What is the summary of three men in a boat chapter11-19?

Answer 1

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 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