaze；　〃fine　

fellow　that；　ain't　he？〃



〃Quite　uncommon；〃　I　murmured；　and　George　asked　the　old　man　how　much　he　

thought　it　weighed。



〃Eighteen　pounds　six　ounces；〃　said　our　friend；　rising　and　taking　down　his　

coat。　　〃Yes；〃　he　continued；　〃it　wur　sixteen　year　ago；　come　the　third　o'　

next　month；　that　I　landed　him。　　I　caught　him　just　below　the　bridge　with　a　

minnow。　　They　told　me　he　wur　in　the　river；　and　I　said　I'd　have　him；　and　

so　I　did。　　You　don't　see　many　fish　that　size　about　here　now；　I'm　

thinking。　　Good…night；　gentlemen；　good…night。〃



And　out　he　went；　and　left　us　alone。



We　could　not　take　our　eyes　off　the　fish　after　that。　　It　really　was　a　

remarkably　fine　fish。　　We　were　still　looking　at　it；　when　the　local　

carrier；　who　had　just　stopped　at　the　inn；　came　to　the　door　of　the　room　

with　a　pot　of　beer　in　his　hand；　and　he　also　looked　at　the　fish。



〃Good…sized　trout；　that；〃　said　George；　turning　round　to　him。



〃Ah！　you　may　well　say　that；　sir；〃　replied　the　man；　and　then；　after　a　pull　

at　his　beer；　he　added；　〃Maybe　you　wasn't　here；　sir；　when　that　fish　was　

caught？〃



〃No；〃　we　told　him。　　We　were　strangers　in　the　neighbourhood。



〃Ah！〃　said　the　carrier；　〃then；　of　course；　how　should　you？　　It　was　nearly　

five　years　ago　that　I　caught　that　trout。〃



〃Oh！　was　it　you　who　caught　it；　then？〃　said　I。



〃Yes；　sir；〃　replied　the　genial　old　fellow。　　〃I　caught　him　just　below　the　

lock　…　leastways；　what　was　the　lock　then　…　one　Friday　afternoon；　and　the　

remarkable　thing　about　it　is　that　I　caught　him　with　a　fly。　　I'd　gone　out　

pike　fishing；　bless　you；　never　thinking　of　a　trout；　and　when　I　saw　that　

whopper　on　the　end　of　my　line；　blest　if　it　didn't　quite　take　me　aback。　　

Well；　you　see；　he　weighed　twenty…six　pound。　　Good…night；　gentlemen；　good…

night。〃



Five　minutes　afterwards；　a　third　man　came　in；　and　described　how　he　had　

caught　it　early　one　morning；　with　bleak；　and　then　he　left；　and　a　stolid；　

solemn…looking；　middle…aged　individual　came　in；　and　sat　down　over　by　the　

window。



None　of　us　spoke　for　a　while；　but；　at　length；　George　turned　to　the　new　

comer；　and　said：



〃I　beg　your　pardon；　I　hope　you　will　forgive　the　liberty　that　we　…　perfect　

strangers　in　the　neighbourhood　…　are　taking；　but　my　friend　here　and　

myself　would　be　so　much　obliged　if　you　would　tell　us　how　you　caught　that　

trout　up　there。〃



〃Why；　who　told　you　I　caught　that　trout！〃　was　the　surprised　query。



We　said　that　nobody　had　told　us　so；　but　somehow　or　other　we　felt　

instinctively　that　it　was　he　who　had　done　it。



〃Well；　it's　a　most　remarkable　thing　…　most　remarkable；〃　answered　the　

stolid　stranger；　laughing；　〃because；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　you　are　quite　

