The Portland daily press., 1874-01-31
From Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner
new Novel;
Mississippi Steamboat Racing.

from Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warmers
new Novel;
Mississippi Steamboat Racing.
A VIVID PICTURE.
ssBy George, wonder comes the ANA
ranthW A spark appeared close to the water
several miles down the river. The pilot took
his glass and looked a. it steadily for a mo-
ment. and said, chiefly to himself:
''It can't be the Blue Wing. She couldn't
pick us up this way. It's the Amaranth,
sure"
He bent over a speaking tube and said
'Who's on watch down thereP'
A hollow unhuman voice rumbled up
through the tube in answer:
81 am. Second engineer"
sGood You want to stir your stumps,
now Harry-the Amaranth's just turned the
toor'
The pilot took hold of rope that stretched
out forward, jerked it twice, and two mel.
low strokes of the big bell responded. A
voice out on the deck shouted:
Stand by,down there, with that larboard
leadr'
s'No, don't want the lead," said the
pilot, Il want you. Roust out the old
man-tell him the Amaranth's coming
"Aye-aye, STRIP
The sold man" was the captain-he il
always called so on steamboats, and ships,
Slim was the other pilot. Within two
minutes both of these men were flying up the
pilot-house stairway, three steps at jump.
Jim was in his shirt-sleeves, with his
coat and vest on his arm. He said:-
I was just turning in. Where's the
glass ~ BE took it and looked.
Don't appear to be any night hawk on
the jack-staf-it's the Amaranth, dead
surev'
The captain took good long look, and
only said:
'Damnationr'
George Davis, the pilot on watch, shouted
to the enight-watchman on deck:
'How's she loaded?'
STwo inches by the head, SIR"
Taint enoughp'
The captain shouted, now:
Call the mate. Tell him to call all hands
and get a lot of that sugar forrard-put hel
ten inches by the head. Lively, nowp'
"Aye-aye, sirr'
A iiot Ut shouting and trampling foated up
from below presently. and the uneas- steer
ing of the boat soon showed that she was get.
ting down by the head.'
The three men in the pilot-house began to
talk in short, sharp sentences, low and earn.
estly. As their excitement rose their voices
went down. As fast as one of them put
down the spy-glass another took it up-but
always with studied air of calmness. Each
time the verdict was:
"She's a gaining, -----------------
The captain spoke through the tube:
what steam are you carrying?"
"a hundred and fcrty-two, sirI But she's
hot o,,1 1,zk&n x1lll AZ.
The boat was straining and groaning and
quivering like monster in pain. Both pi-
lots were at work now, one on each side of
the wheel, with their coats and vests off, 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.
''Stard BY" whispered George.
"All readyP' said Jim, under mis- breath.
"Let her comef'
The boat sprang away from the bank like a
deer, and darted in long diagonal toward
the other shore. She closed in again and
thrashed her fierce way along the willows as
before. The captain put down the glass:
Lord how she walks up on us! do hate
to be beatp'
.Jim," said George, looking straight ahead
watching the slightest yawing of the boat
how'll it do to try Murderers Chute ?''
"Well, its-it's taking chances. How was
the cotton wood stump on the false point be-
low Boardmaa's Island this morningp'
Water just touching the roots. -
swell, it's pretty close work. That gives
six feet scant in the head of Murderer's
Chute. We can just barely rub through if
we hit it exactly right. But it's worth trying
She don't dare tackle it!'-meaning the
Amaranth. In an other instant the Boreas
plunged into what seemed crooked creek,
and the Anaranth's approaching lights were
shut out in moment. Not whisper was
uttered now, but the three men stared ahead
into the shadows and two Of them spun the
wheel back and forth with anxious watchf1l-
ness while the steamer tore along. The
chute seemed to come to an and every fifty
yards, but always opened out in time. Now
the head OF IL was at hand. George tapped
the big bell three times, two leadsnen sprang
to their posts, and in a moment their weld
cries rose on the night air and were caught
up and repeated by two men on the upper
deck:
'tNo-o bottomY
"De-e-p four!
"Half threem
''Quarter threer'
Mark under wa-a-ter three"
"Half twain -
Davis pulled couple of ropes- there was q
Jlngling OF small bells far below, the boats
speed sla ckened, and the rent steam beoan tn
whistle and the guage cocks to scream
by the mark twain.'
ssQuar-ter-her-er-less!,
Slight md halfr'
Eight feetv'
"Seven-ana-half!-"
Another jinglng of little bells, and the
'heels ceased turning altogether. The
whistling of the steam was something fright
1ui, now-.it almost drowned all other noises.
''Stand by to meet herr'
George had the wheel hard down and was
standing on spoke.
'.All readyp
The boat hesitated-seemed to hold her
breath, as did the captain and pilots-and
nen onem sne began to fall away to sta1board, and
"N0w then p'-neet he, srot.,, .,,
The wheel flew to port SO Sast tI nel!
spokes blended into spider wehWtho "v s,,;ae .ne
OF the boat subslded-she steadied hersaifs
'Seven feetl' Aeiseli-
'Sev-six and halfr'
six feeE! Six f--.''
Bang! She hit the bottom! George shotu.
ed through the tuba:
Pow-vow-chow! The escape-nines beIched
snowy pillars of steam aloft, the boat groond
and surged and trembled : and slid over into
"M-a-rk twainr'
Quarter her
"Tap! tap! tap?' Ito signify '.Lay in the
leads.")
And away she went, flying up the willow
shore, with the whole silver sea of the Mis-
sissippi stretching abroad on every hand.
No Amaranth in sight!
'Ha ha, boys, we took couple of tricks
that timep' said the captain.
And just at that moment red glare ap-
peared In the head of the chute and the Am
aranth came springing after them!
,Well, swearp
..1i, ..g1lm, what's the meaningof that?'
,r,a. L .ell you what's the meaning of it
Hast;naa ast na.i we had at Napoleon was Wash
didn% S;nss, stor wanting to come to Cairo-and we
showing those no mnd IN that .pilot-house, now,
easy water" nv" 10 NUM- ior
., 9, That's itv' thought it wasn't anv s,oucb
Inat was running that middle bar in my Homaaa ouaoa