The things for the trip
The next evening, the friends met to discuss and chalk out their plans. Harris said that the first thing to settle was what to take with them. He asked the narrator (Jim) to get a piece of paper and write down, grocery catalogue. Then Harris seemed eager everything on himself back of other people.
Uncle Podger
Harris reminded the narrator (Jim) of his poor Uncle Podger. There was a lot of commotion in the house when Uncle Podger undertook to do a job. He involved all the members of the family when he was hanging a picture on the wall. He would lift up the picture and drop it, and it would come out of the frame, and he would try to save the glass and cut his finger, and then he would look for his handkerchief. He could not find it because it was in the pocket of his coat and he was sifting on it. And then he would shout, “oh, you can give it up, I have found it myself now.” Then he would ask for the hammer. When all the members did not find it, he would again shout at them. After several mishaps, he would be able to hang the picture on the wall at midnight. The wall would be in shambles. He would, then, come down after hanging the picture and survey the mess that he had created and say proudly, “Why, some people would have had a man in to do a little thing like that”. Jim thought that Harris would be exactly like Uncle Podger when he grew up.
Travelling light
The first list that the friends made had to be discarded because it was too long. George suggested that they should make a list of those things that they couldn’t do without. Jim remarked that George sometimes came out with sensible Suggestion. He then commented that many people loaded their boats with unnecessary and useless things. He opined that the boat of life should be light. A person should take along with him only those things which were needed. He should take with him one or two friends, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog and a pipe or two, enough food and sufficient clothes and drinks. He would find the boat easier to pull.
Individual tastes
George was to prepare the list and he said that they would carry a boat cover instead of a tent. Both George and Harris proclaimed that they loved an early morning swim. Jim did not like to get up early in the morning and thus hated an early morning swim. Harris said that it always gave him an appetite. George did not want him to have a swim because in that case, he would eat more.
Jim persuaded George to let Harris have a bath. George, then, told them that two suits of flannel would be enough. They would wash them on the river. Jim and Harris came to know later on that George was an imposter and he knew nothing about washing and clothes.