Three Men Pack for a Trip Chapter Notes | English Class 6 ICSE PDF Download

Introduction

This chapter, "Three Men Pack for a Trip" by Jerome K. Jerome, tells a funny story about three friends—George, Harris, and the narrator J.—who plan a boating trip on the river Thames with their dog Montmorency. Before the trip, they need to pack all their things, which turns out to be a big task. The story shows how their packing goes wrong in a humorous way, with each friend making mistakes. It teaches us about teamwork, preparation, and how even simple tasks can become messy when not done carefully.

Key Points

This story is about three friends—George, Harris, and the narrator J.—and their dog Montmorency, who face funny challenges while packing for a boating trip on the river Thames.

• They make a list of items to pack and gather everything on Friday to start packing in the evening.
• The narrator volunteers to pack, feeling confident in his skills, and asks George and Harris to help, but they relax instead.
• The narrator forgets important items like boots and his toothbrush, leading to multiple repacking efforts.
• George and Harris take over packing the hampers, starting cheerfully but making mistakes like breaking a cup and squashing jam.
• They struggle with the butter, stepping on it and trying to pack it in the kettle and teapot, creating more chaos.
• Montmorency, the dog, adds to the trouble by sitting on items, getting into the jam, and playing with teaspoons and lemons.
• The packing finally ends at 12:50 a.m., and they hope nothing is broken, feeling tired and ready for bed.

Explanation

The story begins with three friends—George, Harris, and the narrator J.—planning a two-week boating trip on the river Thames, accompanied by their dog Montmorency. They prepare a detailed list of items needed for the trip and decide to gather everything on Friday. That evening, they bring a Gladstone bag for clothes, hampers for food and cooking tools, and set up a table near the window. 

They pile everything on the floor and sit around it, looking at the heap. The narrator, proud of his packing skills, offers to take charge and tells George and Harris to assist him. However, they surprise him by agreeing too quickly and relaxing—George with a pipe in an easy-chair and Harris with his legs on the table smoking a cigar—which annoys the narrator as he expected to supervise while they worked.

Undeterred, the narrator starts packing the Gladstone bag. He finds the task harder than expected and forgets to include the boots, only realizing it after strapping the bag, thanks to Harris’s reminder. He opens it again to add the boots but then worries about his toothbrush, a recurring travel anxiety for him. 

He dreams about forgetting it, often unpacking to find it, and this time, after a messy search, he discovers it inside a boot. He repacks, but the process repeats when George asks about the soap, and he finds his tobacco pouch inside, forcing another repack. The bag is finally sealed at 10:05 p.m.

With the hampers still to pack and less than twelve hours before departure, Harris suggests he and George handle it. They start with enthusiasm, aiming to show off their skills, but immediately break a cup. Harris then squashes strawberry jam on a tomato, requiring them to scoop it out with a teaspoon. 

George steps on the butter, and their attempts to pack it lead to more chaos—trying to fit it in the kettle, scraping it out, and Harris sitting on it, causing them to search the room. They pack pies at the bottom with heavy items on top, crushing them, and spill salt everywhere.

Montmorency adds to the mess by sitting on items, dipping his leg in the jam, chasing teaspoons, and pretending lemons are rats, even getting into the hamper until Harris stops him with a frying pan. Despite the narrator’s claim of not encouraging the dog, Harris blames him, saying it’s the dog’s natural mischief. The packing concludes at 12:50 a.m., with Harris sitting on a hamper, hoping nothing is broken, and George accepting any damage, both ready for bed.

Message

The story teaches us the importance of teamwork and careful planning. It shows that overconfidence, like the narrator’s belief in his packing skills, can lead to mistakes. It also highlights how relying on one person can fail, and working together with clear roles is better. The dog’s antics remind us that unexpected problems can arise, encouraging patience, organization, and a sense of humor when things go wrong.

New Words with Meanings

• Victuals: Food and drink.
• Hamper: A container or box with a lid.
• Impressed the fact upon: made them understand the importance of the fact by emphasizing it
• Gladstone: A type of handbag.
• Fell into: Agreed with
• Uncanny: Suspiciously strange.
• Rummaged: Searched in a disorganized manner.
• Care a hang: Care at all
• Scrape it out: Remove something by dragging a sharp tool across it.
• Indignantly: In an annoyed manner.
• Sworn at: Cursed or shouted at angrily.
• Laboured under the fixed belief: Firmly believed something that was not true.
• Worried: Pulled about with the teeth; chased and attacked.