Contents

Yarn of the Ancient Mariner and the

Inexperienced Yachtsman

How Harris Lost His Wife

The Wisdom of My Late Uncle Podger

The "Overhauler"

The Gentle Art of Making Oneself

Disagreeable in a Foreign Country

The Daily Outgoing of My Uncle Podger

We Save Harris's Life

George, a Cushion and Three Damsels

How All Three of Us Got into Trouble

What You Must Not Do in Germany

The Road One Cannot Miss

The German Coachman Asleep and Awake

Mr Pertwee as-

sumed that l knew all about the event, so that l

did not like to ask any questions. Two specks near

the frame of the picture, which at first l had taken

for moths, represented, it appeared, the second

and third winners in this celebrated race. A photo-

graph of the yacht at anchor off Gravesend was

less impressive, but suggested more stability. All

answers to my inquiries being satisfactory, l took

the thing for a fortnight. Mr Pertwee said it was

fortunate l wanted it only for a fortnight---later on

l came to agree with him-the time fitting in exact-

ly with another hiring. Had l required it for three

weeks he would have been compelled to refuse me.

The letting being thus arranged, Mr Pertwee

asked me if l had a skipper in my eye. That l had

not was also fortunate-things seemed to be turn-

ing out luckily for me all round--because Mr Per-

twee felt sure l could not do better than keep on

Mr Goyles, at present in charge -- an excellent

skipper, so Mr Pertwee assured me, a man who

knew the sea as a man knows his own wife, and

who had never lost a life.

珀特威先生以

为我对那次比赛了如指掌，于是我也就不便再提任

何问题。那幅画的画框附近有两个小黑点，我起先以

为那是两个飞蛾，原来却画的是那次著名的竞赛中

的第二名和第三名优胜者。一张这艘游艇停泊在格

雷夫森德附近的海面上的照片虽不那末令人印象深

刻，但却使人有较大的稳定感。我提出的种种询问都

得到了满意的解答，我便将此船租用两周。珀特威先

生说，幸亏我只要租用两周（后来的事态发展使我对

他这句话深有同感），时间上和另一个人的租用期刚

好错开。假如我要求租用三周的话，他就会不得不回

绝我了。

租用手续就此办妥以后，珀特威先生问我心目

中是否有船长的合适人选。我没有，他说也幸亏没有

——我似乎在无论哪方面总是很幸运——因为珀特

威先生确信，最好的办法莫过于让那位目前在船上

管事的戈伊尔斯先生留在船上了——珀特威先生向

我保证说，戈伊尔斯先生是位出色的船长，是个熟悉

大海就如同熟悉他自己的老婆一样的人，在他任职

期间从没死过一个人。