New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-31
OLD TIMES ON TIE MISSISSIPPI.
A ''Cub'' Pilots Experience, or, Learn
ing tho River.
ok MARK TWAIN.

What with lying ON the rocks four day
at Louisville, and some other delays, tn
poor old Paul Jones fooled away about tw,
weeks in making the voyage from Cincin
natl to New Orleans. This gave me
chance to get acquainted with one of tn,
boat, and thus made the fascination Of rvel
life more potent than ever for me.
Il also gave me a chance to get acquainted
with youth who had taken deck passage
more's the pity, for he easily borrowed &
OF me on a promise to return to the boat
and pay it back to me the day after We
should arrive. But he probably died OF
forgot. for be never came. 1t was doubtless
tho former, since he had said his parents
were wealthy, and he only travelled deck
passage because it was cooler.
=. soon discovered two things. One was
that "a 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 lett in my pocket
would not suffice for SO imposing an ex.
pl0ration as had planned, even if could
afford to wait for ship. Therefore it fol-
lowed that | must cOntrive a new career
The Paul Jones was now bound for st.
Louis. planned siege against my pilot,
and at the end of three hard days he sur
rendered. He agreed to teach me the Mis-
sissippi river from New Orleans to st. Louis
for $500, payable out of the first wages |
should receive after graduating. entered
upon the small enterprise of "learning"
twelve Or thirteen hundred miles of the
great Mississippi river with the easy conf.
'Ience OF my time of life. If I had really
known what l was about to require of my
faculties should not have had the courage
to begin. l supposed that all pilot had TO
do was to keep his boat III the river, and
did not consider that could be much of a
trick, since it was so wide.
The boat backed out from New Orleans
at four in the afternoon, and it was "Our
watch" until eight. Mr.. b, my chief,
Strengthened her up" plowed her along
past the sterns of the other boats that lay
ut the levee, and then said, "Here. take her;
shave those steamships as close as you'd
peel an apple" Itook the wheel, and my
heart went down into my boots; for it |
seemed to me that We were about to scrape |
the side off every ship in the line, we were |
so close. I held my breath and began to
claw the boat away from the danger; and l |
had my own opinion of the pilot who had |
known no better than to get us into such |
peril, but / was too wise to express 1t. In |
Of safety intervening between the Paul
Jones and the ships; and within ten sec
Onds moro was set aside in disgrace, and
MI B. was going into danger again and
laying me alive with abuse of my cow
ardice. was stung. but l was obliged to
admire the easy confidence with which my
,hlef lOafed from side to side of his wheel,
md trimmed the ships SO closely that disas-
er seemed ceaselessly imminent. When he
xater was close ashore and the current out.
ide, and therefore We must hug the bank,
Up stream, to get the benefit of the former,
ma stay well out, down stream, to take
advantage of the latter. In my own mind
resolved to be q down stream pilot and
cave the up streaming to people dead to
ention to certain things. Said he: "This
: Six-mile point" l assented. 1t was
pleasant enough information, but could
lot sec the bearing of it. l was not con-
clous that it was matter of any interest
D mo. Another time he said: "This ia ,
line mile point" Later he said: "This is .
'welve- mile point" They were all about ,
.vel with the waters edge; they all looked
bout alike 10 me; they were monotonously
hange the subject. But no; he would I
rowd up around point. hugging the shore
18th affection, and then say: "The slack
'ater ends here, abreast this bunch of 6
hina trees; now We cross over" So he {
rossed over. He gave me the wheel once |
+ Ice, but had no luck. l either came |
ear chipping off the edge Of sugar planta-
on or else waved too far from shore, and | I
dropped back into disgrace again and d
It abused. +
The watch was ended at last, and We took {
PIPER and went to bed. At midnight the 8
are Of . lantern shone in my eyes, and the il
ght watchman said: t
'COMel turn Out!' tt
And then he lett. / could not understand f
Is extraordinary procedure; SO presently v
We up trying to, and dOzed Oif to sleep. o
city soon the Waterman was back again, I,
d this time he was gruff. was annoyed. c.
aid: b
What do you want to come bothering "
,und here IN the middle of the night fori b
W, as like as not III not got to sleep | N
lin tonight" g,
he Waterman said:
Well, If this amt good, Trout W
he "Off watch" was justTuyning IN, and | al
card some brutal laughter from Them. ! be
| such remarks as Hello, Waterman, an
; the new cub turned out yeti He's an
cate, likely. Give him some sugar in lo
and send for the chambermaid to sing Lii
l-a.by baby to him" ba
bout this time Mr.. b appeared en- tel
scene. Something like minute later l wi
elm bling tho pilot house steps with tn
8 Of my clothes on and the rest in my ms
}. Mr.. B. was close behind, COM ba
ting, Here was something fresh-this CO!
2 Of getting up in the middle OF Il etc