. . . , whether we had time to call upon the way and pack a satchel

[shootingstar]

(Planning a trip out into the country, being seated in a restaurant)
... At once the English speakers rallied to the name of any exercise; even to me, who have been often twitted with my sedentary habits, the thought of country air and stillness proved invincibly attractive. It appeared, upon investigation, we had just time to hail a cab and catch one of the fast trains for Fontainebleau. Beyond the clothes we stood in all were destitute of what is called, with dainty vagueness, personal effects; and it was earnestly mooted, on the other side, whether we had not time to call upon the way and pack a satchel? But the Stennis boys exclaimed upon our effeminacy ...

(R.L. Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, The Wrecker, Chapter IV, In Which I Experience Extremes of Fortune)

Reading my thread of May 7, 2023 (Call upon the way) once again, there are some doubts. Does that mean "call" is to be understood as "go and get" (a bagful of some personal necessities) in this context (as Barque said in their last reply; there weren't any agreements either)? In my opinion, "call" means "fit in a short stopover" upon the way and pack a satchelful of some necessities in this context. And I have to repeat the question Is "upon" the particle of the phrasal verb "call upon" or is it the preposition of "the way"? .

 

[Piscean]

Call upon is not a phrasal verb here. The preposition upon has the way as its object.

 

[shootingstar]

Thank you. The other question is about the meaning of the verb "call": Does "call" mean "fit in a short stopover" upon the way and pack a satchelful of some necessities or does it mean "go and get" (a bagful of some personal necessities) in this context?

 

[emsr2d2]

I would assume it's an old-fashioned way to say "call in" or "stop off", meaning "go home" in order to collect some belongings. However, I don't know if the context supports that. Are they close enough to where they live to drop by and pack some belongings into a satchel?

 

[shootingstar]

Are they close enough to where they live to drop by and pack some belongings into a satchel?

Thank you. Yes, they are.