The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1874-01-14

verdict was
"Shes gaining =
The captain spoke through the tube
" What steam are you carrying ?"
"a hundred and forty-two, sir Bu
she's getting hotter all the time"
The boat was straining, and groan
ing, and quivering like a monster il
pain. Both pilots were at work now
one on each side of the wheel, will
their coats and vests of, their bosoms
and collars wide open, and the perspi
ration flowing down their faces. They
were holding the boat so close to the
shore that the willows swept the guards
almost from stem to stern.
Stand by !" whispered George.
"All ready" said Jim, under his
breath.
"Let her come ~
The boat sprang away from the bank
like deer, and darted in long diago
nal toward the othsr shore. She closed
in again and thrashed her fierce way
along the willows as before. The cap
tain put down the glass
"Lord, how she walks upon us /
do hate to be be beat!'
"Jim, said George, looking straight
ahead, watching the slightest yawning
of the boat and promptly meeting it
with the wheel, "how'n it do to try
Murderer's Chute p!
"Well, it's-its taking chances.
How was the cottonwood stump on the
false point below .Boardsman's island
this morning?"
"Water Just touching the roots"
"Well, it's pretty close work. That
gives six feet scant in the head of Muir
derer's Chute. We can just barely rub
through it if we hit it exactly right
But it's worth trying. She don't
dare tackle it r'-meaning the Amar-
anth.
In another instant the Boreas plum
ged into what seemed a crooked creek,
and the Amaranth's approaching lights
were shut out in a moment. Not a
whisper was uttered now, but the three
men stared ahead, into the shadows, and
two of them spun the wheel back ami
forth with anxious watchfulness while
the steamer tore along. The chute
seemed to come to an end every fifty
yards, but always opened out in time.
Now the head of it was at hand
George tapped the big bell three times,
two Ieadsmen sprang to their posts,
and in moment their wierd cries rose
on the night air, and were caught up
and repeated by two men on the upper
deck:
"No-o bottom -
"De.e-p four !"
"Half three !'
"Qua1ter thr"e p
"Mark under wa-a-ter three r'
"Half twain!'
"Quarter twain ="
Davis pulled couple of ropes
there was q jingling of small bells far
below, the boats speed slackened, and
the pent steam began to whistle and the
gauge cocks scream.
"By the mark twain p
"Quar-ter-her-er-less twain p
"Eight and half p
"Eight feet !"
Seven-ana-half p
Another iingling of little bells and
the wheels ceased turning altogether.
The whistling of the steam was some
thing f1ightful, noW-it almost drowned
all other noises.
"Stand by to meet her !"
George had the wheel hard down and
was standing on spoke.
"All ready!"
The boat hesitated-seemed to hold
her breath, as did the captain and pilots
and then she began to fall away to
starboard, and every eye Lighted.
''Noav then meet her meet her
Snatch her p
The wheel few to port so fast that the
spokes blended into spider web-the
swing of the boat subsided-she stead
led herself
"Seven feet p
sSev-six feet and haJ'"
"Sir feet ! Six +"
Bang She hit the bottom George
shouted through the tube
"Spead her wide open! Whale 1t at
her :"
Pow-wow-chow! The escape pipes
belched snowy pillars of steam aloft,
the boat ground and surged, and trem-
bled-and slid over into
" "M-a-r-k twain !"
"Quarter-her--"
"Tap tap tap" Ito signify Lay
in the leads.')
And away she went, flying up the will
low shore, with the whole silver sea of
the Mississippi stretching abroad on
every hand.
No Amaranth in sight
"Ha ha, boys, we took couple of
tricks that time p said the captain.
And just at that moment red glare
appeared in the head of the chute and
the Amaranth came swinging after
them
"Well, Iswear !"
"Jim, what is the meaning of that ?"
"Ill tell you what's the meaning of
it. That hail we had at Napoleon was
Wash Hastings, wanting to come to
Cairo-and we didn't stop. He's in
that pilot house, now, showing those
mud turtles how to hunt for easy water.
"That's it thought it wasn't any
slnuch that was running that middle