Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), Chapter 2 summary

What happens

1. The friends plan a Saturday departure from Kingston, with George joining the narrator and Harris at Chertsey.
2. George and the narrator favor camping, and the narrator imagines a peaceful evening beside the river.
3. Harris raises the possibility of rain, prompting an imagined account of wet food, quarrels, and a collapsed tent.
4. The friends agree to camp in good weather and choose indoor lodging when rain or preference demands it.
5. The narrator describes Montmorency’s innocent appearance, then lists his attacks on animals and his enthusiasm for disorder.
6. Harris suggests a drink, and the friends leave their packing debate until the next evening.

In this chapter

What to notice

Harris’s practical question interrupts the dream of peaceful camping. It starts the account of wet-weather misery that supports the compromise.

Quick check