The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-01-08
RACING ON THE MISSISSIPPI.

a brilliant sketch by Mark Twain.
At night the boat forged on through
the deep solitudes of the river, hardly
ever discovering a light to testify to a
human presence-mile after mile and
league after league the vast bends were
guarded by unbroken walls of forest
that had never been disturbed by the
voice or the football of man, or felt the
edge OF his sacrilegious ak.
An hour after supper the moon came
up, and Clay and Washington two
boys) ascended to the hurricane deck to
revel again in their new realm OF en-
chantment. They ran races up and
down the deck, climed about the bell /;
made friends with the passenger-dogs
chained under the life-boats tried to
make friends with a passenger bear
fastened to the verge staff, but were not
encouraged skinned the cat i" on the
hog chains in n word, exhausted the
amusement possibilities of the deck.
Then they looked wistfully up at the
pilot house, and finally, little boy Clay
ventured up there, followed diffidently
by Washington. The pilot turned pres
emily to "get his stern marks" saw the
lads and invited them in. This cosy
little house, built entirely of glass, and
commanding n 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 ANA
ranth r.
A spark appeared, close to the water,
several miles down the river. The pilot
took his glass and looked at it steadily
for a moment, and said, chiefly to him
self:
"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 there?"
A hollow, unhuman voice rumbling
up through the tube in answer:
Il lam. Second engineer"
Good You want to stir your
stumps, now, Harry-the Amaranth's Is
Just turning the point-and she's just a.
humping herself, too -
The pilot took hold of a rope that
stretched out forward, jeeked il twice,
and two mellow strokes of the big bell
responded. A voice out on the deck
shouted
Stand by, down there, with that
larboard lead p
No don't want the lead" said the
pilot, " want you. Roust out the old
man-tell him the Amaranth's coming.
And go and call Jim-tell him"
Aye, aye, sir !"
The cold man was the captain-he is
always called so on steamboats, and
ships; Jim" was the other pilot.
Within two minutes both Of these mer
we're flying mp the pilot house stairway,
three steps at jump. Jim was in hi,
shirt sleeves, with his coat and vest or
his arm. He said
Il was just turning in. Where's tho
glass ?"
He took it and looked
Don't appear to be any night hawI
on the jackstaff-it's the Amaranth
dead sure -
The captain took long look, ant
only said
"Damnation I"
George Davis, the pilot on watch
shouted to the night watchman on deck
" How's she headed P"
Two inches by the head, sir"
q" 'Taint enoughl"
The captain shouted now:
"Call the mate. Tell him to call al
hands aud get lot Of that sugar for
.ard-Put her ten inches by the head
Lively, nowr'
aye aye bl1
A riot of shouting and tramplin
aoated mp from below, presently, an
the uneasy steering of the boat shove
that she was getting down by tn
head"
The three men IN the pilot-house bs
gan to talk in short, sharp sentenca
low and earnestly. As their excitemel
rose their voices went down. AS IA
as one of them put down the spy-gla,
another took it up but always with
studied air Of calmness. Each time Il
verdict was
She's a gaining I"
The captain spoke through the tube
What steam are you carrying P"
hundred and forty-tvo, sir Z Br
sue o., getting hotter all the time"
inc boat was straining, and gToaI
'ng' and quivering like a monster
pam. Both pilots were at work nov