04-01-03-三怪客泛舟记 [21]
．We would spend the night there．
When we had tied the boat up by one of the islands，it was still early．George said it would be a good idea to have a really excellent supper．He said we could use all kinds of things，and all the bits of food we had left．We could make it really inter－esting， and we could put everything into one big pan together．George said he would show us how to do it．
We liked this idea，so George collected wood to make a fire．Harris and I started to prepare the potatoes． This became a very big job．We began quite happily． However， by the time we had finished our first potato，we were feeling very miserable．There was almost no potato left．George came and looked at it．
' Oh， that's no good． You've done it wrong！Do it like this！'he said．
We worked very hard for twenty－five minutes．At the end of that time we had done four potatoes．We refused to continue．
George said it was stupid to have only four potatoes， so we washed about six more．Then we put them in the pan without doing anything else to them．We also put in some carrots and other vegetables． But George looked at it， and he said there was not enough．So then we got out both the food baskets．We took out all the bits of things that were left， and we put them in，too． In fact， we put in everything we could find． I remember that Montmorency watched all this，and he looked very thoughtful．Then he walked away．He came back a few minutes later with a dead rat in his mouth． He wanted to give it to us for the meal．We did not know if he really wanted to put it in the pan，or if he wanted to tell us what he thought about the meal．Harris said he thought it would be all right to put the rat in．However， George did not want to try anything new．
It was a very good meal． It was different from other meals．The potatoes were a bit hard， but we had good teeth， so it did not really matter．
After supper Harris was rather disagreeable—I think it was the meal which caused this．He is not used to such rich food．George and I decided to go for a walk in Henley， but we left Harris in the boat．He said he was going to have a glass of whisky，smoke his pipe， and then get the boat ready for the night．We were on an island，so when we came back we would shout from the river bank．Then Harris would come in the boat and get us．When we left， we said to him，'Don't go to sleep！'
Henley was very busy， and we met quite a lot of people we knew in town．The time passed very quickly．When we started off on our long walk back， it was eleven o'clock．
It was a dark and miserable night．It was quite cold， and it was raining a bit． We walked through the dark， silent fields，and we talked quietly to each other．We wondered if we were going the right way．We thought of our nice， warm， comfort－able boat． We thought of Harris， and Montmorency， and the whisky—and we wished that we were there．
We imagined that we were inside our warm little boat， tired and a little hungry， with the dark， miserable river outside．We could see ourselves-we were sitting down to supper there； we were passing cold meat and thick pieces of bread to each other．We could hear the happy sounds of our knives and our laughing voices．We hurried to make it real．
After some time，we found the river，and that made us happy． We knew that we were going the right way． We passed Shiplake at a quarter to twelve， and then George said， quite slowly．' You don't remember which island it was， do you？'
' No，I don't，'I replied， and I began to think carefully．'How many are there？'
'Only four，'George answered．'It'll be all right，if Harris is awake．'
'And if he isn't awake？'I asked．
But we decided not to think about that．
When we arrived opposite the first island， we shouted， but there was no answer．So we went to the second island， and we tried there．The result was the same．
'Oh， I remember now，'George said．'It was the third one．'
And， full of hope， we ran to the third one， and we called out．There was no answer．
It was now becoming serious． It was after midnight．The ho－tels were all full，and we could not go round all the houses and knock on doors at midnight
When we had tied the boat up by one of the islands，it was still early．George said it would be a good idea to have a really excellent supper．He said we could use all kinds of things，and all the bits of food we had left．We could make it really inter－esting， and we could put everything into one big pan together．George said he would show us how to do it．
We liked this idea，so George collected wood to make a fire．Harris and I started to prepare the potatoes． This became a very big job．We began quite happily． However， by the time we had finished our first potato，we were feeling very miserable．There was almost no potato left．George came and looked at it．
' Oh， that's no good． You've done it wrong！Do it like this！'he said．
We worked very hard for twenty－five minutes．At the end of that time we had done four potatoes．We refused to continue．
George said it was stupid to have only four potatoes， so we washed about six more．Then we put them in the pan without doing anything else to them．We also put in some carrots and other vegetables． But George looked at it， and he said there was not enough．So then we got out both the food baskets．We took out all the bits of things that were left， and we put them in，too． In fact， we put in everything we could find． I remember that Montmorency watched all this，and he looked very thoughtful．Then he walked away．He came back a few minutes later with a dead rat in his mouth． He wanted to give it to us for the meal．We did not know if he really wanted to put it in the pan，or if he wanted to tell us what he thought about the meal．Harris said he thought it would be all right to put the rat in．However， George did not want to try anything new．
It was a very good meal． It was different from other meals．The potatoes were a bit hard， but we had good teeth， so it did not really matter．
After supper Harris was rather disagreeable—I think it was the meal which caused this．He is not used to such rich food．George and I decided to go for a walk in Henley， but we left Harris in the boat．He said he was going to have a glass of whisky，smoke his pipe， and then get the boat ready for the night．We were on an island，so when we came back we would shout from the river bank．Then Harris would come in the boat and get us．When we left， we said to him，'Don't go to sleep！'
Henley was very busy， and we met quite a lot of people we knew in town．The time passed very quickly．When we started off on our long walk back， it was eleven o'clock．
It was a dark and miserable night．It was quite cold， and it was raining a bit． We walked through the dark， silent fields，and we talked quietly to each other．We wondered if we were going the right way．We thought of our nice， warm， comfort－able boat． We thought of Harris， and Montmorency， and the whisky—and we wished that we were there．
We imagined that we were inside our warm little boat， tired and a little hungry， with the dark， miserable river outside．We could see ourselves-we were sitting down to supper there； we were passing cold meat and thick pieces of bread to each other．We could hear the happy sounds of our knives and our laughing voices．We hurried to make it real．
After some time，we found the river，and that made us happy． We knew that we were going the right way． We passed Shiplake at a quarter to twelve， and then George said， quite slowly．' You don't remember which island it was， do you？'
' No，I don't，'I replied， and I began to think carefully．'How many are there？'
'Only four，'George answered．'It'll be all right，if Harris is awake．'
'And if he isn't awake？'I asked．
But we decided not to think about that．
When we arrived opposite the first island， we shouted， but there was no answer．So we went to the second island， and we tried there．The result was the same．
'Oh， I remember now，'George said．'It was the third one．'
And， full of hope， we ran to the third one， and we called out．There was no answer．
It was now becoming serious． It was after midnight．The ho－tels were all full，and we could not go round all the houses and knock on doors at midnight