Трое в лодке не считая собаки
Chapter 2
"Thereyouare!whatdidItellyou?"
Meanwhilethethirdman,whohasbeenbalingouttheboat,andwhohasspilledthewaterdownhissleeve,andhasbeencursingawaytohimselfsteadilyforthelasttenminutes,wantstoknowwhatthethunderingblazesyou’replayingat,andwhytheblarmedtentisn’tupyet.
Atlast,somehoworother,itdoesgetup,andyoulandthethings. Itishopelessattemptingtomakeawoodfire,soyoulightthemethylatedspiritstove,andcrowdroundthat.
Rainwateristhechiefarticleofdietatsupper. Thebreadistwo-thirdsrainwater,thebeefsteak-pieisexceedinglyrichinit,andthejam,andthebutter,andthesalt,andthecoffeehaveallcombinedwithittomakesoup.
Aftersupper,youfindyourtobaccoisdamp,andyoucannotsmoke. Luckilyyouhaveabottleofthestuffthatcheersandinebriates,iftakeninproperquantity,andthisrestorestoyousufficientinterestinlifetoinduceyoutogotobed.
Thereyoudreamthatanelephanthassuddenlysatdownonyourchest,andthatthevolcanohasexplodedandthrownyoudowntothebottomofthesea—theelephantstillsleepingpeacefullyonyourbosom. Youwakeupandgrasptheideathatsomethingterriblereallyhashappened. Yourfirstimpressionisthattheendoftheworldhascome;andthenyouthinkthatthiscannotbe,andthatitisthievesandmurderers,orelsefire,andthisopinionyouexpressintheusualmethod. Nohelpcomes,however,andallyouknowisthatthousandsofpeoplearekickingyou,andyouarebeingsmothered.
