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04-01-03-三怪客泛舟记 [10]

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从来没有见过他在银行里干什么正经事。整天坐在一小块玻璃窗后面,好像在干工作。一个男子汉在那样一块玻璃窗后能有什么出息?我得工作谋生,为什么乔治就不能呢?他在银行做什么?再说银行又有什么好?他们拿了你的钱,可是你开张支票取钱,他们却又给你退回来,说你的钱已经花光了。那都有什么用?要是乔治在这里,我们还能去看看教堂。我根本不相信他在银行里,他一定到什么地方找乐去了,这才象他干的事,把苦差使都丢给我们!……不行,我得上岸去喝一杯。”
  我告诉他附近没有小酒馆,他又转过来冲着河咆哮起来。“河有什么好?我们一样要渴死了,连小酒馆也没有。”(哈里斯生气的时候,最好的办法就是让他喊下去。过一会儿,喊累了,他也就安静了。)
  我提醒他船上有水喝,他又骂起水来,说人喝了那样的水一定会生病。
  可是他说非得喝点什么不可。他爬上座位,弯下腰在篮子里找瓶子。可瓶子在篮子底,他还得往下弯腰,越弯越低,与此同时又要掌舵,因此拉错了绳子。小船猛地打了个转,一下撞在岸上,哈里斯一头栽在篮子里,脑袋倒立着,双手撑在船边,两腿竖在空中。他一动不敢动,生怕翻到水里去。就这样倒立了半天。后来我抱住他的双腿,才把他拖了出来。可是他更加怒火中烧,暴跳如雷。
  我们的船停在肯普顿公园附近的绿荫之下,就在那儿开始吃午餐。我们坐在河边的草地上,坐在树下,景致很美。午餐十分丰盛,哈里斯安静下来,心情也舒畅了。
  三点半钟,我们到了森伯里水闸,接着又上行到沃尔顿。那是个很有趣的地方,凯撒曾和他的士兵在那里呆过,伊丽莎白一世也是常客。对了,你永远别想甩掉这位女士,她无所不在。
  接下去我们到了哈利福德和谢泼顿。谢泼顿有一座古老的教堂,我真担心,怕哈里斯又要去参观。我看他一直呆呆地望着,就把船划得飞快,结果哈里斯的帽子掉进水里去了,我们又折回去。幸运的是,他光顾和我生气了,把教堂的事儿给丢在脑后。
  再往上走,到了韦布里奇水闸,我们一眼就看到一扇闸门上有个色彩鲜艳的东西在动,靠近仔细一看才发现是乔治。“元帅”汪汪乱叫着,我尖声叫喊着,哈里斯也手舞足蹈地大声吼着。乔治挥舞着帽子,冲我们打招呼。水闸管理员也跑了出来,还以为有人掉到水里了。可一看没事,他似乎颇为恼怒。


■ Chapter 8 George starts work
  We decided that now George was there,he was going to do some work.He did not want to work, of course.'I've had a bad day at the bank,'he explained.
  Harris,who is sometimes a little cruel,said,'Ah!And now you're going to have a bad time on the river for a change.A change is good for you.Come on!Get out of the boat and tow!'
  George could not refuse,really,but he did say,'Perhaps it would be better if I stayed in the boat and prepared the meal.You two can tow the boat. 'then he added,'It's very difficult to prepare a meal and you both look tired.'
  Our only reply was to give him the rope.So he started walk-ing,and he pulled the boat behind him.
  Sometimes people forget that they are towing a boat,and later,George told us a story about this…
  George had once seen a man and a young lady who were walking by the side of the river.They were pulling a rope behind them and they were talking to each other.They did not notice that there was no boat on the end of the rope.Of course,they probably had a boat on the end of the rope when they started out.But it had disappeared.The two young people were not worried about this.They had their rope.They did not seem to care that there was no boat.George was going to call out to tell them about it But,just then,he had an idea.He took hold of the rope,and he tied it to his own boat.Then he and his three fat,heavy friends sat in the back of their boat,and lit their pipes.And that young man and young woman towed George and his friends up to Marlow.It was when they reached the lock that they looked back.Suddenly they understood that they had been towing the wrong boat.George said,'I've never seen anyone look as sad as those two young people then!'
  The young man was a bit annoyed.In fact,he was probably going to say something angry to George and his friends.But just then,the young woman cried wildly,'Oh,Henry,then where's Aunt Mary?'…'Did they ever get the old lady back?'Harris asked.George replied that he did not know.
  But the most exciting thing of all is to let girls tow your boat.Let me tell you about it…First of all,you need three girls.You always need three girls to tow a boat.Two of them hold the rope,and the other one runs here and there and laughs all the time.
  They usually begin by tying themselves up in the rope.They get it round their legs,and then they have to sit down to untie it.Next,they get it round their necks.When they finally get it right,they always start by running.They pull the boat much too fast.After a few minutes,they are tired,and so they stop suddenly.They all sit down on the grass,and they start to laugh.Meanwhile,your boat goes out into the middle of the river,and it starts to turn round.Then they stand up and are surprised.
  'Oh,look!'they say.'The boat's gone into the middle of the river!'
  After this,they pull you along quite well for a time.Then one of them decides to stop for something else.So the boat runs aground in shallow water near the river bank.You jump up,and you push the boat off into deep water.You shout to them,'Don't stop!'
  'Yes,what's the matter?'they shout back.
  'Don't stop
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