Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-04-30
CourageIin River Plotting.

tion until some time after the young pilot
has been standing his own watch" alone
and under the staggering weight of all the
, responsibilities connected with the posi-
tion. When an apprentice has become
pretty thoroughly acquainted with the
river he goes Gathering along so fearlessly
with his steamboat, night or day,
that he presently begins to imagine that
It is his courage that animetes him but
the first time the pilot steps out and leaves
him TO his own devices he finds out IL was
the other mans He discovers that the
article has been left out Of his own cargo
b altogether. The whole river is bristling
with exigencies in moment; he Is not
prepared for them; he does not know how
to meet them; all his knowledge forsakes
him. and within fifteen minutes he Is as
white as sheet and scared almost to
death Therefore pilots wisely train these
cubs by various strategic tricks to look
danger in the face a little more calmly.
A favorite way of theirs is to play friend
ly swindle upon the candidate.
Mr.. B. served me in this fashion
once, and for years afterward | used to
blush even in my sleep when thought of
it. ! had become good steersman; so
good, indeed that l had all the work to
do on our watch, night and day; Mr..
D. SGluOIl uldOlC SuBRtSllOi 10 ilt
| all he ever did was to take the wheel on
particularly bad nights or in particularly
bad crossings, land the boat when she
needed to be landed, play gentleman of
leisure nine tenths of the watch, and col
| lcct the wages. The lower river was
about bank-full and if anybody had ques-
toned my ability to run any crossing be
tween Cairo and New Orleans without
| help or instruction | should have felt ir-
reparably hurt. The idea of being afraid
of any crossing in the lot, in the daytime,
was a thing too preposterous for contem-
plation. Well, one matchless summers
day was bowling down the bend above
Island 60, brim full of self-conceit and
carrying my nose as high as a giraffe's,
when Mr.. B. said:
81 am going below a while. l suppose
you know the next crossingY'
This was almost an affront. It was
about the plainest and simplest crossing
in the whole river. One couldn't come to
any harm, whether he ran it right or not
and as for depth, there never had been any
bottom there. | knew all this perfectly
we'll
Know how to run it? Why, can run
it with my eyes shut"
How much water is there in it,"
"Well, that is an odd question.
couldn't get bottom there with a church
steeple."
you think So do you?"
The very tone of the question shook my
confidence. That was what Mr. B.
was expecting He left without saying
anything more. l began to imagine all
sorts of things. Mr.. B, unknown to
me, of course, sent somebody down to the
forecastle with some mysterious instruc-
tInn IN flNa lanfl
was sent TO whisper among the officers,
and then Mr.. B. went into hiding be-
hind snoke-stack where he could OBJ
serve results, Presently the Captain
stepped out on the hurricane deck next
the chief mate appeared; then a clerk.
Every moment or two a straggler was
added to my audience and before / got
to the head of the island l had fifteen or
twenty people assembled down there un-
der my nose. began to wonder what the
trouble was. As / started across the Cap
tain glanced aloft at me, and said, with a
sham uneasness in his voice:
"Where is Mr.. By"
"Gone below, sir"
But that did the business for me. NY
imagination began to construct dangers
out of nothing, and they multiplied faster
than | could keep the run of them. All
L
ahead! The wave of coward agony that
surged through me then came near dis
locating every joint in me. All my con-
tidence in that crossing vanished l seized
the bell-rope; dropped it ashamed
seized it again; dropped it once more
clutched it tremblingly once again, and
pulled it so feebly that l could hardly
hear the stroke myself. Captain and
mate sang out instantly, and both to-
gether-
Starboard lead there! and quick about
itr'
This was another shock. l began to
climb the wheel like a squirrel; but
would hardly get the boat started to port
before | would see new dangers on
that side, and away would spin to the
other; only to find perils accumulating to
starboard and be crazy to get to port
again. Then came the leadsman's sepul-
chral cry:
"D-e-e-p fourr'
Deep four in a bottomless crossing!
The terror of it took my breath away.
Mark threel Mark three! Quar-
ter less three! Half twain!"
This was frightfulI l seized the bell
ropes and stopped the engines
Quarter twain! Quarter twain! Mark
twain!"
was helpless. l did not know what
in the world to do. l was quaking from
head to foot, and l could have hung my
hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far.
Quarter less twain Nine and half!"
We were drdioiag nine My hands were
in nerveless flutter. l could not ring
bell intelligibly with them. flew to the
speaking-tube and shouted to the engi-
neer:
"Oh, Ben, if you love me, back herl
Quick, Ben! Oh, back the Immortal sOltl
out of her"
l heard the door close gently. looked
around and there stood Mr.. B., smil-
ing bland, sweet smile Then the audi
ence of the hurricane deck sent up shout
of humiliating laughter. I saw it all now
and felt meaner than the meanest man
in human history. | laid in the lead, set
the boat in her marks, came ahead on the
engines and said:
- 1t was fine trick to play on an or
phan, lrasnt it? l suppose III never
hear the last of how / was ass enough to
heave the lead at the head of &c."
"Well, no, you won't, maybe. In fact
] hope you won't; for / want you to learn
| something by that experience. Didn't
you kllOlo there was no bottom in that
crossing?"
Yes, sir did"
Very well, then. You shouldn't have
allowed me or anybody else to shake your
confidence in that knowledge. Try TO
remember that, And another thing: when
you get into a dangerous place, don't turn
coward. That is not going to help mat
ters any"
1t was good-enough lesson, but pretty
hardly learned Yet about the hardest
part of it was that for months | so often
had to hear phrase which / had con
ceived particular distaste for. 1t was:
"Oh, Ben, if you love me, back herp'--
Mark Ttoain, in AtldHtic Monthly
New Houses.
| There are several house apents in on.