The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-02-12
OLD TIMES ON THE MIssIssIpPI,

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OLD TIMES ON THE MISSISSIPPI
How Mark Twain Became a~p;1ot-.
Cub'so Pxperiences-Dihfcut At.
tending the Mental Eshotosra nIlKnss n
Two Thousand Miles Of River Bank.
In the February Atlantic Mark Twair
contributes the narrative of his exneri
encrs as "cub" pilot on the Mississippi
steamer Paul Jones. What with lyine
on the rocks four days at Louisville and
some other delays, says Twain, the poor
old Paul Jones fooled away about two
weeks going from Cincinnati to New
Orleans. This gave me chance to get
acquainted with one of the pilots, and
he taught me how to steer the boat, and
thus made the fascination of river life
more potent than ever for me.
= also gave me chance to get ac-
quainted with youth who had taken
deck passage more's the pity for he
easily borrowed six dollars from me on
q promise to return to the boat and pay
it back to me the day after we should
arrive. But he probably died or forgot,
for he never came. It was doubtless
the former, since he has said his parents
were wealthy, and he only travelled deck
passage because it was cooler.
soon discovered two things. One
was that Q vessel would not be likely to
sail for the mouth OF the Amazon under
ten or twelve years and the other was
that the nine or ten dollars still left in
my pocket would not suffice for so i'm
posing an exploration as T had planned.
even il could afford to wait for q chin.
Therefore, it followed that I must con-
triFe a new career. The Paul Jones
Was now bound for st. Louis. I Iplanned
siege against my pilot, and at the end
Of three hard days he surrendered. I
entered upon the small enterprise of
learning" twelve or thirteen hundred
miles OF the great Mississippi river with
the easy confidence of my time OF life.
III had really known whaE I was about
to require Of my faculties I should not
have had the courage to begin. I sup-
posed that all pilot had to do was to
keep bis boat in the river, and I did not
consider that that could be much OF a
trick, since il was so wide.
.A The boat backed ont from New Or
leans at four in the afternoon, and it
was " our watch " until eight. MI.
B. my CHIEF, g Strengthened her up. J,
plowed her along pest The sterns Of the
other boats that lay at the leyee, and
then said, Here. take her: shave
those steamships as close as you'd peel
an apple" took the wheel, and NV
heart went down into my boots for it
seemed to me that We were about to
scrape the side of every shipin the line, |
we were SO close. Theld my breath and |
began To claw the boat away from the
danger; and had my own opinion of
The pilot who had known no better than
10 get us into such peril, but was too /
wise to express ii. In half minute. /
4 had q wide margin of safety inter-
vening between the Paul Jones and the
the ships and within ten seconds more
I was set aside in disgrace, and Mr..
Be- was going into danger again and
faying me alive with abuse Of my COW
ardi0e. II was stung, but was obliged
70 admire the easy confidence with
which my chief loafed from side to side
of his wheel, and trimmed the ships so
closely that disaster seemed ceaselessly
imminent. When he had cooled lit.
tle he told me that the easy water was
close ashore and the current outside,
and therefore we must hug the bank up
stream to get the benefit Of the former,
and stay wellout, down stream, to take
advantage of the latter. In my own
mind I resolved 70 be- d downstream
pilot and leave the up.streaming to
people dead To prudence.
4 DULL CONVERSATION.
Now and then Mr. b - called my
attention I'd certain things. Said he,
/" This is Six-mile point I aasented.
1t was pleasant enough information,
but could not see the bearing of it. I /,
was not conscious that itawas q matter
Of any interest to me. Another time he
said, This is Nine. Mile point. Later
he said, = This is Twelve Mile point. z
They were oil about level with the
waters edge; they ell looked about /;
alike 10 me they we're nonotcnously
nnpicturesque. hoped Mr.. B.
would change The subject. But no he
would crowd up around q point, hing ,
ging the shore with Infection, and then
LAY & The slack water ends here
abreaat this bunch Of China trees now !
Ne cross over. So no crossed over. !
He gave me the wheel once or tRiee,
but / had no luck. either came near
shipping Of the edge of 1 sugar plan i
iation. or else I yawed too far from I
Ihore, and So I dropped back into dis I
yTaoe again and got abused. u
SOMETHING LIKE WORK. j
The watch was ended at last, and we
ook supper and went 70 bed. At mid /
light the glare OF lantern shone in my i
yes and the night Watchman said
/ Come, turn ont /" d
And then Be left. ] could not nm Y
lerstand this extraordinary procedure,
oT presently gave up trying 70 and i
lozed off To sleep. Pretty aocn The