The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-02-06
OLD TIMES On THE MISSISSIPPI.
A "Cub- Pilots Experience.
BY MARK TWAIN.

What with lying on the rocks four days
ar Louisville, and some other delays. the
poor old Paul Jones fooled away about
two weeks in making the voyage fro 4
Cincinnati 10 New Orleans. This gave
me a chance 10 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.
Ii also gave me a chance 70 get acquaint-
ed with youth who had taken deck pas
sage-more's the pity: for he easily bor-
rowed six dollars Of me on a promise TO
return 10 the boat and pay il back 70 me
the day after we should arrive. But he
probably died or forgot. for he never
came. Ii was doubtlr- he former, since
he had said his parents Were wealthy. md
he only Travelled deck passage becaus il
was cooler.
soon discovered two things. One was
that vessel would not be likely to sail
Tor the mouth of the Amazon under ten
or twelve years; and the other was that
the nine or ten dollars still left i'm nv
pocket would not suffice Tor so imposing
an exploration as had planned, even if
could afferd 10 wait tor ship. Therefore
1t followed that must contrive new ca
lreer. The Paul Jones was now bound for
81. Louis. Iplanned siege against nv
pilot. and at the end of three hard DAYS
he surrendered. He agreed TO tesch me
the Mississippi River from New Orleans
TO -. Louis for $500. PAYABLE out of the
first wages | should receive after gradua-
ting | entered upon the small enter
prise Of ''learningr ZOO or I 300 miles of
Tine great Mississippi River with the easy
confidence of my time of life. Ii | had
really known what was about 10 require
of my faculties, | should not have had
the courage 10 begin supposed that all
pilot had to do was to keep his boat in
he river. aud did not consider that that
could be much OF trick, since il was so
wide.
The boat backed out from New Orleans
at four in the afternoon. and il was .sour
watch" until eight. Mr.. B. nv chief.
strengthened her up" plowed her along
past the sterns OF the other boats that Law
at the Levee. and then said, Here. take
her; shave those steamships as close as
you'd peel an apple" 1 took the wheel.
and my heart went down int my boots
Tor il seemed TO me that we were about
10 scrape the side of every ship in the
line, we We're so close. l held INV breath
and began 10 claw the boat away from the
danger; and 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 it, In half a minute had a
wide margin of safety intervening between
the Paul Jones and the ships; and within
ten seconds more was set aside i'm dis
grace, and Mr.. b was going into dan
ger again and fiaying me alive with abuse
OF my cowardice. | was stung. but | was
obliged TO admire the easy confidence with
which NV chief loafed from side TO side of
his wheel, and trimmed the ships so closely
that disaster seemed ceaselessly imminent.
When he had cooled little 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 bene-
nc Of the former, and stay well out, down
stream. to take advantage of the latter.
In my own mind resolved to be a down.
stream pilot and leave the up-streaminp
20 people dead to prudence.
Now and then Mr.. B called my At
tention TO certain things. Said he, This
is Six-Mile Point I assented. II was
pleasant enough information, but could
not see the bearing Of ii. / was not con-
seious that IL was a matter Of interest to
me. Another time he said, This IL Nine
Mile Point" Later he said, ssThis Is
Iwelye-Mile Point They were all about
level with the waters edge: they all
A~Dhtt aDott aAihf w INT blfN were mo-
notonously unpicturesque. hoped Mr..
B would change the subject. But no:
he would crowd up around point, hug
ging the shore with affection, and then
say: The shack water ends here. abreast
this bunch of China-trees: now we cross
over" SO he crossed over. He gave me
the wheel once or twice, but had no luck.
either came near chipping off the edge of
sugar plantation, or else waved too far
from shore, and so I dropped back into
disgrace again and got abused.
The watch was ended at last, and we
TOOK supper and went to bed. At mid
night the glare ola lantern shone In nv
eyes. and the night Waterman said:
Gene ! turn out!''
And then he left. could not under
stand this extraordinary procedure so
presently gave up trying TO. and dozed off
70 sleep. Pretty soon the watchman was
back again. aud this time he was rruf /
was annoyed. said:
What do you want to come bosherinp
around here in the middle fthe night for
Now, as like az not I'll not get TO sleep
again Tonight
The Waterman said:
We'll, u this amt good. I'm blest.-
The .od-wafch was Just turning In.
and 1 heard some brutal laughter from
.henn, and such remarks as "Hello. watch
man, amt the new cub turned out yets
ne sdeiicate. likely. Give him some sugar
~ rag and send for the chambermaii 10
sing rock a-by-baby to him.