Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-02-06
A STEAMBOAT RACE.

They will come rs hope that 10 dear.
A STEAMBOAT RACE.
An Extract from Tho Gildsd Age,
a Novel Written 'Conjointly BY
Mark Twain and Chas. D.
At night the boat forged OF
through the deep solitudes of tn
river, hardly ever discovering
light to testify to human presence
mile after mile and league afte
league the vast bends were guard
ed by unbroken walls of forest tha
had never been disturbed by tn,
voice or the football of a man, Of
felt the edge of his sacrilegiou.
axe.
An hour after supper the moor
came up, and Clay and Washington
two boysl ascended to the hurri
cane deck to revel again in thcil
new realm of enchantment. They
ran races up and down the deck
climbed about the bell; made friends
with the passenger-dogs chained
under the life-boat; tried to make
friends with passenger-bear fast
ened to the verge staff, but were moi
encouraged; skinned the cat' on
the ho.-chains; in word, exhaust
ed the amusement possibilities OF
the deck. Then they looked wist-
fully up at the pilot.house, and final
ly, little by little. Clay ventured up
there, followed diffidently by Wash
ington. The pilot turned presently
to "gct his stern Marks" saw the
lads and invited them in. This co.
zy little house, built entirely oi
glass, and commanding a marvellous
prospect in every direction, was a
magician's throne to them, and their
enjoyment of the place was simply
boundless.
They sat them down on a high
bench and looked miles ahead, and
saw the wooded capes fold back and
reveal the bends beyond; and they
looked miles to the rear and saw
the silvery highway diminish its
breadth by degrees and close itself
together in the distance. Presently
the pilot said:
"By George, yonder comes the
Amaranth!''
A spark appeared close to the wa
ter, several miles down the river.
The pilot took his glass and looked
at it steadily for moment, and said
chiefly to himself:
at 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 thcre?'
A hollow, unhuman voice rum.
bled up through the tube in answer;
II am. Second engineer"
"Good! You want to stir your
stumps, now, Harry-the Amarantll
has just turned the point-and she's
just a-humping herself, tooH'
The pilot took hold Of a rope
that stretched out forward, jerked
it twice, and two mellow strokes OF
the big bell responded. A voice on
the deck shouted: -s
"Stand by, down there, with that
labboard lead"
'No, don't want the lead," said
the pilot, 81 want you. Roust out
the old man-tell him the ANA.
ranth's coming. And 60 and call
Jim-tcll him."
"Aye, aye"
The cold man" was the Captain
-hc is always called SO on steam
boats and ships; "Jim" 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.
81 was just turnin' in. Where's
the glass?"
He took it and looked:
"Don't appear to be any night.
hawk on the jackstatf-it's the Am.
aranth, dead sure"
The Captain took a long look and
only said:
"Damnationw
George Davis, the pilot on watch,
shouted to the night-watchman on
deck:
slows she loadcd?"
1.-TWO inches by the head, SIR"
"'Taint enough!"
The Captain shouted now:
"Cali the mate. Tell him to call
all hands and get lot of that sugar
forrard-put her ten inches by the
head. Lively, now."
Aye, ayev
A riot of shouting and trampling
floated up from below presently,
and the uneasy steering Of the boat
soon showed that she was getting
"down by the head"
The three men in the pilot-house
began TO talk in short, sharp sen.
tences, low and earnestly. AS their
excitement rose, their voices went
down. AS fast as one of them put
down the spyglass another took i,
up; but always with u studied al,
of calmness. Each time the verdict
was:
"Shc's gainingv'
The Captain spoke through tht
tube:
"What steam are you carrying?'
"a hundred and forty-two, Sir
But she's getting hotter and hotter
all the time" cna st, las
The boat was stra,ning and groan
ing and quivering like . monster in
pain. Both pilots. were working
now, one on each sido Of the wheel
! with their coats and vests of, thei1