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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 7 Summary

Their passage through Moulsey locks. The author’s comments on fashion and the dressing sense of people and the apparent lack of it in most people, including his friends. Harris ’ wish to visit a tomb and the events leading to him falling in the food hamper.

As the author and Harris passed through Moulsey Lock, they were surprised to see that there were hardly any other boats on the river at that point. On Sundays, according to the author, there were so many boats on the river that it became hard to see the water at all. It seemed as though all the inhabitants of the nearby areas would descend on the river, in their boating clothes, to enjoy their Sunday.

The author then commented on the dressing sense of the people. He shared his opinion that both Harris and George did not seem to have much sense of what colour suited them the best. He also related an incident when two ladies went boating with them, wearing boating dresses inspired by a Parisian fashion magazine. Throughout the trip, the girls were so concerned about saving their dresses from the dirt and the water that they were unable to enjoy the outing.

The author’s stories were interrupted by Harris, who wanted to visit a nearby tomb, of a lady he knew nothing about. The author commented on the strangeness of the fact that many people seemed to like visiting tombs and graves. He tried to distract Harris from his desire to see the tomb by reminding him that they had to meet George at five o’clock.

Harris then declared that George did not really do any work at all and that his job was just to sit behind a glass window in the bank all day. He also declared that he wanted a drink. The author reminded him that they had lemonade in the hamper. When Harris went to get it, he forgot that he still had the steering lines in his hand, and the boat landed on the river bank. The impact made Harris fall straight into the hamper, with his legs in the air.

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 6 Summary

Some remarks on early English history and observations on life in general. The author gives his views on the contradictory nature of people who always want what they don’t have and never realize the value of what they do have. Harris narrates an incident when he acted as a guide in the maze at Hampton Court.

Harris rowed the boat down the river, as the author sat back and thought about the beauty of the day and the history of Kingston. The author then commented that Queen Elizabeth had stopped over at many places around the river, as she was especially fond of public inns. According to him, if Harris were to ever become the Prime Minister, he should never allow the innkeepers to place boards outside their inns proclaiming that he had stopped there.

There were many houses in the area, built during the Tudor era. The author commented on one such house which had been converted to a shop and which had a marvellous oak staircase. The owner of the house also had an entire room which was panelled in oak, which he had covered up with bright blue wallpaper, as he found the oak rather gloomy.

Based on this incident, the author observed that people usually have what they do not want and want what they do not have. As an example, the author narrated the case of a boy named Stiwings, in his school, who loved studying, but who fell ill very often and had to miss school. On the other hand, every other boy in school wished that they could fall sick and miss school, but they could not.

The author also raised the question of what was valued as antique in those days. While he was thinking of these matters, Harris suddenly stopped rowing and lay down with his legs in the air. Montmorency jumped up, upsetting one of the hampers and spilling its contents into the boat. It turned out that the author should have been steering, but had forgotten to do so, and the boat had landed onto the bank.

As they were near Hampton Court at that time, Harris and the author got into a discussion about the maze there. Harris had once visited the maze with a cousin, and thought it would be simple to get out of it. He had collected all the people within the maze who were lost, and led them all confidently through it, only to find that he was as lost as the rest of them. Therefore, Harris now thought it was a very fine maze and they decided to visit it as soon as George joined them.

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 5 Summary

Departure from London amidst much confusion and hilarity. Arrival at Kingston and finally setting off on the boat.

The next morning, Mrs Poppets awoke the author at nine o’clock. Realising that George was still asleep, the author and Harris woke him up by pulling off his covers, hitting him with a slipper and shouting in his ear. They began to get dressed and then realized that they had packed their toothbrushes in the luggage. Having taken them out and having finally dressed, they all sat down to breakfast.

While they ate, George read out the weather forecast from the newspaper. This caused the author to reflect that in his experience, the weather forecast was a fraud. He related an incident where they stayed at home on a bright sunny day, because the forecast was for rain and, the next day, when it was forecast to be sunny, they were caught in a storm and fell ill. The author also expressed his doubts about the usefulness of barometers. Instead, he said that he preferred the opinions of old men, who even if they were wrong about the weather, could at least be appreciated for trying.

After George went to work, Harris and the author took out the entire luggage and waited for a cab. While they waited, all the young boys of the neighbourhood crowded around them, each offering his own opinion about why they stood in the street with the luggage. When an empty cab finally came up, they loaded in the luggage and Montmorency, and made their way to Waterloo station.

There, they spent some time rushing from one platform to another, as no one seemed to have any idea where the train to Kingston would leave from. Finally on reaching Kingston, they loaded their boat with their luggage and provisions, forced an unhappy Montmorency into the boat and set sail.

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 4 Summary

Further discussion on provisions to be taken along, especially food and the repercussions of the wrong kind ofprovisions. Packing of their luggage with Montmorency hampering the process in umpteen ways.

The next subject raised was that of food. It was decided that no paraffin oil was to be taken to cook the meals. An earlier trip with an oil stove had taught the three friends that the oil could easily leak and soak into everything on the boat. Therefore, for this trip, it was decided that methylated spirit would be used.

Another article that the friends decided not to take was cheese, for its odour was too strong. The author related an amusing incident when he agreed to carry two types of cheese from Liverpool to London, for his friend. As a result of the smell of the cheeses, no one else boarded the train carriage in which he was sitting. When he delivered the cheeses to his friend’s wife, she left the house as she could not bear the smell either!

The next morning, which was Friday, they began to pack. The author first offered to pack, and was surprised when instead of helping him, his friends let him do so without protest. However, he had to pack the clothes hamper several times, as once the boots were left out, then the author did not remember if he had packed his toothbrush, and so on. Harris and George offered to do the rest of the packing.

They packed the food in the worst manner possible, putting heavy things on fragile ones, sitting
on the butter and spilling salt over everything. Montmorency helped in this process by making them stumble over him, sitting down on things they were looking for, and jumping into the hamper.

By 12:50, the packing was done and the three friends retired to bed. George inquired of the others at what time he should wake them, but by the time the author and Harris agreed upon 6.30 after much argument, George had fallen asleep.

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 3 Summary

Discussions on what they required for their trip. Reaching the common consensus to list only things they could not do without. The next morning, the three friends continued to plan their trip. The author described Harris’ idea of ‘working’ as that of taking a burden and putting it on other people’s backs.

He then likened Harris’ style of working to that of his Uncle Podger trying to put up a picture on the wall. He would get the entire household involved in the simple task of hammering a nail in the wall to hang up a picture and still not manage to do a good job.

When they finally began to make a list, they considered so many things to be essential that it would be impossible to fit them all on the boat. The author briefly commented on the common tendency to overload a boat (or indeed, their lives) with unnecessary things. Then, George suggested that instead of listing everything they could use, they should instead make a list of all the things they could not do without.

George suggested taking a boat with a cover instead of a tent. They then listed a few essentials including tooth powder, rugs and towels. The author then remarked that no matter how many arrangements people make for bathing at the river, they never really bathe much when they are there.

He also shared his experience of a morning dip at the seaside, which he suffered through but had to pretend that he enjoyed it, later. George also suggested taking only two suits of clothes each, along with plenty of socks and handkerchiefs.