Tom Brown at Oxford

the objects of his young Oxford ambition, and succeeded in embarking on the river in a skiff by himself, with such results as are now described. He had already been dow

marker after his first hour in the little court. He forgot that cricket and fives are capital training for tennis, but that rowing is a speciality, of the rudiments of which he was wholly ignorant. And so, in full confidence that, if he could only have a turn or two alone, he should not only satisfy himself, but everybody else, that he was a heaven-born oar, he refused all offers of companionship, and started on the afternoon of a fine February day down to the boats for his trial trip. H

f his college was about the place. So he ordered a skiff with as much dignity and coolness as he could command, and hastened up stairs to dress. He appeared again

skiff

nager, conducting him to a good, safe-lookin

ciliously; "You may

nd you a very light one. Here, Bill!"-and he turned to

ou hear?" interrupted Tom.

degrading appendage. "The river's rather high, please to remember, sir.

id Tom, settling him

hove he

at, proceeded to pull very deliberately past the barges, stopping his sculls in the air to feather accurately, in the hopes of deceiving spectators into the belief tha

he should pass the mouth of the Cherwell, and so, having no longer critical eyes to fear, might

e time; in fact, the river was as full as it could be without overflowing its banks-a state in which, of all others, it is the least safe for boating experiments. Fortunately, in those days there were no outriggers. Even the racing skiffs were

wn, the boat had trimmed well enough; but now, taking a long breath, he leaned forward, and dug his sculls into the water, pulling them through with all his strength. The consequence of this feat was that the handles of the s

newly-acquired fact painfully in mind, and so avoiding further collision amidships for four or five strokes. But, as in other sciences, the giving of undue prominence to one fact brings others inexorably on the head of the student to avenge his neglect of them, so it happened with Tom in his practical study of the science of rowing that by thinking of his

ally sculling, does not, like reading and writing, come by nature. However, he addressed himself manfully to his task; savage indeed, and longi

nd almost aboard of him. Utterly ignorant of what was the right thing to do, he held on his course, and passed close under the bows of the miniature cutter, the steersman having jammed his helm hard down, shaking her in the wind, to prevent running over the skiff, and solacing himself with pouring maledictions on Tom and his craft, in which the man who had hold of the sheets, and the third, who was

catch the stern of his skiff with the boat-hook, and drag him back into the proper channel, and then opened the lock-gates for him. Tom congratulated himself as he entered the lock that there were no other boats going through with him; but his evil star was in the ascendant, and all things, animate and inanimate, seemed to be leagued together to humiliate him. As the water began to fall rapidly, he

the corner without going around, and zigzag down Kennington reach, slowly indeed, but with much labor, but at any rate safely. Rejoicing in his feat, he stopped at the island, and recreated himself with a glass of beer, looking now hopefully towards Sandford, which lay within easy distanc

s he came up with him hand over hand, and envying the perfect ease with which he seemed to be pulling his long steady stroke and the precision with which he steered, scarcely ever casting a look over his shoulder. He was hugging the Berkshire side himself, as the other skiff passed him, and thought he heard the sculler say something about keeping out, and minding the small lasher; but the noise of the waters and his own desperate efforts prevented his heeding, or, indeed, hearing the warning plainly. In another minute, however, he heard plainly enough most

s breath hard, and paddling gently with his hands, feeling sure that, if he could only hold on, he sho

er him, and he trod the water and drew in his breath to watch. Down she came, as straight as an arrow, into the tumult below; the sculler sitting upright, and holding his sculls steadily in the water. For a mo

he said, looking much

Not hu

, I believe," answered

he old tub which was floating quietly bottom upwards, little the worse for the mishap, and no doubt, if boats can wish, earnestly desiring in

ng about here and there in the pool, and also succeeded in making salvage of Tom's coat, the pockets of which held his watch, pur

holding up the dripping garment to let the water run out of the arms and pocket-holes, and then wringing

ligation-at least if this sort of obligation is to be reckoned not so much by the service actually rendered, as by the risk encountered to be able to render it. There were probably not three men in the University who would have dared to shoot the lasher in a skiff in its then state, for it was in those time

nying, however, that at the first glance he was an ugly man; he was marked with small-pox, had large features, high cheekbones, deeply set eyes, and a very long chin; and had got the trick which many underhung men have of compressing his upper lip. Nevertheless, there was that in his face which hit Tom's fancy, and made

id the ca

y kind indeed, and more than I expected. Don't they say that one Oxford m

d the other; "are you

at he considered an artful plan to g

, looking at the steep descent into the lasher,

"but how in the world did

river, for if I had upset I couldn't have helped you much. However, I followed my instinct, which was to come the quickest way. I thought, too, that if I could ma

m, with a laugh, in w

and he turned from the lasher an

ing. I'm used

Jersey which I use instead of a coat; pull off that wet cotton affair

ter skiff, which was soon baled out and hauled by main force on to the bank, carried across and launched again. The tub gave them much more trouble, for she was quite full of water and very heavy; but after twenty minutes or so of h

ink you can pull home in her. One doesn't know how much she

am I to do

, and send one of Hall's boys after her. Or, i

ur skiff

me I'll take you, but y

and have a glass of ale? What time i

e. I have about twen

pull your skiff down to Sandford? I resolved to pul

the other, with a smile; "jump i

which he completed the remaining quarter of a mil

ndly, merely stipulating that he himself should take the sculls, if it should prove that Tom could not pull them up in time for hall dinner. So they started, and took the tub in tow when they came up to it. Tom got on famously under his new tutor, who taught him to get forward, and open his knees properly, and throw his weight on to the sculls at the beginning of the stroke. He managed even to get into Iffley lock on the way up without fouling the gates,

, and we wise men; but if our object is to teach well and usefully what we know ourselves there cannot be a worse method. No man, however, is likely to adopt it, so long as he is conscious that he has anything himself to learn from his pupils; and as soon

t there? Why, you said you were not going down today," greeted them just above the Gut, that they were aware of the

ed Tom, grinding away harder than ever, that

iff are you towing up? I

and the four-oar

ose's?" asked his si

I came up, and very poor fun it is. So I thought to-day I would go on my own hook, a

as the new cap which would have betrayed him had disappeared in the lasher. He himself wore a glazed straw hat,

ile our hero vigorously and with reason maintained, that if he knew his business it could not matter what had happened to the boat. There she was, and he must say whether she was better or worse, or how m

't he say I was to leave his Jersey in our room, with my own things? Why, perhaps he is a St. Ambrose man himself. But then he would have told me so, surely. I don't remember to have seen his face in chapel or hall; but then there is such a lot of new faces, and he may not sit near me. However I mean to find him out before long, whoever he may be." With which resolve Tom crossed in the punt into Christ's Church meado

tance, who walked in habited in a gown which Tom took for a scholar's. He took his seat at a little table in the middle of the hall, near the bachelors' table, but quite away from the rest of t

e in, do you know?" said Tom to hi

d the other,

the hall, with the dark whiskers. There, he has just

name is

u know

es. They say he is a clever f

he sit at

ervitors; they all

t they were after all of the same college; for he had already begun to find out, that however friendly you may be with out-college men, you mus