right。　　I　did　catch　it。　　But　fancy　your　guessing　it　like　that。　　Dear　me；　

it's　really　a　most　remarkable　thing。〃



And　then　he　went　on；　and　told　us　how　it　had　taken　him　half　an　hour　to　

land　it；　and　how　it　had　broken　his　rod。　　He　said　he　had　weighed　it　

carefully　when　he　reached　home；　and　it　had　turned　the　scale　at　thirty…

four　pounds。



He　went　in　his　turn；　and　when　he　was　gone；　the　landlord　came　in　to　us。　　

We　told　him　the　various　histories　we　had　heard　about　his　trout；　and　he　

was　immensely　amused；　and　we　all　laughed　very　heartily。



〃Fancy　Jim　Bates　and　Joe　Muggles　and　Mr。　Jones　and　old　Billy　Maunders　all　

telling　you　that　they　had　caught　it。　　Ha！　ha！　ha！　　Well；　that　is　good；〃　

said　the　honest　old　fellow；　laughing　heartily。　　〃Yes；　they　are　the　sort　

to　give　it　ME；　to　put　up　in　MY　parlour；　if　THEY　had　caught　it；　they　are！　　

Ha！　ha！　ha！〃



And　then　he　told　us　the　real　history　of　the　fish。　　It　seemed　that　he　had　

caught　it　himself；　years　ago；　when　he　was　quite　a　lad；　not　by　any　art　or　

skill；　but　by　that　unaccountable　luck　that　appears　to　always　wait　upon　a　

boy　when　he　plays　the　wag　from　school；　and　goes　out　fishing　on　a　sunny　

afternoon；　with　a　bit　of　string　tied　on　to　the　end　of　a　tree。



He　said　that　bringing　home　that　trout　had　saved　him　from　a　whacking；　and　

that　even　his　school…master　had　said　it　was　worth　the　rule…of…three　and　

practice　put　together。



He　was　called　out　of　the　room　at　this　point；　and　George　and　I　again　

turned　our　gaze　upon　the　fish。



It　really　was　a　most　astonishing　trout。　　The　more　we　looked　at　it；　the　

more　we　marvelled　at　it。



It　excited　George　so　much　that　he　climbed　up　on　the　back　of　a　chair　to　

get　a　better　view　of　it。



And　then　the　chair　slipped；　and　George　clutched　wildly　at　the　trout…case　

to　save　himself；　and　down　it　came　with　a　crash；　George　and　the　chair　on　

top　of　it。



〃You　haven't　injured　the　fish；　have　you？〃　I　cried　in　alarm；　rushing　up。



〃I　hope　not；〃　said　George；　rising　cautiously　and　looking　about。



But　he　had。　　That　trout　lay　shattered　into　a　thousand　fragments　…　I　say　a　

thousand；　but　they　may　have　only　been　nine　hundred。　　I　did　not　count　

them。



We　thought　it　strange　and　unaccountable　that　a　stuffed　trout　should　break　

up　into　little　pieces　like　that。



And　so　it　would　have　been　strange　and　unaccountable；　if　it　had　been　a　

stuffed　trout；　but　it　was　not。



That　trout　was　plaster…of…Paris。









CHAPTER　XVIII。





LOCKS。　…　GEORGE　AND　I　ARE　PHOTOGRAPHED。　…　WALLINGFORD。　…　DORCHESTER。　…　

ABINGDON。　…　A　FAMILY　MAN。　…　A　GOOD　SPOT　FOR　DROWNING。　…　A　DIFFICULT　BIT　

OF　WATER。　…　DEMORALIZING　EFFECT　OF　RIVER　AIR。



WE　left　Streatley　early　the　next　morning；　and　pulled　up　to　Culham；　and　

slept　under　the　canvas；　in　the　backwater　there。



The　river　is　not　extraordinarily　interesting　between　Streatley　and　

Wallingford。　　From　Cleve　you　get　a　stretch　of　six　and　a　half　miles　

without　a　lock。　　I　believe　this　is　the　longest　uninterrupted　stretch　

anywhere　above　Teddington；　and　the　Oxford　Club　make　use　of　it　for　their　

trial　eights。



But　however　satisfactory　this　absence　of　locks　may　be　to　rowing…men；　it　

is　to　be　regretted　by　the　mere　pleasure…seeker。



For　myself；　I　am　fond　of　locks。　　They　pleasantly　break　the　monotony　of　

the　pull。　　I　like　sitting　in　the　boat　and　slowly　rising　out　of　the　cool　

depths　up　into　new　reaches　and　fresh　views；　or　sinking　down；　as　it　were；　

out　of　the　world；　and　then　waiting；　while　the　gloomy　gates　creak；　and　the　

narrow　strip　of　day…light　between　them　widens　till　the　fair　smiling　river　

lies　full　before　you；　and　you　push　your　little　boat　out　from　its　brief　

prison　on　to　the　welcoming　waters　once　again。



They　are　picturesque　little　spots；　these　locks。　　The　stout　old　lock…

keeper；　or　his　cheerful…looking　wife；　or　bright…eyed　daughter；　are　

pleasant　folk　to　have　a　passing　chat　with。　*　　You　meet　other　boats　there；　

and　river　gossip　is　exchanged。　　The　Thames　would　not　be　the　fairyland　it　

is　without　its　flower…decked　locks。



*　Or　rather　WERE。　　The　Conse