Chapter - 6, Three Men in a Boat Summary Class 9 Three Men in a Boat

Importance of Kingston
It was a glorious morning, late spring or early summer when every leaf was green. Kingston or ‘Kymingeston’, as it was called earlier, was known ?‘ many great kings. Great Caesar crossed the river there. The Roman kings camped upon its sloping uplands. Queen Elizabeth had stopped there.

History of Kingston
Many old houses there spoke of those days when nobles and courtiers lived there. They lived in red brick houses. They had oak stairs that did not creak. The writer was reminded of a magnificent carved oak staircase in one of the houses of Kingston. It was a shop now in the marketplace, but it was evidently the mansion of some great person. The shopkeeper once took his friend through the shop and up the staircase of his house. The wall all the way up was oak-panelled. The friend was surprised to see the house. The oak- panelling was covered with blue wall-paper. The owner said that the room looked cheerful now. It was awfully gloomy before.
Jim felt sad to think, ’’Each person has what he doesn’t want and other people have what he does want.”

The story of Stivvings
Jim remembered a boy at his school. He was called Standford and Merton. His real name was Stivvings. He was the most extraordinary lad. He loved studies. He desired to win prizes and grow up to be a clever man. He wanted to bring credit to his parents. But he used to fall ill about twice a week and couldn’t go to school. If there was any known disease going within ten miles of him, he had it and had it badly. He had to stay in bed when he was ill, and eat chickens and custards and hot-house grapes. The other boys would have sacrificed ten terms of their school-life for the sake of being ill for a day. They took things to make them ill, instead they made them fat. Nothing made them ill until the holidays began. Then they would fall III till the term recommenced, when they would suddenly get well again.

The journey to Hampton Court
Jim now began to think about life. He thought how the art treasures of today were only the dug- up commonplaces of three or four hundred years ago. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Hams. He threw away the sculls, got up, and left his seat and sat on his back and stuck his legs in the air. Montmorency howled and turned a somersault and the top hamper jumped up and all the things came out. Harris wanted Jim to scull. Jim ran the boat round the walls of Hampton Court. It looked peaceful and quiet.

The maze
Harris asked Jim if he had ever seen the maze at Hampton Court. Harris said that he went in once to show it to someone. He had studied the map and thought that it was vety simple to come out. There they met some people who wanted to come out. Harris told them to follow him. They went round and round but could not find the way out Then Harris did not know what to do. So he Suggested that the best thing was to go back to the entrance. They started again but failed to find the Way out. They all got crazy and called the keeper. He came and gave instructions to them. But they could not understand anything. The young keeper also got lost with them. Then the old keeper came after dinner and rescued them. Harris said that it was a very fine maze. Harris and Jim agreed that they would try to get George into it, On their way back.